{"id":12992,"date":"2024-03-28T11:00:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T18:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/?p=12992"},"modified":"2024-03-28T11:04:59","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T18:04:59","slug":"keeping-san-pedro-creative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2024\/03\/28\/keeping-san-pedro-creative\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping San Pedro Creative"},"content":{"rendered":"
A drab utility box becomes a canvas.<\/strong><\/span> A storm drain transforms into a work of art. A new mural appears on a once bare wall. If you haven\u2019t already noticed, San Pedro\u2019s public spaces have become a bit more colorful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n San Pedro has attracted artists of many disciplines for decades. From painters and sculptors to musicians and skateboarders, the port town has always been an affordable refuge for creatives of all stripes.<\/p>\n For a small town, San Pedro has an incredibly diverse artistic community. It has its own ballet company (San Pedro City Ballet), a vibrant cultural center (Angels Gate), and several art galleries in downtown that open their doors each month during the First Thursday ArtWalk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are numerous live music venues and a makers marketplace (CRAFTED), not to mention dozens of public art projects like murals and utility box paintings that can be seen all over town.<\/p>\n Arts United San Pedro, an umbrella group of several local arts organizations, seeks to keep the San Pedro arts community alive and thriving as the town goes through significant redevelopment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With a mission to create a framework to combine efforts to promote San Pedro\u2019s authentic cultures, galleries, entertainment venues, and artists, the group is working hard to bring San Pedro\u2019s vibrant arts community into the public eye.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The group has been doing a lot more behind the scenes \u2014 about $671,000 more, to be exact. That\u2019s the total amount of money they\u2019re distributing to San Pedro\u2019s local artists during the next three years, which came from a state grant in 2023 that members Amy Eriksen (Angels Gate Cultural Center), Linda Grimes (San Pedro Waterfront Arts District), Liz Johnson (Grand Vision Foundation), Elise Swanson (San Pedro Chamber of Commerce), and others secured.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n