Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. in partnership with the City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment, Starpoint Properties and Los Angeles-based non-profit reDiscover Center presents “Cardboard City,” an innovative, pop-up community art center on the Third Street Promenade.
Cardboard City is a 10,000 square foot pop-up art center with free museum-style exhibitions of large scale cardboard sculptures and architectural models constantly added to by artists-in-residence, free family art activities introducing youth and adults to cardboard crafting techniques, a schedule of fee-based classes for youth and adults, and a Cardboard City Shop selling tools and materials so families can make cardboard art at home. The space will highlight fun, unique, family-friendly cardboard sculptures including a “wow factor” installation facing onto the Promenade.
This free public art gallery will present inspirational cardboard sculptures by local artists and sponsoring architecture and design firms, with a capacity for 102,000 visitors over two months. reDiscover will sponsor 8-25 artists’ residencies, supporting local and nationally prominent artists working in cardboard. Cardboard City’s fee-based art and maker classes, teaching youth advanced cardboard forming skills, has the capacity to serve 1,500 students ages 8+. Cardboard City is available for private daytime and evening events of up to 200 people.
In keeping with their triple-educational mission of promoting community, creativity, and sustainability, reDiscover is partnering with P.S. Arts, one of LA’s leading art education non-profits, to create a 10-week curriculum for 4th-5th graders on cardboard art and engineering, to distribute to LA County schools, based in part on the art created for Cardboard City and featuring reDiscover’s Tinkering Toolkit. reDiscover is also partnering with Makedo, an educational products company, to provide Makedo’s system of creative cardboard tools for free to Cardboard City participants and to partner schools throughout LA County.
Cardboard City opens July 8 and runs through August 29; open Thursday through Sunday 12:00pm to 6:00pm. There will be a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, July 8 at noon.
Third Street Promenade 1231 Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica, CA
Photos courtesy of reDiscover Center.
