Toaster Music, an improvisational electronic music duo and curatorial team, has created an art exhibit for the event entitled Nightmare Self-Portraits in the north and south galleries of the Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave.
The north gallery exhibit will include work by local artists, including Jeff McMillan, Gary Musgrave, Vince Mattina, Sheriann Ki Sun Burnham, Clinton Neuhaus, Dave Van Patten, Liz Steinworth, Daniel Barajas, Chris Wheeler and Jan Edward Vogels.
The south gallery will feature a show curated by Connie Ericson and include work by Brandon Singleton, Heather Proctor, Ericson and others. Proctor has created a detailed illustration, using colored pencils, of herself as a zombie with her face torn open. She will also have a collection of framed zombie caricatures and will be creating zombie caricatures for a nominal fee.
Singleton will be exhibiting a collection of monsters created in a pop surrealist style, rendered in a variety of media. Ericson will be showcasing large charcoal sketches, dark abstract drawings and a subtle self-portrait with a faint ghostly form.
Toaster Music, for the first time, will be featuring two musical collaborators: Janis Tanaka and Gabriel ‘Slam’ Nobles. Tanaka, a Long Beach native, is a bassist who has toured and recorded with artists such as L7, Pink, Jackson Saints and, more recently, Femme Fatale and Winterthrall.
Nobles, a percussionist and educator, specializes in drum set, mallets and timpani. He plays many genres of music and has performed with Freddie Hubbard, Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick and the Long Beach Symphony. He performs regularly as part of MajicBulletTheory and Orange Peal Vibrations.
Also performing will be members of Maha And Company, a local dance troupe led by Maha Afra, a professor of dance at Cerritos College.
To learn more about Maha & Company, visit mahaandcompany.org . To learn more about Toaster Music, visit ToasterMusic.com .
Also included during the art walk will be the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, 8th District Long Beach Councilmember Al Austin and the Long Beach Innovation Team in the north room of the Expo Arts Center from 6:30pm to 7:30pm with a special Innovation Week kick-off party, complete with presentations and birthday cake for Austin.
Tuttle Cameras will provide a photo class focusing on jack-o-lantern photography.
Digital Revolution will offer a Minecraft workshop for $25. Spaces are limited.
Edward Jones Financial will host a mini human library. Three human “books” will be on on loan: a mortician, the creator of the cartoon SheZow, and a puppeteer.
The Better Half will host a free spin-art activity.
Special musical guests will include Moonglow at Nino’s Italian Restaurant, Hellgal at Aura Thai/Bella Pizza, Fernando Galagos at the Historical Society of Long Beach, Eusebio Akasa and Desirable D at About U, John Dean at Clover, Magic Bullet Theory at Coffee Bean and Sex Money Power.
First Fridays regulars will include Move at Ground Control, Hedgehog Swing at DRNK, Laura Wiley at Wilmore Wine Bar, Los Barnabas Boys at The Factory, The Funny Valentines at The Breakfast Club of Long Beach, Joe Perez at Bake and Broil, and Hot Club at Georgie’s Place.
The Homeland Cultural Center will feature pop-locking with the help of Dubs One spinning hip-hop and R&B and the First Fridays spray crew providing art.
Free parking will be available at the Bixby Business Center on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and San Antonio Drive.
For more information, visit firstfridayslongbeach.com .
