The Red Museum, a DIY art showcase located at 212 15th St. near the outskirts of downtown Sacramento, hosted “Lovers Fest” on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 7. “Lovers Fest” showcased over 20 local artists and included a music show in the latter hours of the event.
The Red Museum is located inside of a worn-down warehouse held up by aged wooden walls and white concrete CMU blocks, but the brash vintage theme park aesthetic that greeted visitors quickly erased any feeling of confinement.
A reception and merchandise table greeted guests upon arrival, with a thick towering stage ready for a show just alongside. A large open area fleshed out the space and was split up by a wash of lights in an assortment of colored tones.
To the right of the entrance, marked by a spiked magma ball hanging from the ceiling, a small walled off niche guarded the first layer of showcased art. The small but impactful assortment of pieces ranged from the art works of ceramics, painting, printmaking, mini sculptures, knit and more. Among the pieces was a wall of heart shaped colored papers that asked visitors to write a piece of advice for their younger selves.
In the same corner was a local high school senior, Santana LaMarche. LaMarche attended with her sister and enjoys visiting local art venues akin to The Red Museum.
“I also love looking at art to get inspiration and because it just makes me happy,” she said.
LaMarche is an aspiring artist herself. She said her place of creative refuge and expression is her high school ceramics class. After high school, she plans to buy more home-attuned gear and dive into ceramics creation, with the hope of starting her own pop-up business.
To get to the outside of the venue, visitors ventured through the smoked out tunnel towards the hole-in-the-wall door. As they stepped out, they were welcomed to a backdrop of grassy patches and even more warehouses.
A campfire centered the outside space with colorfully painted wood benches and chairs assorted loosely around. In the corners of the space were a handful of tables and tents for vendors. Guests began to hurdle in bunches, checking out shops or were simply hanging out together, as the feeling of a relaxed kickback hummed throughout the space.
Among the outside vendors was Aimee Ledbest, owner of Grassy Field Art, selling pins and her assorted art pieces.
“People want to wear their art on them, and pins are a great and accessible way to do that,” Aimee said.
Her online store front for the business sells zines, block prints, stickers and graphic designs. Her versatility in design only enhances her other avenues of expression as she often incorporates her other works into pin form and vice versa.
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One of the larger vendors there was run by both Brenna Massey and Tyler Sazaki.
Sazaki designs and owns the clothing brand ffrruuiitt, a patchwork fashion brand that is playful, colorful and bold. The handwoven embroidery and upcycled denim follows the tradition in slow fashion that hopes to add comedy and irony back into an often serious world of woven fabrics.
Massey does patchwork and bright prints that prioritize unapologetic expression, positivity and acceptance of self-image. Her work is like playful ghoulish spirits doing standup.
“I’m very inspired by cartoons. I used to watch SpongeBob and try to draw what I’m seeing,” Massey said.
While each in their own respective art world, both share an interest in bringing character and joy back into art, a common theme among many of the vendors.
As guests headed back inside, the once open space was quickly clogged with cheers as people got ready to hear music performances from Christina’s Trip, Quarter Conscious and Aphids as Lovers.
The loud shoegaze and indie rock tunes pierced the floors and brought a serenity through chaos that capped the night. Even as the night wrapped up, the atmosphere still lingered as people took their future memories outside. They continued to share smiles with those who help craft and upkeep character into the city of Sacramento.
