Hidden in a corner of downtown Santa Ana is a neighborhood called the “Artist Village.” Galleries and street art abound and visitors spend quite a bit of time exploring the passageways and staircases of the various buildings. On the corner of 2nd Street and Sycamore Ave sits OCCCA—The Orange County Center of Contemporary Art. A new exhibition entitled “You First” debuted this Saturday with over 50 attractions on display.
Based on the concept of “Relational Aesthetics,” many art pieces are designed to be interactive. One display titled “Identity Tapestry” by Mary March fills an entire wall with over 150 statements such as “I am creative” or “I can’t trust people” tacked onto the wall. Viewers pick up a ball of yarn from a basket and loop the string around statements they identify with. Although there are over fifty yarns to choose from, no color is exactly the same. The result is a colorful mish-mash of links between statements, each piece of yarn unique in itself, yet united. “I wanted to take little parts of people’s lives and string them together,” March said.
A lyrical dance show, a disc jockey and the steady clinking of wine glasses promises an artsy, upbeat and casual evening. Artwork ranges from paintings to film documentaries, photojournalism to sculptures; diversity is not a problem. Like the pieces themselves, the artists come from around the world, expanding from local Orange County to London and other parts of the United Kingdom. An artist from the Ukraine demonstrates his artistry through a musical interactive piece. Still another man exhibits his love of dance and music through a Soul Train display.
A family friendly event, free to the public and right in the middle of quaint restaurants and other unique galleries, the OCCCA gallery is a great place to take a date, a group of friends or hit up for an art assignment.
More information on “You First” can be found on the OCCCA website www.occca.org.
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