One of the leading cultural events in Southern California, Art San Diego, with presenting sponsor UBS Financial Services, celebrated a successful ninth year in September. After spending its first eight years in Balboa Park, the contemporary art show moved to a new venue: the Wyland Center at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. During the show’s four-day run, there were significant sales of artwork and over 11,000 attendees perused contemporary art from 70 exhibitors and 500 emerging and established artists. Since its inaugural event in 2009, Art San Diego has become one the premier contemporary art shows in the nation and draws the finest upcoming and established talent in the art world, as well as art collectors from across Southern California and top art reps and insiders from around the world. Art San Diego’s programming includes Art Talks, theme-specific Art Labs, cutting-edge media works, and a carefully curated selection of emerging artists.
“We were pleased that Art San Diego’s fans followed the show to the new Del Mar venue,” said Eric Smith, president and CEO of Redwood Media Group. “We received great feedback from our artists and guests on the new North County location, and that was the main determining factor in returning to Del Mar in 2018. The response was overwhelmingly positive on the location and the larger venue, which really allowed us to showcase the art in new and exciting ways. We are excited to return in 2018 to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and we have some fun surprises planned that we’ll be announcing in the coming months.”
At the 2017 event, Redwood Media Group honored select exhibitors with special recognition for their talents and efforts. Award winners include:
- Best Sculpture: Sergott Contemporary Art of Rancho Santa Fe, California
- Best New Exhibitor: Evan Lurie Gallery of Carmel, Indiana
- Best New International Exhibitor: Peimbert Art of Acapulco, Mexico
- Best Booth Design: Pippin Contemporary of Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Directors’ Award: Masterworks Fine Art Gallery of Oakland Hills, California
Here’s a look at some of the 2017 show highlights:
- This year’s theme was [FUSION]: the merging of artistic mediums, of exhibitors and collectors, and of the countless galleries and artists who come together to showcase their work.
- Rainbow-colored streamers and chrome mannequins greeted guests as they entered Art San Diego through a rainbow tunnel created by San Diego artist Sarah Stieber.
- Puerto Rican artist Villín Ramos’ presented his latest series of work, which was saved by Arte Collective before Hurricane Maria devastated his hometown.
- Mexican multidisciplinary artist Roberto Georgge, represented by World Wide Art, donated all the earnings from his sales to pay tribute to the victims of the earthquake and support relief efforts in Mexico.
- As part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the mayor of San Diego, Kevin L. Faulconer, proclaimed Sept. 28, 2017, to be “Alejandro Salazar Day,”in honor of the world-renowned Latino artist and international art dealer Alexander Salazar.
- UBS and Outside the Lens Partnered for a special [FOTO] Colombia Exhibition. Outside the Lens is a San Diego nonprofit that educates youth in photography, film, and digital media. The mission of Outside the Lens is to empower youth to create positive change within themselves, their communities, and the world. Through collaboration with UBS Financial Services, Outside the Lens displayed the inspiring work of their [FOTO] Colombia students and shared narratives from their recent Cameras Across Cultures program.
Featured artists at the ninth edition of Art San Diego included:
- Spotlight Artists: Kate Taylor, Lori Ryerson and Rose Tanner
- San Diego Art Prize recipients Rizzhel Javier and Alexander Kohnke
- San Diego Art Prize nominees: Michelle Montjoy, Cathy Breslaw, Miriam Gabriela Garcia Aguirre, and Rebecca Webb
- LaunchPad Artist: Mikaela McLeish
- Art Labs by San Diego artists Sarah Stieber and José Hugo Sánchez
- Art Talks included Metamorphosis of the Migrant Era with José Hugo Sánchez, The Art of Collecting with Patric Stillman and Alexander Salazar, On The Horizon in The Art World with Michael Joseph and Yubal Fieites, and Painting with Passion with Michael Carini, D. Arthur Wilson, and James Paterson
Here’s a taste of some of this year’s top sales:
- Masterworks Fine Art (Oakland, California) sold a Marc Chagall piece for $52,000 and two Mel Bochner pieces.
- Stephanie’s Art Gallery (La Cañada Flintridge, California) sold an original Loretta Tearney Warner—Asian Woman with Ceremonial Headdress made of burlap stitched to linen and paint—for $15,000.
- James Paterson (Meaford, Canada) sold nine pieces ranging in price from $350 to $1,600.
- Sarah Stieber (San Diego) sold 10 pieces, including a 96” x 60” acrylic on canvas titled Follow Your Goddess for $15,000.
- Renssen Gallery (Amsterdam) sold Woman in Red & Yellow Hat for $1,850 along with six other pieces by Erik Renssen.
- Peimbert Art (Los Angeles) sold Alexandre Montoya’s painting Colorful Voices and Jorge Marin’s bronze and marble sculpture Surfer Balance.
- Spotlight Artist Kate Taylor (Toronto) sold 10 original paintings, including Falling Petal Squares for $2,915.
- Jen Tough Gallery (Vallejo, California) sold Michael Metzger’s The Sea XXXVL, oxidized iron, titanium, lapis lazuli, ochres, and walnut oil on wood in artist-made bleached white oak frames, for $1,100.
- Pippin Contemporary (Santa Fe, New Mexico) sold a painting, a mixed media on panel, and a sculpture totaling over $13,000.
- Dimensions Gallery (San Diego) sold Tom Liguon’s Supernova, a mixed media piece embodied with multiple DCG holograms for $16,000.
- LaunchPad Artist Mikaela McLeish (San Diego) sold two original pieces.
- Menduina Schneider (San Pedro, Calif.) sold a sculpture for $3,650.
- Arte Collective (Miami) sold three Valenz pieces, two Xavier Lujan pieces, and one Allie Wilkinson piece.
- Spotlight Artist Rose Tanner (Banff, Canada) sold three original pieces ranging in price from $90 to $1,000.
- Gedion Galleries (Sedona, Arizona) sold the Spirit of Freedom sculpture for $3,000.
- Other notable sales included: Lyn Hiner, Scerney Gallery, Mary Sky, Chad Daly, Alexander Salazar Fine Art, Paul Brandejs, D. Arthur Wilson, Sofokli Telo, Anita Lewis, MJ Laberge Gallery, Alfaddo Studio, Evan Lurie Gallery, Forefront Group, Jose Hugo Sanchez, Essence Art, Deveren Farley, Lori Wylie Richardson, Bruce Lurie Gallery, Carini Arts, Eileen Seitz, and Natsoulas Gallery.
About Art San Diego
Art San Diego 2017, presented by UBS Financial Services, took place Sept. 28–Oct. 1, 2017, at the Wyland Center at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Art San Diego has emerged as one of the best-attended cultural events in Southern California. Founded in 2009 as the first and only contemporary art show in San Diego, Art San Diego is a four-day art event that features more than 60 international galleries and offers dynamic programming that includes Art Labs, Art Talks, the LaunchPad and Spotlight Artist Programs, and the San Diego Art Prize. Art San Diego provides a focus on San Diego’s vibrant and diverse cultural art scene alongside an exciting collection of international artists and galleries. For more information, visit www.art-sandiego.com.
About Redwood Media Group
Since 2009, Redwood Media Group (RMG) has been revolutionizing the global fine art community by helping artists and gallery owners grow their businesses through fine art exhibitions and publications, art business education, mentoring, marketing, and social media. Today, RMG owns and operates six fine art shows: Artexpo New York, Artexpo Las Vegas, Spectrum Miami, Red Dot Miami, Art San Diego, and Art Santa Fe. Artexpo New York, the world’s largest fine art trade show for 40 years and counting, attracts more than 40,000 art enthusiasts every year, including nearly 5,000 industry buyers. Spectrum Miami and Red Dot Miami take place during Miami Art Week, an annual attraction that draws over 100,000 art collectors to the city. Over the past eight years, RMG has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to their events, sold millions of dollars worth of art, and helped thousands of unrepresented and established artists launch or grow their careers. Aside from hosting multiple high-end art shows throughout the year, RMG also owns Art Business News.
For more information, visit www.redwoodmg.com, www.artbusinessnews.com, www.artexponewyork.com, www.artexpolasvegas.com, www.art-sandiego.com, www.spectrum-miami.com, www.artsantafe.com, and www.reddotmiami.com.