No Ho Arts Festival ~ North Hollywood

Story by Sandy Bowles

Art is literally just around the corner in the San FernandoValley. The No Ho Arts district is filled with art galleries, theaters, music, vintage boutiques, dance studios, and local merchants who have found a home where every medium is celebrated. Two Sundays back, I had the glorious opportunity to hit the No Ho Arts Festival for a sample of the various artistic mediums that reside and thrive on the streets of Lankershim and Magnolia.

My day began by meeting with the festival organizer Miss Nancy Bianconi, who informed me that this festival would not have been possible without the assistance of Margarita De’Escontrias. Maria is the East Valley Regional Administrator for the Community Redevelopment Agency of the city of Los Angeles. Maria, along with several other donors assisted in the funding and development of the festival. The No Ho arts festival is in its fourth season and what a season it was. After Nancy gave me a wonderful tour of the festival it was time to venture off on my own and venture I did.

For actors, there are many resident theatre companies working in the No Ho Arts district. Companies like Deaf West Theatre, NoHo Arts Center, Joy Theater, The Road Theater, and Theatre Neo, and if you want to come in and rent a space to put on your productions, there are also theaters for rental, like the Whitmore Lindley or the Avery Schreiber. On the day of the festival, all these wonderful playhouses had free performances going on for the public, so I chose to go see Theatre Neo. Theatre Neo, on the day of the festival, was a three-course meal of monologues, solo performances, and a scene from the "Family of Mann," written by Theresa Rebeck. It was a taste of all the amazing work that is gong on in their company.

Once I got my theatre fix, it was back to the festival for food and Tango dancing, but not before passing by the art stands from various galleries like Cella Gallery, No Ho Gallery L.A., Satsuma Gallery, and Lunaset, where I met resident artist Rony Armas. Rony is not just an artist, but he also a graphic designer who creates the advertising for the NoHo Arts District. Once I met him, I ended my evening with salsa and signing up for classes at Millennium Dance Company. Overall, the event was great, and now I have a place just fifteen minutes away that I can come to. A place where there is culture, beauty, and most importantly, seemingly endless art.