 the studio. I'm your host today Matt Blake and joining me is Katie Karnes of the Davis Downtown Artabout. You're right. Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here. It's great to have you. So welcome to in the studio and why don't you tell me a little bit about Artabout? Artabout. Basically it's Davis Downtown second Friday Artabout. It's been happening since the 80s. The name changed about in 2011 but we've been hosting these art galleries pop-up art galleries and our local businesses ever since and it's you know rain or shine every second Friday and we have about 12 to 30 different venues each month that showcase all types of art from painting to sculptures to music and it's just the best night. It's just so much fun and everyone should know about it and everyone should come. Yeah and so it's an art walk so you can go from the different venues is there a map is there a way to know what else is out there? Yes there is of course and that's part of my job basically so because they're hosted individually within each venue basically my job is to gather the artists who want to participate you know give that information to our venues and I create this map that you can find at any one of the venues you can find it on our website. We make sure to post it and send it out through email. You are definitely able to get any of the information very fast and it's a self-guided walk. You don't have to go to this one and then this one you can go to anyone you want. Each one again has all different types of art so if you're only looking to see sculpture then you can do that and yeah it's just a self-guided four-hour experience in downtown to kind of reinvigorate the downtown and kind of bring more fun to our community. That's great and so it's a four-hour event what time does it start? So it starts at five o'clock and it goes till nine o'clock. Each venue kind of participates within their own hours so like the artery they usually go from seven to nine and they have you know wine tasting sometimes and snacks and whatnot and so you can you know spend some time there after or before you've gone to another one you know at the pence and we don't just do it in galleries you know they we do it crucial vibes and bohem which are you know a rastafarian store and a thrift store you know it's not just it's not just these galleries we're using our space we're using our downtown in a different way to show people you know what is a downtown for except for you know seeing what the community is wanting culturally and with music so that's what we're doing you know we're just we're using every space we can to show off local art regional art I'm trying to get in our national people here it's a it's a really fun way to do things I'd you know always going to museums is like as a kid I was like oh this is what art is you know and it doesn't have to be you know you can put it anywhere so I think that feels is kind of growing so yeah that's great so these installations that go up in a you know say a non non gallery venue downtown does it stay up over the course of the month or is it just there for the night yeah sometimes one of my favorite places I always go walk into places I'm like you've got great walls you know and three ladies cafe it's one of my favorite cafes in downtown they've got this amazing side room where they've just got these beautiful white walls and so every time they have an artist they just leave it up for a month and it changes the room you know it's it's changed it it changes how people interact with that room and I frequent there a lot so I'll be sitting there people like oh this this is cool art this is different than last time I was here but they don't even know that it's a part of the art about so they're they're getting to experience the art about without even understanding it which is cool so we're changing the downtown every month you know just a little bit that's great so so you go around and find these venues and you find the good walls yes and then how do you get the artists how do artists get involved if they would like to be involved um I have people submit within art Davis downtown slash art about dash sign up dash up so that's been the way that people have been submitting for years I am an artist person to have lots of artist friends and so I've kind of put it out there in all sorts of communities whether it was with the art alliance or just kind of connecting with our local artists in downtown loss of Facebook messaging a lot of rejection you know but it's really just kind of going out there and seeing things I've been going to other towns art about honestly and just giving my car and being like hey we're doing this too and we'd love to showcase you all the way out here because it's important to kind of bring in different regions and showcase all types of things from everywhere so all right so if there are some artists watching right now and they wanted to get in touch with you without slashes and dashes you have a flash in the dash how would they get in touch with you basically they can just email me I'm very responsive it's Katie KT why because I'm a real Katie all right not that there's anything wrong with that but so it's KT why at Davis downtown calm and if you're wanting to participate you know just say hey this is what I do you're welcome to we kind of encourage people to say hey if I really like this place I really like their walls and I've already talked to the owner and they're really interested in putting my stuff up great you know it's kind of taking the middle work out of it so it's it's you know being able to communicate with the downtown too it's not just it's just not me being like yes or no you know hey we're doing this thing let's all get together and make it as good as possible that's great okay and so this has happened since the 80s and it hasn't always been the same format is it always sort of self-guided tours and yeah it's always been a self-guided tour free you know it's a free event there's always been like some sort of refreshments and receptions and music so not not much has changed except for who started it was the artery so the artery was the one who kind of got people involved to do it they got you know the art center to do it and just kind of a couple places around town not just into the Davis downtown but then the city took it up and was like this is a great event for our downtown we want to make sure that we're funding this and keeping this going and so I think now don't I don't know the date for sure but they took it on and and it's been a Davis downtown thing ever since that's great and so and so is it strictly in downtown Davis does it go out a little bit what are the furthest recent right there are some people that have kind of been brought into it because they've been doing it since the 80s so they're like okay we can't take you out of it so we have some outside of downtown receptions normally that's the International House the basement gallery has done it the Davis Art Center of course always they have an incredible art show every month no matter what they're just killing it every time and Pamela Trakinski's dance studio or some that we've said hey you're in it's great it's good that people can get involved if they're not downtown but it's the second Friday exactly some more exactly that's very nice and it's and it's there's no obligation there's nothing right so if you're just out on a Friday and yeah happen to stumble into a place yeah on the walls now you're part of the downtown Davis Art about it's true I do walk around with my Davis downtown tote bag with maps and I walk around and I say hey are you here for art about and they said no no we don't what are you talking about and then I give it to them and they're like oh my gosh there's something free right now to do yes I will do that and or they already know about it and they're like yeah I've been doing this since the 80s it's great and they saw as one of your materials you've got some chalk event coming up this summer yeah Davis downtown we're really trying to do a lot of new events anyway one is the chalk festival similar to one that is done in downtown Sacramento and basically we bring in artists the artists are sponsored by a business in downtown and our artists does some sort of tribute to that that sponsorship whether it's their logo or just kind of the idea of their store and so we'll be drawing and getting these big squares and creating this big art mural on the floor of the Amatrak station this year and that's gonna be a lot of fun that sounds like a lot of fun which we need artists for okay and it's at the same process they just go online to the downtown Davis you can find all that information and more at Davis downtown comm that is great and then so what's next what what other sort of plans and ideas do you have for future of art about well there's so many ideas that I have I think I have too many ideas to be honest I'm like I gotta hone it in murals live life paintings we're really trying to get a children's corner of crafts you know that's something I really find important because when parents come they're like yeah I want to go have my free wine and look at art but my child does not so I want to have something for everybody at every age we started and are continuing to start to do like a late-night show we're doing that with bike city theater company and they're always bringing some great bands to the roots of happiness cover cover bar I guess you call it a bar yes and so that's fun so stuff like that we're trying to really incorporate all-age situations because not everyone can have that wine not everyone wants that wine and so we're just really just trying to say hey if you're a UCD student you know come and do a paint and sip with coffee at Phil's you know come do a late-night show with Kava you know and you can be 18 you know or I guess it's an all-ages thing but it's yeah so we want to just make sure that there's something for everybody that's great it's a really great addition for downtown it seems like it's something that everyone should know about something everyone should do is just again they don't have to stay all four hours just go out and go to one venue no just just go to one yeah absolutely it's a it's a really fun event I myself have done it and by done it you know I've walked to a couple of places and had a little wine it's great it's a great time for sure so thank you for everything that you're doing yeah absolutely it's my favorite thing to do ever I'm glad to hear that all right well thank you for joining me on in the studio of course it was really nice talking with you really nice to meet you you as well thank you so much all right thank you