Roamin’ Holiday

“Have you seen my ‘Phalanges Monster’?” Santa Ana artist J.J. Martin--sporting mascaraed lashes, dreadlocks and a tutu--asked a visitor.

If it was the bobbing object at the street corner made of dozens of inflated white surgical gloves bound together to resemble a rotund ball of udders, it was hard to miss.

Martin and his “Phalanges Monster,” a piece made for public display, are just a few of the oddities you might find during an art walk. Martin is only one of several artists with the Arc artists’ group who entertain with such guises. Organizers say they take pride in offering art lovers the unpredictable.

Monthly art walks are fast becoming a popular pastime in Orange County as Southern Californians look for an excuse to dump the car and shun the mega-malls for a little culture. Organized through grass-roots efforts by artists, galleries and local businesses, these pedestrian tours--of Santa Ana’s urban art houses, Laguna Beach’s seaside colony and Orange’s quaint Old Towne--are free of charge and offer a diverse sampling of art.

Designed to promote cultural arts, the regularly scheduled walks are an evening of entertainment featuring clusters of galleries, art studios, artsy gift shops, cafes and restaurants staying open later than usual.

The events--which include enticements such as refreshments, opening receptions, free parking or shuttles, dance and music performances, and artist demonstrations--are one way to bring art to the people.

Santa Ana

The buzz on Broadway in Santa Ana is the Artists Village Open House, held from 7 to 10 p.m. the first Saturday of every month. This walking tour in downtown Santa Ana was a first of its kind five years ago when artists and gallery owners teamed to create the event as a way of drawing new audiences and showcasing their work. Now, hundreds of pedestrians stroll blocks of lighted sidewalks along Broadway.

“This is our first time at the art walk,” said Anne Kelly of Garden Grove, who collects African art with her husband, Gene. They came to check out the Artists Village after hearing about it from ads, city advertising banners and friends. Among their stops was the Infinity Gallery (which specializes in African art) and other ethnic art venues in the district.

“The Artists Village has a lot of energy, and I get fresh ideas for my art,” said Gene Kelly, an artist.

The Artists Village includes more than 50 studios and galleries, restaurants and live theater. The area is anchored by six buildings in a historic district: the Santora Arts Building, Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center, the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, the Empire Arts Building, East Village Workshops and the Arc.

Santa Ana’s monthly Artists Village Open House began in 1995 as an event distinct from the annual citywide art walk. At the time, tenants of the Santora Arts Building were the only ones showcasing their art every six weeks. Though it was the only public art venue, it drew broad interest, with visitors from throughout Southern California. The village also attracted international artists. Now, hundreds of artists and art patrons cruise the streets of Santa Ana--on foot--regularly.

“People who were coming first were from outside of Orange County, maybe because they werefarther away from Orange County’s perception that Santa Ana is a gritty or unsafe place,” said Randy Au, a local artist and member of the Artists Village Task Force, which disbanded in 1995. Au also owned a gallery in the Santora Arts Building.

The success of the Artists Village, Au said, is that it draws local and international artists and audiences.

“We’re casting a wider net, bringing in as many artists and people from different places as possible.”

On occasion, as many as 1,500 art lovers have visited the village open house, Au said.

The village art walk in particular is something of an insider’s tour to the creative process.

It offers a rare opportunity to see professional and emerging artists’ finished works as well as works in progress.

The scene includes artists of all specialties. J.J. Martin, for instance, is one of a dozen artists with the Arc--a 6-month-old arts group comprising young poets, musicians, actors and visual artists based in the Gildmacher Building on 4th Street and Broadway.

Once a month during an art walk, they feature an artist, a theater performance, a public art display of, say, a “Phalange Monster,” or the group dressed as drag queens.

Laguna Beach

In contrast, the scene in Laguna Beach is traditional. Two free shuttle buses take visitors to dozens of galleries along a three-mile stretch of Coast Highway that includes Gallery Row, the downtown area and South End. The small shuttles halt at three key locations--Laguna Art Museum, Surf and Sand Hotel and Jahraus Park--every 20 minutes, and crowds begin pounding the pavement for the sake of art.

Held the first Thursday of every month, the Laguna Beach art walk runs from 6 to 9 p.m. It is coordinated by the city and includes free admission to the Laguna Art Museum and the Art Institute of Southern California.

When it began almost three years ago, the First Thursday Art Walk garnered modest interest, with only a dozen galleries and 200 visitors. The walk now attracts nearly 1,000 visitors who tour about 40 galleries, city officials said.

“The biggest draw at the art walk is the chance for visitors to meet the artists,” said Sian Poeschl, the city arts coordinator who launched the program in February 1998 after taking an art walk tour through Seattle’s art district.

“Every art-walk roster includes personal appearances by painters, sculptors, potters and other creators,” Poeschl said. “That deepens the experience for art collectors or potential collectors. They can have a better sense of who the artists are and the meaning behind their work.”

This seaside community has long been an artists colony. In the early 1900s, many California Impressionist painters were based here.

Before the city-organized art walks began, most galleries worked independently to promote their own shows rather than encouraging a collective art scene, Poeschl said.

Held year-round, the art walk has become a ritual for many.

Orange

In Orange, visitors can count on a homey atmosphere where some galleries cook up a storm to welcome new faces.

“We’ve grilled pork loin and served 125 people with curry orange pumpkin soup once,” said John Rusk, chairman for Artwalk Orange 2000 and owner of Old Towne Art Gallery and Gift Emporium on North Glassell Street.

Preparing for this month’s theme, “Call of the Wild,” Rusk said he’ll be making roasted bell pepper soup. Each of the participating galleries serves food and beverages.

But organizers of Artwalk Orange 2000 aren’t only out to satisfy the culinary tastes of its patrons.

“We were working with the Orange Chamber of Commerce to highlight the cultural element of Orange,” Rusk said.

Only a year old, the art walk features eight participating galleries that keep their doors open from 6 to 9 p.m. Every 15 minutes a free shuttle service stationed behind the Wells Fargo Bank on the plaza takes visitors through town.

Centrally located at Orange Circle, where the scene is predominantly antique stores, neighboring art galleries feature Western art, California Impressionism and watercolor works.

“There’s more to Orange than antiques, and we want to let people know about the art galleries,” said Ellie North, owner of the Unknown Art Gallery on South Cambridge Street, which features local artists.

The art walk, which attracts about 300 people, is held intermittently during the months of May, June, July, August, November and December. Organizers hope to change the schedule to a monthly event by 2002.

After the art walk next Thursday, the event will resume with a new schedule starting in April. During the winter holidays, this landmark district lights up for grand festivities.

Newly added to the walk is the Orange Art Assn. public art display at the Courtyard on Glassell, just north of the circle. Barbershop quartets will sing in galleries to provide a richer experience, organizers said.

Participants said these art scenes are the place to be seen.

“We like to go where there are a lot of art and artists in one place,” said Diana Dosh of Long Beach, who frequents galleries and shows in Los Angeles and Orange counties. “We’re definitely here for the art and the people.”

Walking the Walk

* Artists Village Open House, 2nd Street and Broadway, Santa Ana. First Saturday of every month, 7-10 p.m. (714) 571-4229. https://www.aplaceforart.org

* First Thursdays art walks, Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. First Thursday of every month, 6-9 p.m. (949) 497-0722. https://www.lagunabeachcity.org

* Artwalk Orange 2000, Old Towne Orange, Glassell Street and Chapman Avenue. Next Thursday, 6-9 p.m. Free shuttle service. Art walks are scheduled intermittently. (714) 639-8310.