Art rides... anyone done one?

[kanga]

This story piqued my interest... especially since there's one two miles from my house.

LA Times on Spoke(n) Art Ride

Bicyclists take up pedaling art

By -- Mindy.Farabee @latimes.com
http://www.calendarlive.com/gallerie...,2919425.story

ACCORDING to Josef Bray-Ali, "You haven't lived until you've seen a
35-year-old mother beating down a burning piñata."

And he should know. For the last two years, Bray-Ali (who runs Bike
Oven, a repair shop/art gallery) has conducted Spoke(n) Art, a biking
tour of Northeast L.A.'s art galleries. Largely conceived as an
exercise in fun -- think after-parties with flaming piñatas -- Spoke
(n) Art regularly attracts eclectic groups of 60 to 70 people every
month. But it's far from the only cycling gallery tour to be
gathering speed. Somehow, it seems, bikes and art just go together.

"Bikes can go where cars can't take you," says Alex Amerri. A recent
Sci-Arc grad, Amerri created RIDE-Arc with some schoolmates in July
2005. Designed with advanced riders in mind, RIDE-Arc follows the
architecture -- distances and exotic locales (Watts at night!) be
darned. Thoroughly researched, and featuring expert speakers (from
halfway house residents to academics) and unique themes (e.g., "The
Sex Ride," "As Seen on TV"), Amerri's tours attract around 100 people
every time. "It's really a dialogue about how all these design
elements are related," he says. On a bicycle, these connections
become apparent: "You're constantly being stimulated by everything
around you."

Whole cities are getting in on the action. Next week, Shay Sanchez
and Liz Elliott are reprising Pasadena ArtRide, a five-gallery
sampler of Pasadena ArtNight, the biannual extravaganza featuring the
city's many theaters, museums and galleries. The duo -- co-directors
of Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange, or C.I.C.L.E. -- have
made a point of designing a scenic, leisurely paced itinerary.
Putting people on bikes, they've found, freed strangers up to
mingle. "Cycling is about engagement," says Elliott. "Art does
something to you emotionally, it enlivens you, wakes you up. And
that's what this ride does."

And participants can take that engagement to whatever level they'd
like. "Last month I rode in [to Spoke(n) Art] on a rickshaw with
sound bending equipment," says Bray-Ali. "We're part of the art show."


SPOKE(N) ART RIDE
WHERE: Meet at the intersection of York Boulevard and North Figueroa
Street, Highland Park
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Sat.
PRICE: Free
INFO:www.bikeoven.com/ spokenart; www.nelaart.com


RIDE-ARC
WHERE: Location and theme TBD
WHEN: 9 p.m. Fri.
PRICE: Free
INFO:www.ridearc.org

PASADENA ARTRIDE
WHERE: Meet at One Colorado Courtyard, Pasadena
WHEN: 6 p.m. March 14
PRICE: Free
INFO:www.cicle.org

[0gravity]

I did the Spoke n' Art ride once. I'd do it more often if the ride location wasn't so far away from the West side where I live.

The ride was really cool. It was about 50-60 people, and we visited about five galleries. Most of the art was unconventional and interesting. And all these galleries were all close to each other. Definitely a more interesting neighborhood up there than what I've got around me. I highly recommend it to anyone.

[guero]

im definitely down to check this out!!! i just went to the opening of a new exhibit at the Laguna Art Museum this past saturday night.

[FatWhat?]

That sounds pretty interesting. I'll keep an eye out for one in the calendar.