Art San Diego: Tickets on sale for county’s largest contemporary fine art show, Oct. 18-21 in Del Mar

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

Redwood Media group announced the return of Art San Diego, the county’s premiere contemporary fine art show, for its 10-year anniversary Oct. 18-21, 2018 at the Wyland Center at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Art San Diego, with presenting sponsor UBS Financial Services, is known for cutting-edge exhibitions, in-depth Art Labs and attracting more than 15,000 attendees.

The show will feature the finest galleries, showcasing established and up-and-coming talent alongside secondary market masters. Art San Diego is sought by art collectors from Southern California, as well as art aficionados and insiders from across the country and around the world. Visitors can expect to examine artwork from more than 70 exhibitors showing works from over 500 established and emerging artists. This year’s anniversary celebration will consist of vibrant contemporary art exhibits, exciting programming and a variety of surprises.

The new “First Look Free Friday” will serve as the event’s media day, 1-5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, and offers free admission to the press and the public during this time frame on Friday only. Entrance into the Friday Collectors’ Opening Night Party, 6-9 p.m., requires a ticket.

The 2018 theme is “Allure,” based on the power of contemporary and modern art to captivate, seduce and charm buyers, collectors and dealers who love their work. This year, Art San Diego continues its goal of bringing the threads of community together through the vehicle of art awareness. With “Allure” as the stepping off point, Art San Diego intends to maximize its partnerships within the community to activate the Access to Art Program.

The Access to Art Program was created to celebrate Art San Diego’s 10th anniversary, aiming to generate a sizeable donation for selected charities and to share opportunities in art, design, business development and more. Sponosred by UBS Financial Services, it began in August 2018 and continues after the show, with hopes of annual expansion. This year’s beneficiares are Monarch School, Generate Hope and HEAL (Homeless Empowerment Through Art) and work in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego International Film Festival and the San Diego Visual Art Network to launch this new community initiative.

Highlights of the 2018 show include:

• The Spotlight Program, which gives collectors a closer look at cutting-edge galleries and artists. Each Spotlight Artist creates a site-specific exhibition.

• 2018 Art Labs, which feature curated projects by San Diego-based artists to showcase the thriving art landscape of the city.

• LaunchPad Artist Program, which provides a young, unrepresented artist the opportunity to present a site-specific exhibition (open to up-and-coming artists who demonstrate exceptional talent in their field of work and who want to make art their career).

• San Diego Art Prize, presented by the San Diego Visual Arts Network, awards a cash prize and exhibition opportunities to established and emerging San Diego visual artists. The winner is mentored by an established artist and a joint installation is created and featured in a major exhibition within the San Diego community.

• Art Talks provide close-up conversations between artists, curators and art professionals. These dialogues provide the opportunity to speak out loud about meaningful and uncommonly addressed issues by the creators about their own lives and their creative processes.

Several discussions are focused on providing useful information for those interested in building their private or corporate collections. This year’s talks include one from interior designer Dorothy Willetts and architect/artist Christopher Mercier.

• IF YOU GO: To view the 2018 show schedule, visit art-sandiego.com/show-schedule. Show hours: noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21. 1-Day Pass: $20 (students/seniors, $10); 2-Day Pass Saturday and Sunday (admits 1): $25 (students/military/seniors (admits 1) $15; Friday Collectors’ Opening Night Party (admits 2): $50; 3-Day Pass: Opening Night Party plus full weekend access (admits 1): $40. Parking: $13 per day, per car. art-sandiego.com

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