FESTIVALS & EVENTS : Fullerton Dresses Up the Night

When organizers of the yearly cultural festival “A Night in Fullerton” assemble the events and the geography of the evening, there’s not much doubt that they mean a night in all of Fullerton. For one night, Friday, free music, art, drama and dance programs will be offered at 13 locations throughout the city.

From an exhibition of hats at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center to musical performances by a choir, a jazz band and a country-Western band at Pacific Christian College, “A Night in Fullerton” will offer four hours of concentrated culture--between 7 and 11 p.m.--for the 30th year in a row.

The event began in 1964, the brainchild of the internationally known abstract artist Florence Arnold, who was also a longtime Fullerton educator and arts advocate. Arnold died in March, and this year’s celebration is dedicated to her, said Joe Felz, director of the Fullerton Museum Center.

“She and some other artists and gallery owners in the area wanted to promote the Muckenthaler Center, which had just opened,” Felz explained. “Also, there were other galleries that were opening in the city. They worked with the city and the Chamber of Commerce and decided a nighttime event would be something different and decided to open everything for free.”

The event is strictly non-commercial, and selling of any kind is prohibited at all the official sites, which are marked with searchlights and banners. (See accompanying list for details.) Participating galleries, studios, schools and colleges donate their facilities and services for the evening.

“It’s grown ever since the first year,” said Felz, adding that this year’s total of sites is about double what it was 30 years ago. Between 25,000 and 27,000 people are expected to attend.

Programs that detail events at each of the sites are available at an information booth on Wilshire Avenue just east of Harbor Boulevard, as well as at all the sites.

Bus service between sites is also available throughout the evening.

What: “A Night in Fullerton.”

When: Friday, April 29, from 7 to 11 p.m.

Where: All over town.

Whereabouts: Bus service to all sites. See list above for locations and event descriptions.

Wherewithal: Free.

Where to call: (714) 738-6575.

Where the Action Is

Here are the sites that will be participating in A Night in Fullerton:

* Village Art Center, 529 N. Harbor Blvd. Works by artists Cindi Holt, Anthony J. Trasport and Jiang Qi will be on display.

* Fullerton Museum Center, 301 N. Pomona Ave. “Outside/In: A View From the Studio,” work by 30 developmentally disabled artists from the First Street Gallery in Claremont, will be featured.

* Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern Ave. “Haute Hats,” an exhibition of millinery, featuring hats by contemporary artists Sayre Adams, Lyric Watson and Phyllis Beals, along with historic head wear borrowed from collections throughout Southern California.

* Gallery 57, 204 N. Harbor Blvd. A mixed-media exhibit featuring work by Gallery 57 member artists.

* Pacific Christian College, 2500 E. Nutwood Ave. A variety of sacred music, including performances by a country and Western band, a choir and a jazz band.

* Fullerton College, 321 E. Chapman Ave. Annual student art show, student dance concerts and performances by student music groups.

* Patrick’s Musician, 172 N. Raymond Ave. A musical celebration featuring classical, popular, country, jazz and contemporary performances.

* Eileen Kremen Gallery, 619 N. Harbor Blvd. “Kaleidoscope Celebration--Spring ‘94,” featuring 54 kaleidoscope artists working in glass, wood, clay and metal, an art demonstration by Don Ballwey and performances by the Orange Empire Barbershop Quartet.

* Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd. “A New Generation: Vietnamese American Contemporary Art.” Student art exhibits, performances by the Fullerton Brass Quartet, art demonstrations and hands-on arts and crafts activities for children.

* First Christian Church, 109 E. Wilshire Ave. Performances by the Fullerton College Community Band and the Orange Empire Barbershop Chorus.

* Church of Today, 117 N. Pomona Ave. Performances by the vocal jazz group Vocal Magic.

* Nouveau Chamber Ballet, 1090 W. Valencia Drive. A mix of classical and contemporary ballet performances.

* Vanguard Theatre Ensemble, 699A E. State College Blvd. Scenes from the play “The Love of the Nightingale,” by Timberlake Wertenbaker.