Dozens of the Bay Area’s talented artists joined together under the magical lights of Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland for Drawn Together: A Celebration of Bay Area Artists at Fairyland, an evening filled with live art-making, music, and food and drink by local vendors Feel Good Bakery, Sugar Knife Bakery, Stroopie Gourmet, and Red Boy Pizza. Organized by Fairyland Art Department’s Mary Anne Kluth and Shannon Danielle Taylor, who are well-known artists in their own right, Drawn Together was an inspiring example of the strength in the local artist community and their cooperative spirit that fosters and encourages the expansion and awareness of the Bay Area’s arts scene while concurrently highlighting Oakland’s unique character, of which Children’s Fairyland is certainly a part.

Providing an artful alternative to the First Friday and Art Murmur scene, Drawn Together follows up on past successful art events in the children’s amusement park, like last year’s The Magic Lantern, which focused on the experimental Bay Area video art genre. Adult events like Drawn Together maintain relationships not only with the burgeoning art community, but with adults who hold childhood Fairyland memories close and yet have not been able to return with a child companion to enjoy the magic of the park again. During the first portion of the evening, guests were invited to explore the park with a free map and/or nominally-priced Fairyland key that unlock stories around the park. There was a wide diversity of art-making taking place during the event: from FICTILIS’ interactive installation that invites participants to doodle while listening to call waiting muzak on a closed-circuit telephone, to several artists engaging in the traditional sketching and painting of their immediate, fantastical surroundings. Art made during the first two hours were collected on to the walls of Aesop’s Playhouse, where at 8pm attendees congregated to peruse and find art they saw being made, and purchase them at a very affordable $25 apiece. All proceeds of sales went to Fairyland’s Outreach Program, which provides free field trips and crucial social programs to local low-income children.

Participating artists included Alexis Amann, Nicholas Bohac, Michaela Coffield, Susan Chen, Michaela Coffield, Serena Cole, Randy Colosky, Amanda Curreri, Christian Davies, FICTILIS, Welly Fletcher, Sean Ford, Erica Gangsei,Tim Giang, Josh Hagler, Justin Hayes, Daniel Healey, Carrie Hott, Kelly Falzone Inouye, Mary Anne Kluth, Jon Lady, Peter Max Lawrence, Elise Mahan, Vanessa Marsh, Christine Monohan, Crystal Morey, Blake Morse, Lauren Napolitano, Nayeli Nava, Emily Rassmussen, Darren Russell, Nathaniel Parsons, Jerry Pierson, Bunnie Reiss, Stephanie Rohlfs, Allegra Rush, Maja Ruznic, Reece Santos, Crystal Silva, Clare Szydlowski, Shannon Taylor, Tallulah Terryll, Meredith Tromble, Bryan Von Reuter, Annie Wong, and Daniel Woodling.

 

Learn more about Children’s Fairyland and the Fairyland Outreach Program at www.Fairyland.org