SaMo PRIDE collaborates with LGBTQ+ artists for 'Rainbow Road Art Walk'

The Santa Monica Pier, Downtown Santa Monica, and Santa Monica Place, in collaboration with the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Travel and Tourism are celebrating Pride Month with the "Rainbow Road Art Walk,'' on display through June 30, 2021.

Curated in partnership with Allies in Arts, the rainbow-lit art walk exclusively features the creations of LGBTQIA+ visual artists and spans the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place and the Santa Monica Pier.

The art walk is a dynamic collection of murals, photo installations, interactive and multimedia works from over a dozen innovative artists and artist groups local to Southern California.

Featured artists include Annie Hong aka Hootnannie whose piece "Where Will U Take You" will be on display at Santa Monica Place. Recognized by vibrant eye-catching whimsical wordplay, Hootnannie's work challenges contemporary art narratives and seeks to voice underrepresented perspectives, informed by their experience navigating the world as a queer, gender-nonconforming, first generation Asian American artist.

Very Gay Paint, the beloved painting duo comprised of LA-based comedians Nicholas Scheppard and Jenson Titus will apply their evocative colorplay to the Santa Monica Pier for a "Very Gay Mural." The pair have made a name for themselves with their signature custom murals of mainly geometric, retro and landscape designs with flowing lines and muted color palettes.

"The Mothers of Pride Pearly Gateway" interactive installation on the Third Street Promenade by gender fluid AfroIndigenous artist Grey... references indigenous ideology that considers queer beings to be sacred gatekeepers between this world and the rest. Visitors will be invited to stand beneath the playful arch, contemplating how spiritual iconography resonates within LGBTQIA+ community and expressing gratitude for the leaders who made Pride possible.

The queer, women of color-owned and operated floral studio in Los Angeles, UnderNewMGMT, in collaboration with ShakesTheArtist, will present "Protest and Pageantry" a 3D multimedia floral installation on the Third Street Promenade. Inspired by trans performers turned activists, this piece is both a celebration of iconic trans POC performers (such as Marsha P. Johnson, Sir Lady Java, Sylvia Rivera) and a tribute to the numerous trans lives lost to violence. Mixing art and florals, UnderNewMGMT utilizes vintage and recycled materials to create sustainable event and floral options.

Spanish-born artist and designer Yaicecream and LA-based illustrator Jeromy Velasco join forces for a collaborative 3D mixed-media installation titled "Chosen Family" on the Third Street Promenade. Depicting a floating dance floor over the Los Angeles skyline, the piece serves to evoke the ways in which chosen families can be an important method of survival and source of support for members of the LGBTQ+ community. The interactive piece encourages viewers to engage with the imagery and take a photo with their chosen family and loved ones.

Additional artists and works include "Queer Bodies / Queer Identities" a black and white photography installation by Katt Foxx; "I Stand With Trans Youth" and "I Love My Queer Family," and interactive pieces by James Kinsley Daniel in support of trans youth.

"Rainbows of Resilience," a technicolor, large-scale digital illustration of a Pride parade scene by Parisa Parnian; "Celebrate" by Grey... & Grayson Prnce whose sculpture letters will spell out LGBTQIA+; "The ArtsNotParts Archive'' by Grey... which was part of a collective street art movement made in response and defense of the trans community in 2017 following anti-trans legislation enacted by President Trump are included as well.

"Together Forever." by Erick Luis; "E(we) are all Crazy Beautiful!" featuring artist Ricky Sencion's "sheep moonsters;" and Chris Classen's multimedia piece "Love Letters" also make up the Pride installations.

HAUS OF DéVLIN's colorful multi-textured floral-based installation "Pride-a-Blooma'' will be on display inside the Fairmont Hotel on Wilshire Blvd as a visual representation of the joyful energy of Pride.