Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: artists village

OC art legend Emigdio Vasquez to be honored at OCCCA on May 25

Posted on by Posted in Alicia Rojas, Arts and Culture, Entertainment, Latinos, Santa Ana 7 Comments

Emigdio Vasquez

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7th 2013

Contact: Alicia Rojas – UASA, info@unitedartistsofsantaana.org, or 714-907-5468

OC ART LEGEND EMIGDIO VASQUEZ TO BE HONORED IN ARTISTS VILLAGE ARTIST TO RECEIVE LAN MAESTRO AWARD MAY 25 AT OCCCA

Emigdio Vasquez, one of the most prolific and famous artists to come out of Orange County, has been selected for the prestigious “Maestro” award from the Latino Arts Network (LAN), a California association of Latino Museums and Cultural Centers in partnership with the California Arts Council. The award & reception will take place Saturday, May 25 from 11am-4pm. Hosting the event will be local arts leader United Artists of Santa Ana (UASA) and Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA) who wcvill exhibit Mr. Vasquez’ work in March of 2014. Continue reading→

Downtown Santa Ana Art Walk set for this Saturday, Jan. 5

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Entertainment, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana 3 Comments

The Circus Kids

The Circus Kids will be playing at this Saturday’s Downtown Santa Ana First Saturday Art Walk

Don’t miss the Downtown Santa Ana First Saturday Art Walk, set for this Saturday, January 5, from 7 pm to 11 pm, in the Artists Village, in Downtown Santa Ana.

Highlights this month include: Continue reading→

Downtown Santa Ana Art Walk set for this Saturday, Dec. 1

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Entertainment, Food, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana 4 Comments

DEC 1 – SANTORA ARTS BUILDING ( 207 N. BROADWAY, LOWER LEVEL – DTSA )

Don’t miss the December Downtown Santa Ana Artists Village Art Walk, this Saturday, Dec. 1, from 6-10 pm.  Arts, crafts and live entertainment centrally located at: Artists Village – Second Street Promenade (2nd & Broadway) & the Santiago Arts Colony (Santa Ana Blvd. & Poinsettia).  Here are a few highlights of the events set for this Saturday: Continue reading→

Art exhibit spotlighting the homeless set for 11/30 in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Entertainment, homeless, music, Santa Ana 2 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Press Contact: Alicia Rojas , alicitarojas@yahoo.com, 714 907 5468

INTERACTIVE ART EXHIBIT SPOTLIGHTS OC’S HOMELESS

As a creative end to Mercy House’s “30 Days in 30 Ways” campaign to raise interest in Homeless Awareness Month, a silent auction and interactive art exhibit will take place at the historic Santora Arts Building in collaboration with United Artists of Santa Ana (UASA).  A warm clothing drive and holiday art faire will round out the evening.  A portion of the proceeds will benefit Mercy House’s important services for the homeless in our community as well as support the work of United Artists of Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s artists know they can’t trust mayoral candidate David Benavides

Posted on by Posted in 2012 Elections, Arts and Culture, Churches and Religion, David Benavides, Democratic Party, Elections, Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana 23 Comments

When word got out that Irvine’s Newsong Church was in escrow to buy the landmark Santora building in Downtown Santa Ana, the artists community in our Downtown Artists Village area erupted.   

A group of artists concerned about the sale of downtown Santa Ana’s Santora building to Newsong Church said that City Councilman David Benavides’ attendance at the church’s services should preclude him from serving on an ad hoc committee examining the sale, according to the Voice of OC.

The Voice of OC also reported that “Some artists suspect that Benavides, who is a real estate agent, has a financial interest in the sale. They question whether Benavides is representing the artists’, the city’s or the church’s interests on the committee. He appeared in a video about the building and the city made for the Newsong congregation.” Continue reading→

Who will lead the next revolution in Downtown Santa Ana?

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Development, Santa Ana 20 Comments

Don’t be fooled for one minute – when the Newsong Church pulled out of escrow and walked away from their agreement to buy Downtown Santa Ana’s Santora building it really did not have much to do with the owner of the Santora, Mike Harrah.  They pulled out, according to an insider I spoke to on Friday, because they had enough of the crazed artists at the Santora – and their pugnacious leader, Alicia Rojas.  I can’t blame Newsong’s leaders one bit for getting out of Dodge.

The shame of it is that Newsong would have brought a huge influx of new blood into a Downtown Santa Ana that is starting to get a bit stale.  Oh sure we have a bunch of new high-end restaurants and plenty of hipster bars to get drunk at (which is ironic as what set off redevelopment in the area originally was former City Manager Dave Ream’s dislike for the Mexican bars that were once ubiquitous in Downtown Santa Ana). Continue reading→

Santora building reportedly being purchased by Benavides’ Newsong Church

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Churches and Religion, David Benavides, Development, Historical, Santa Ana 23 Comments

UPDATE: Newsong Church confirmed via news release Tuesday that the Santora Arts Building in downtown Santa Ana is in escrow, with a partnership formed by the church as the buyer, according to the Voice of OC.

Somewhere former Santa Ana Councilman Ted Moreno is smiling.  The Voice of OC is reporting that Irvine’s Newsong Church is buying the Santora Building, which is a key component of Downtown Santa Ana’s Artists Village.  Moreno, as you might recall, mightily opposed the Artists Village when it was being planned.  Moreno, a devout Christian, contended that the Artists Village was nothing more than an attempt by homosexuals to take over Downtown Santa Ana.

In recent years, the Artists Village has seen a few galleries come and go while a lot of restaurants and bars have opened up, including a gay bar, the Velvet Lounge.  And yes, quite a few homosexuals have moved into the Downtown area.  But it would be a stretch to argue that they have taken over – although one of our readers coined the phrase “gaytrification” to describe what has been happening in the area.

Now a very significant and well-funded church is coming to town – and taking over the building many consider to be the fulcrum of the Artists Village.  And as it turns out, one of our current Council Members, David Benavides, is a member of the Newsong Church.  Should the artists be freaking out right about now? Continue reading→

Q Art Salon to open in Santa Ana’s Artists Village on May 5

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Business, Entertainment Leave a comment

For Immediate Release 

Media Contact: The ACE Agency, Ashley Eckenweiler, (949) 285-9239, ashley@theaceagency.com 

Q Art Salon Opens in Santa Ana Artist Village May 5

New Space Launches with The Knights Debut Group Show

[Santa Ana, CA] – Downtown Santa Ana is pleased to welcome its newest contemporary art gallery, Q Art Salon, to the Artist Village community. The space will open to the public on Saturday, May 5, during Santa Ana’s First Saturday Artwalk, with the group exhibit titled The Knights Debut featuring paintings by both emerging and established artists including Sean Cheetham, Alex Kanevsky, Marc Trujillo, and William Wray.  Continue reading→

Santa Ana’s artists have only themselves to blame for their problems

Posted on by Posted in Alfredo Amezcua, Arts and Culture, Julio Perez, Occupy Orange County, Politics, Santa Ana 11 Comments

Joining the Occupy movement was a very bad idea for Santa Ana’s artists

“A core group who’ve been in the Santora for years are growing increasingly worried that building owner Mike Harrah will push them out as rents in Santa Ana’s gentrifying downtown move upward,” according to the Voice of OC.

I met with many of these artists back before they formed  a group called the Artists Village Alliance of Santa Ana (AVASA).  I had advised them to join together and represent their community with a unified voice.  Unfortunately, AVASA quickly was taken over by the most radical of the downtown artists – and they stupidly got involved with the Occupy movement.

Today the artists have no voice – and it is their own damn fault.  Attacking Harrah continues their stupidity as he has no contractual reason to keep the artists who are not paying their rent. Continue reading→

SAPD arrests suspects in murder of Irvine resident in the Artists Village

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Santa Ana Police Department Advisory: SANTA ANA POLICE- HOMICIDE DETECTIVES ARREST TWO FOR THE 2010 MURDER OF JEFFREY LEE CHUNG

SANTA ANA POLICE- HOMICIDE DETECTIVES ARREST TWO FOR THE 2010 MURDER OF JEFFREY LEE CHUNG

On 10-2-2010, a robber shot and killed a 23-year-old man in a Santa Ana parking garage. Irvine resident Jeffrey Lee Chung was at a bar with some friends in downtown Santa Ana and walking to a parking garage, when he and a friend were confronted by two suspects, one of them armed with a handgun.

Chung was shot when he refused the suspects’ demand for money. Chung’s friend was unharmed. The suspects, described as male Hispanics, fled the scene on foot. Officers responding to a “shots fired, man down” call about 1:30 a.m., at 201 W. Third Street, found Chung shot in the upper torso. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Continue reading→

Mexican Artisan Fair in Downtown Santa Ana on Sep. 17 & 18

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Dance, Entertainment, Latinos, mexico, music, Santa Ana 1 Comment

MEXICAN ARTISAN FAIR // FERIA DE ARTESANÍA MEXICANA

  • A two-day celebration of Mexico’s independence through art & music
  • Celebrando la independencia de México a través del arte y la música
  • Saturday, September 17th – 2 to 7pm Continue reading→

Take the Downtown Trolley to the Santiago Arts District Art Walk tonight

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Dance, Entertainment, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The Downtown Trolley will be running from 8pm to 11pm this Saturday, August 20th during Posse on Broadway and the neighboring Santiago Arts District Art Walk.

What is Posse on Broadway?  Glad you asked!  What happens every third Saturday of the summer? “Posse on Broadway” From the east end to the west end of Downtown Santa Ana eleven venues focus on presenting you with diverse sounds, food, and live entertainment.

The Downtown Trolley stops will be located at: Continue reading→

The Artists Village Art Walk extends into Santa Ana’s East End

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Business, Fashion, Food, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The East End promenade featured a musical celebration last night that succeeded in attracting those who were hanging out at the Santa Ana Artists Village Art Walk.  You can see a few pictures of the Art Walk above and a few pictures of the East End event below.

This is the first time I can remember that the Art Walk has been successfully extended to the East End. Continue reading→

Downtown Santa Ana Art Walk this Saturday, June 4

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Bars, Entertainment, music, Restaurants, Santa Ana Leave a comment

The Downtown Santa Ana Art Walk is coming up this Saturday, June 4, from 7 pm to 10 pm.

The First Saturday Art Walk will feature:


Santa Ana High to host “Arts in the City” on Friday, May 27

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Education, Entertainment, music, Santa Ana, SAUSD Leave a comment

Santa Ana High to Host Arts in the City on Friday, May 27

The Santa Ana High Visual and Performing Arts Department will host “Arts in the City: Fantasy on a Japanese Folk Song” on Friday, May 27 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The event is a collaboration with the City of Santa Ana, Downtown, Inc. and Arts Orange County as part of the Imagination Celebration.

The event will honor the culture and people of Japan, and will be held on the 2nd St. Promenade in the heart of the Artist’s Village in Downtown Santa Ana. Refer to the attached FLYER for additional information.