Borrego Sun - Since 1949

Find your calendar, circle the weekend March 29 – 31, and insert note: “Candlewood Arts Festival at Galleta Meadows.” You will be happy you did.

Coming soon is a unique display of contemporary art, specific to supporting a creative space, both physical and figurative, encouraging people to engage with the arts, natural environment and with each other, all thanks to the Under the Sun Foundation. The Foundation is the new steward of the landmark metal Sky Art sculptures of Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs, seeking to breathe new life and meaning into the existing sculptures. The Candlewood Arts Festival marks the Foundation’s first new programming endeavor and will enjoy its inaugural year in 2019.

For one weekend only, all can experience five newly commissioned artworks – sculptures, installations, participatory performances and workshops – engaging in unique art experiences with one another on the western reaches of the Sonoran Desert, made possible by the Foundation.

The Under the Sun Foundation is inspired by the work of Dennis Avery, the late landowner of Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs, with his passion for bringing art to the local community and its visitors. Avery had 130 large scale, free standing, metal sculptures created by artist Ricardo Breceda, referring to them as Sky Art, which now spreads over 1,500+ acres of undeveloped desert land in Borrego Springs.

“We at the Under the Sun Foundation are excited to see where our evolution might take us,” stated the Under the Sun Foundation website. “We use Dennis Avery’s work and Borrego Springs as a point of inspiration, and expect to add new geographies, artistic endeavors, and ways to engage with our environment over the coming years.”

Kris Kuramitsu, dedicated to supporting the work of contemporary artists, is the curator for the event.

Kuramitsu currently serves as Deputy Director and Head of Program for The Mistake Room in Los Angeles, where she has organized multiple solo projects for Cao Fei, Susu Attar, Carlos Amorales, and Matsumi Kanemitsu, among other exhibitions and programs.

With five contributing artists, Kuramitsu offered a peek into three of the works:

1 – Pearl C Hsung is conducting a workshop for kids in elementary, secondary, and high school before the Festival officially kicks off on March 29, and all Borregans will see the product of their work over the weekend.

2 – Devon Tsuno will be handing out grapefruit sacks, but inside is usually untold information about the people who pick them, the farm from which they are picked, and processes required to get those grapefruits to the market;

3 – Mario Ybara, Jr. will host a “salad stacking” exhibition. If you’ve been to a salad bar or appetizer table carrying a small plate with 27 items that must be stacked in a way that looks magnificent to the eye yet sometimes defies the laws of physics, this event is for you.