COAST 2019

COAST creates a car-free public space that allows the community to experience our streets as places for community and creativity, not just for cars. Whether painting a communal mural, jumping double-dutch or roller skating together at the pop-up rink, the route will be filled with all kinds of opportunities for participants to jump in and try out. Santa Monica’s streets, sidewalks and iconic landmarks will pop with the color and sounds of musicians, dancers, and artists including Sol e Mar, Venice Beats, Mariachi Linda Mexicanas, Cuñao and the California Feet Warmers. Other activities include helmet decorating, a kid’s bike skills rodeo, a giant puppet parade, and salad-making at the community garden.

This year, attendees aren’t just invited to COAST, they’re invited to Be Part of COAST! And there are many ways to participate. Create or decorate your favorite (real or imaginary) car-free way to get around and then show it off during this carnival of wheels, rigs, wings, and feet. DIY or join one of over a dozen free artist-led workshops that will be held pre-COAST from August 29 until September 14.

The workshops will provide inspiration and materials to create costumes, walking pieces, or wheeled art to strut on event day. From family-focused events to happy-hour workshops, resources will be available for all to generate human-powered transportation art. Contemporary visual artist Marianne Sadowski, puppeteer Beth Peterson, and cardboard sculptor Kiel Johnson are a few of the artists that will guide participants in transforming their ideas into a costume, hat or helmet, giant puppet or wheeled conveyance, or anything else they can imagine. There will also be day-of workshops for people to join in the fun and pageantry.

On event day, attendees are invited to ride or roll throughout the two miles of open streets and show off their creations, check out what others created or just come and enjoy. Attendees can enter the COAST contest to win prizes in six entry categories around innovation, creativity, teamwork, and how people-powered it is.

COAST will be held on two miles of city streets closed to car traffic, including Ocean Avenue from Wilshire Boulevard to Colorado, Colorado from 5th Street to Ocean Avenue, as well as Main Street from Colorado to Pier Avenue.

Attending COAST just got easier this year with the exciting offer of free rides on all Big Blue Buses across all routes the entire day of the event. COAST visitors are encouraged to walk, ride the Expo Line, Metro Buses, free Big Blue Buses, scoot, roll or take advantage of Santa Monica’s 110 miles of bikeways. At the event, the route is open to every method of car-free transit including walking, wheelchairs, skateboards, feet or other wheeled devices. Bike rentals will be available at multiple locations along the route as well as at the 85 Breeze Bike Share stations located throughout Santa Monica. Free bike valet will be provided at the Farmers Market at Ocean Park and Main Street.

For more information about COAST visit http://www.santamonica.gov/coast or like COAST on Facebook and follow along on Twitter and Instagram. #CoastSaMo

COAST is produced by Community Arts Resources (CARS).

• Decorate Your Bicycle & Ride with The Winter Office at 18th Street Arts Center
  Decorate your bicycle with art residents, The Winter Office, then ride to the opening reception of their exhibit, The Social Territories of a Warming World at 18th Street Arts Center’s Airport Campus.
  August 29, 3 – 5 p.m.
• People-Powered Transportation Revolution with Artist Kiel Johnson
  Use cardboard, paint, and other fun materials to build a sailboat, chariot, train, bus, gondola, raft, jet pack or anything you can imagine to transport you through the streets of COAST.
  September 3, 2 – 8 p.m.; September 5, 2 – 10 p.m.; September 6, 2 – 8 p.m.; September 7, Noon – 5 p.m.; and on COAST event day, September 15 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing
• Street Flight with Artist Kiel Johnson
  Make and decorate your own personal ankle wings (like the Greek God Hermes) for a little leg flair and to power your walk during COAST!
  September 5, 2 – 10 p.m.;, and on COAST event day, September 15 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing
• Sea to Sky: Giant Puppet Making with Artist Beth Peterson
  Inspired by Tongva and Chumash canoes, the whales of the Pacific, and other animals and birds of our coast, join with others to create a giant, communal puppet or large group-powered creation, or create a solo piece.
  September 5, 5 – 10 p.m.; September 6, 2 – 8 p.m.; September 7, Noon – 5 p.m.; September 8, Noon – 5 p.m.; September 12, 2 – 5 p.m.; September 13, 2 – 9 p.m.; September 14, 10 – 5 p.m.; and on COAST event day, September 15, join the Giant Puppet Parade with Beth Peterson at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing
• What’s your Sign? Sign Making with Artist Marianne Sadowski
  Say it with a sign! Express yourself, your family, organization or community with a handmade sign created from stencils, images and cardboard.
  September 5, 5 – 10 p.m. at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing; September 7, 11 – 4 p.m. at Reed Park; September 8, Noon – 5 p.m. and September 13, 2 – 9 p.m. at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing
• Decorate your helmet, hat or head with Artist Marianne Sadowski
  Create head-ware that reflects you and your favorite way to get around. All kinds of fabulous and fun materials will allow you to create whatever you imagine.
  September 8, Noon – 5 p.m and September 13, 2 – 9 p.m. at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing; September 14, 3 – 5 p.m. at Reed Park
• Mask Making & Collaborative Dance with Artist Mimi Haddon at the Camera Obscura Art Lab
  Combine cardboard, paint, yarn, fabric and other objects to create a mask that uniquely expresses you, then join in inventing a collaborative dance that will respond to the building and site.
  September 14, 1 – 3 p.m. at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium East Wing