Artwork And Even Bands & Beer Are Adding To The South Bay’s Social Scene
A Delorean was parked out front, a band was cranking fun 80s party tunes (The Go-Gos, Madonna) and a naked girl in head-to-toe body paint was circling around on roller skates.
Oh, and there was free beer, too.
If this sounds like a dream, it kind of was, but really, it was reality. It was really happening. It was one of the art shows put on by Resin studio in Hermosa Beach, CA, which is cultivating a new culture here that previously had been hidden because there was no place showcasing local art and artists.
And it’s transforming nightlife in these Los Angeles South Bay Beach Cities.
There’s a new nightlife buzz because every so often, someone will send out a text and say “theres’a an art show tonite” and people will start showing up at 6th and Cypress streets. The events are open to the public and they are free (donations of between $3-5 are accepted) and the events are something different in an area that’s starving for new things to do at night.
With the Hermosa Beach City Council coming down hard on the bars, a lot of the nightlife has disappeared from the Pier Plaza area and Resin’s shows provide a refreshing alternative activity.
A few of the shows are small and quiet, but every now and then there’s a big one, like the one featuring the band and body-painted girl.
All the shows – there are four main ones a year with the next occurring in September and others about every other week and always on a Saturday night – are good for mingling and meeting new people. And, with artwork from locals artists on display and for sale, you might even walk away with something new to put on one of your walls.
And yes, there’s free beer. And sometimes wine (donated by Uncorked in Hermosa) and occasionally even spirits. Resin is a non-profit and everything is provided by those who donate products or by companies who sponsor an event.
“We try and create an experience with upscale quality artwork while also having a fun atmosphere,” said Blakeley Hunter, one of the leaders of Resin.
Resin definitely succeeds in this quest. The events are casual but also classy. The space is fairly small, about the size of a typical two-bedroom apartment in the South Bay. Sometimes there’s just a dozen or so people at the events while for others there’s several dozen and the place is a party.
On occasion, the smaller art gallery right next to Resin, ShockBoxx, also has a show (with free beer) at the same time, which means you can seamlessly move from one to the other. ShockBoxx also has its own events when Resin does not.
The shows are a win-win for everybody. Local artists have a place to showcase and sell their art, the studios provide a different kind of cultural aspect to the South Bay and fun people like me get to do something different on a social Saturday night.
“People come in here and say ‘oh my gosh, I had so much fun; I forgot how fun it can be to be at an art show,” said Rafael McMaster, who runs Resin.
For a list of upcoming shows, go to the Resin website at: www.resinhb.com.
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