April 22 — Santa Paula Art Museum to present ‘The Land of Light,’ Youth-led Event Inspires a Community through Art, Science, and Play

SANTA PAULA — An upcoming event at the Santa Paula Art Museum, Jeanette Cole Art Center invites visitors to experience a new way of seeing art in a fun and lively atmosphere where art, science, and play intersect. “The Land of Light” is a youth-led event designed to engage the community through interactive art installations, lighting effects, visual film graphics, and displays of science and technology. All of these elements will come together in a way that inspires play. The event is for one night only on Saturday, April 22, 2017, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Admission to the event is free for everyone.

The unique Earth Day event will transform the entire Santa Paula Art Museum campus including the Museum’s main exhibition building, the Cole Creativity Center (the Museum’s future art education building), and the outdoor area between the two. Youth guides will lead visitors through different indoor and outdoor spaces representing earth, water, science, art, and technology. Light and video projections will illuminate the other creations on display including 3D sculptures, art cars, robotics, a “pyropainted” carousel, and more. Each space will feature “maker craft stations” where guests will be able to interact and add to the various artworks and displays. Visitors will also enjoy a live DJ and local food truck.

“The Land of Light” is an extension of the Santa Paula Art Museum’s ArtSPARK education program, which serves thousands of local students each year through onsite tours and outreach workshops. The event is the culmination of many months of collaboration between numerous professional artists and dozens of local youth artists. The teams of youth and adult participants are responsible for all of the event planning areas – from marketing and logistics, to the art on display. Participating professional artists include Paul Benavidez, Silvia Huerta, Nancy Kaplan, Amun Levy, Janet Milhomme, Deniz Nicole, and Faith Purvey. Youth artists include students from the Academy of Technology and Leadership at Saticoy, California Institute of the Arts, De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts, Fillmore High School, Santa Paula High School, Santa Clara Valley Boys and Girls Club, and Turning Point School.

The Santa Paula Art Museum, Jeanette Cole Art Center is located at 117 North 10th Street in beautiful downtown Santa Paula. The Museum features rotating exhibitions of vintage and contemporary art, educational programming for children and adults, artist talks and demonstrations, a gift shop, and more. For more information, please contact the Museum at (805) 525-5554 or visit the Museum’s website at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org.