It’s spooky season all right. And I’m talking about the government and their lawless behavior. Unbelievable times we’re living in. We have to resist and the best way to do that is to create, and communicate, and create community. There are more of us than them. And what nerve they have. Who wants to be ruled by a tyrant, let alone the village idiot. We’re better than that. At least some of us are.
Art heals. It’s a fact. Most of the angry individuals on the other side, a shrinking group by the way, don’t have creative outlets. They don’t understand the importance of creating things with your brain and hands, and how healing it can be. An example of the healing arts is poetry. Every month Linda Kaye gathers poets from all over to share their thoughts and feelings with all of you. Check out Poet’s Place. Also check out the different opportunities to see and experience art, listed below. And, go make something.
October 4–5, 11–12, and 18–19
Experience where nature meets culture in the high-desert landscape as the HWY 62 Open Studio Art Tours brings together 200+ artists, an Art Tours Collective Exhibition, and Art Tours After Dark live music
This October, immerse yourself in the vibrant artistic community of the high desert surrounding Joshua Tree National Park as over 200 artists open their studios for the annual HWY 62 Open Studio Art Tours. The event kicks off with the Art Tours Collective Exhibition at the new Hi-Desert Artists Center in Yucca Valley (September 27–October 19), features three weekends of self-guided open studio tours (October 4–5, 11–12, and 18–19) and “Art Tours After Dark” live music performances by local bands and musicians on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights during each weekend of the Art Tours.
Tools of the Trades:
American Handmade Implements & Devices
Opening Reception Saturday, October 11, 3:00–5:00 pm
Watanabe & Co., assorted glass shears. Image courtesy of the artist.
Please join us to celebrate this gathering of exemplary handmade tools fabricated by artists for other artists and connoisseurs. These implements have been sourced from all over the nation from makers who are dedicated to creating elegant and functional devices made for a wide variety of craft processes: glass, wood, metal, fiber and more. Learn more about the thriving community of craftspeople who labor in their workshops to produce small batches of finely crafted tools.
Parking: Street and metered parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood with some restrictions. Additional pay-by-the-hour parking is also located one block west of the Center at the Beverly Connection.
Tools of the Trades is the first in a series of exhibitions for Handwork 2026, a nationwide semiquincentennial collaboration showcasing the importance of the handmade and celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America.
Save the Date!
We are proud to present this year’s Self Help Graphics & Art’s 52nd Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration, in partnership with Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Hilda Solis. Our celebration will take place on Saturday November 1, 2025 from 3 pm - 8 pm at the East LA Civic Center (4801 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90022).
