Today in Rancho Palos Verdes a select...

Today in Rancho Palos Verdes a select group of 200 artists from California and other southwestern states will present their works for exhibition and for sale at the 30th annual Art for Fun(d)s Sake.

The art fair will take place on the grounds of the Palos Verdes Art Center and will feature a variety of artworks, including jewelry, ceramics, weavings, folk art, sculpture, paintings, photography and music.

Some of the 200 artists are affiliated with the Art Center, but most were selected by a jury based on slides of their work.

“The jury tried to avoid ‘crafty’ items when they selected the artwork. We don’t want this to be an arts and crafts fair,” said June Romine of the Palos Verdes Art Center. “We also tried to keep an even balance between selecting jewelry, ceramics, paintings and so on.”

Although the 200 artists will showcase a wide range of artistic subjects and motifs, the art fair will highlight works with an American Indian influence. Several booths will offer American Indian art, including dolls, woven vests and clay wall hangings.

The American Indian influence will be especially evident in the 11 hands-on arts and crafts projects designed for children. The projects are the creation of the Art Center’s “Art at Your Fingertips” (AAYF) program, whose yearlong theme is “Discovering the American Palette,” a focus on American Indian art. AAYF is a volunteer-run program of art education for all elementary school children in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, and is sponsored jointly by the Art Center, the school district and PTAs.

The hands-on projects include making animal charms from pebbles, and making musical rattles, ankle belts, bracelets and headbands.

Headlining the arts and crafts projects, and the American Indian art as a whole, will be Michael and Alta Rogers from the Paiute reservation near Bishop. These two artists received national recognition in July when they were invited, along with other top American Indian artists, to exhibit their work in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington.

Michael Rogers is best known for his abalone jewelry, although he also works with silver, gold, turquoise and coral. Alta Rogers designs contemporary Indian clothing, but today will practice a different art--storytelling--in the children’s arts and crafts area.

The Art for Fun(d)s Sake will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Palos Verdes Art Center at 5504 W. Crestridge Road at Crenshaw (three miles south of PCH) in Rancho Palos Verdes. A free parking and shuttle service is available from The Shops at Palos Verdes on Deep Valley Drive. Admission is free.