Historic Downtown Ventura’s Face Lift Will Be Celebrated at ArtWalk : Community: Strolling along new sidewalks, hundreds are expected to check out the local art scene during the open house event.

Merchants will keep their doors open late. Artists will show off the products of their labor.

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And the $3.6-million face lift downtown, completed but for the delayed work of striking union workers, will be introduced by city officials at a City Hall reception scheduled for 6 tonight.

Hundreds of people are expected to crowd the new sidewalks, linger under antique street lamps and savor local art as the city hosts another of its continuing ArtWalk open houses.

“It really highlights a unique feature of our city, which is the historic downtown,” said Sonia Tower of the Ventura Office of Cultural Affairs.

“No other city has a downtown like this one, and the ArtWalk lets people know that the downtown is renovated and thriving,” she said.

More than 50 galleries will stay open until 10 p.m., many of which will provide entertainment and refreshments to visitors. Dozens of other shops and restaurants will host special activities.

The event will include galleries and businesses between Ash Street and Ventura Avenue from Poli Street to the beach.

Wayne Speeds of the Ash Street Coffeehouse said the ArtWalk gives people a chance to explore the newly renovated commercial core of the city and learn about local culture.

“The Ventura art scene is growing,” he said. “There’s a core group of artists that are doing a lot of great work here and the ArtWalk increases that awareness and visibility.

“It’s also great for the coffeehouses and restaurants that participate because there’s an increase of people coming in and enjoying themselves,” Speeds said. “It’s really a feeling of community.”

At Artists at Work, a newly opened gallery along Main Street, director Lisa Dane said two local artists--a painter and a ceramics artist--will be plying their crafts.

“We try to always have a working artist on hand,” she said. “We don’t just have cut-and-dried art, we have people actually making the stuff.”

Dane said her gallery opened just before the holiday ArtWalk last December.

“We had about 800 people and it was great,” she said. “These ArtWalks help because people find out where we are and it helps promote Ventura’s image as a cultural center.”

Live music is scheduled at two locations, with a jazz ensemble set to perform on the Ventura Beach promenade and Andean folk musicians scheduled at California and Santa Clara streets.

The strike by concrete and asphalt workers will help artists transform the rough road of California Street into a huge public canvas.

Early this morning, artist Judy Suzuki will outline a mural in the unpaved road between Poli and Main streets that depicts the local sea life. After 3 p.m., she will hand out paint and supplies to anyone who wants to help create one of the city’s largest public art projects.

“With a little bit of creativity, we’ve turned what could have been a disaster into an interesting temporary art installation,” ArtWalk Coordinator Elena Brokaw said.

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FYI

The Ventura ArtWalk will showcase local galleries, artists and the newly renovated downtown. The event, from 6 to 10 tonight, is free and includes most of the shops and restaurants from Poli Street to the beach and Ventura Avenue to Ash Street. For more information, call 658-4736.