On the second Saturday of every month, the streets of North Park populate with hipsters, emos and art lovers alike for Ray at Night. The event is one of those things you've probably heard a lot about, in passing conversations, but never took the time to follow up on. I remember a time when Ray at Night was confined to Ray Street alone. These days, however, Ray at Night is beginning to resemble the Borg more and more, little by little assimilating all of North Park and expanding beyond just the arts; beyond what its founder, Gustaf Rooth ever imagined. Whether this is a positive or negative, I'll leave up to you to decide.
Politics aside, Ray at Night is a whole lot of fun and costs nothing to attend. You grab a map and hit every open house (which includes galleries, dance studios and more) or you can freestyle it and see where the crowds take you. There is live music on the street, booths set up with great local artisans showing off their goods and, my personal favorite, the art gallery exhibitions. If you're like me, you loose patience with one tiny gallery which only has 10 pieces displayed. Ray at Night is a great opportunity to take in a lot of art from a lot of different open houses in one big gulp. My personal funny memory from my last attendance was my mom exploring The Rubber Rose (with me using "work calls" as an excuse to wait outside), something she was emboldened to do only because the atmosphere of the event was fun and exploratory.
Definitely do check out featured artist, Eric Wixon at the September 12th Ray at Night, which also happens to be the fair's 8th birthday. Eric's work is funky, colorful and thought provoking while still aesthetically attractive enough to hang in your living room; a feat many contemporary artist seem unable to achieve.
Ray at Night
3811 Ray St (corner of Ray St. and University... and all around it)
San Diego, CA 92104
www.rayatnight.com
Photo courtacy of northparkmainstreet.com
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-22272-San-Diego-Starving-Artist-Examiner~y2009m9d10-Ray-at-Night-Art-Walk--Street-Fair-Free-for-Everyone
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