Fifteen percent of all sales at the event go to the Malibu High School Visual Arts Scholarship Program
The Malibu Art Association returned to beloved Malibu Bungalows with its second annual Holiday Boutique and Art Sale on Dec. 2 and 3.
The show is the association’s biggest show of the year, featuring over 20 local artists and their paintings, photographs, mosaics, jewelry, and more. The event had food by Chicken King Food Truck and music by LA-based jazz band Outta Pocket.
The event once again gathered some of the premier artists of Malibu and surrounding areas to celebrate a wide range of art styles and spotlight their latest work.
Despite the diversity of styles and art pieces, a certain Malibu style and the local culture seemingly tied the show together. Malibu Art Association Board Treasurer Derek Martin Schimming said he believes the artists who had their work displayed at the show all invoke the spirit of the Malibu art community into their work.
“I don’t think it’s intentional; it’s not something we set out to do,” Schimming said. “I think it’s the passion that we all share, it’s the love we all have for Malibu that somehow affects all of our work. Look at all the diversity and the differences in the work that we do, but we all share that common thread that no just one of us could create.”
The show welcomed back familiar faces from the inaugural show, but also welcomed a handful of new artists to debut with the Malibu Arts Association.
Among those new artists was landscape photographer Michael Manfredo. The Holiday Boutique marked his solo art debut as well as his debut with the association. He said the opportunity was exciting.
“I like to tune in with my internal practice, align my mind, my breath, and body and go out into nature and observe what is happening, then capture it’s natural beauty with the world,” Mandfredo said. “Cultivating the courage to step out of my own little cave and share my work with the world, I’m hoping sharing it will help me continue to make more art.”
Among the new artists was jewelry designer and metalsmith Mary Kunze, who is also the owner of Halibou Studio. She said the boutique a unique opportunity for Malibu creatives to meet, share, and sell their work.
“It’s such a lovely way of getting all the local artists together,” she said. “You have all these people from different areas around Malibu and in Malibu that each can get lost in their own little niche community so it’s great just getting everyone together to promote local art and support small business in a genuine and positive way.”
Malibu Arts Association Vice President Carla Bates said the event is fun and serves as an opportunity for the community to come together but added that sales from the event serve a bigger purpose.
She explained that 15 percent of all sales at this event are contributed to the Malibu High School Visual Arts Scholarship Program, allowing for a high school senior pursuing a major in visual arts to be awarded the scholarship at the end of the year.
Bates also said the Malibu Art Association and its members pride themselves in their various types of work, but also pride themselves as being members of the association.
“We don’t distinguish between styles or mediums, we have photography, sculpting, oil, acrylic, collage, all sorts of different mediums going on here,” Bates said. “We’re interested in artists who want to show their work but also want to contribute to the organization. We have some artists come lead a workshop for the community, contributing funding, and contributing locations for us to show our work.”
Schimming expressed pride in the impressive arts of the association and the association’s ability to showcase high quality art.
“The diversity and quality in this town is amazing, it truly is. We have so much artistic talent here, it amazes me,” Schimming said.
He said he envisions a bright future for the Holiday Boutique and Art Sale.
“This is the biggest art event in Malibu. Our goal is, and it’s happening, to have this be a thing 10 years from now. I want this to be huge for the community,” Schimming said. “I want this to be a mainstay for the Malibu community and for it to grow and grow and gain more support.”