Art, food and fun

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Metal sculptures by Donjo were one of many exhibitions by the 180 artists featured at the Malibu Arts Festival this past weekend. Guy W. Kitchens / TMT

The recent heat wave broke just in time for the 35th annual Malibu Arts Festival, which organizers say was the most successful event to date.

By Heather Laird / Special to The Malibu Times

The members of the Malibu Chamber of Commerce all agreed that the 35th Annual Malibu Arts Festival, which took place on Saturday and Sunday at the Civic Center, had the largest turnout any of them had ever seen.

This year the chamber members added new food vendors, six live bands, and a children’s art workshop to the event, as well as featured 180 artists.

“This is an art festival, not an [art] show,” said Ken Fasola, chair of the event. So, he said, “We decided to improve the entertainment this year by bringing in more restaurants and a diverse group of bands.”

Artists’ and vendors’ booths were lined up in the parking lot in front of the Malibu Courthouse featuring items such as jewelry, sculptures, photographs, clothing and original works of art, in all price ranges. Earrings for less than $10 could be purchased, or sculptures for more than $1,000 could be obtained.

The children’s workshop by KidzArt, an organization created to encourage art in education, was a new addition. A group of 20 KidzArt volunteers helped children create their own masterpieces.

The workshop was sponsored by Malibu Resident Steven Kunes, a screenwriter for Warner Bros. Studios, and his daughter Melanie, 15.

“My daughter Melanie and I come to this festival almost every year,” Kunes said. “This year, Melanie wanted to do something for the children.”

Even though Kunes was a bit tired, as he had just flown in from England early that day where he was working on one of the Harry Potter films, he still managed to make it to the festival.

Every year, the festival attracts artists and attendees from all over the country. Gary Traczyk, a firefighter and paramedic, came from Miami to exhibit his kinetic sculptures, which made for one of the more popular exhibits at the festival. His work was made of marine-grade stainless steel which he called “art in motion.” The top part of a piece would rotate around the center base of the sculpture.

This was Traczyk’s third year exhibiting at the festival.

“I love the weather here,” Traczyk said. “Malibu is a great little community full of nice people.”

This year’s festivalgoers experienced a break from the recent heat wave, with temperatures in the mid-70s, blues skies and a cool breeze.

“We have had no major problems, and everyone seems to be having a really good time,” said Kathy May, director of membership and sales for the Malibu Chamber of Commerce. “The volunteers have been a big help in making the festival a success. We couldn’t have done this without them.”

May and many other members of the chamber had been making preparations for this year’s festival since January.

This year the chamber, which is a nonprofit group, decided to give some of the festival’s proceeds to charity. A large portion of the money made from the Malibu Arts Festival logo T-shirts will go toward the Hurricane Katrina Relief fund.

One of the weekend’s highlights was the annual pancake breakfast provided by the Malibu Optimist Club. The festival was free to all attendees.