1st Thursday Downtown San Pedro

Art Galleries & Studios dot the old Downtown San Pedro area. Attend an artist opening reception or watch artists at work.

Restaurants: You're in for a real treat visiting San Pedro's restaurants. The cuisine ranges from English to Mexican, Greek to Italian, and several others.

Shops: Take a walk down memory lane visiting antique shops or have a new book signed by the author at one of Williams' Book Stores Signings.

Entertainment: You never know who'll be performing in one of the restaurants, and the Warner Grand Theatre is nearing completion of it's restoration returning it to the jewel it was in it's heyday.

Visit the many downtown merchants and the local artist studios and galleries!.

May Highlights include:

FINdings Art Center celebrates its new presence downtown with a ribbon cutting and the Circus Series by Corita Kent: Faces & Places, from the Charter Port of Los Angeles High School (POLAHS) art students; and the unveiling of the Grand Illusions Window Mural by art students from POLAHS and Westwood College. Ribbon cutting at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments all night. 470 W. 6th Street

Drum and Others: Next door to FINdings Art Center in the Warner Grand Theatre ticket foyer, this bring-your-own-drum-and-chair-and-join-in drum circle has grown in size and thrills and intensity since it first appeared at the ArtWalk last fall. Accompanied by exquisitely fine belly dancers, the resounding improvisation never fails to engage passersby, who sometimes can't resist joining. Warner Grand Theatre Foyer. 476 W. 6th Street

Medea Gallery presents Out of Australia new aboriginal art, and paintings by Gia Chikvaidez, Ray Masters, Robert Lyn Nelson and Argentinean Leandro Manzo. This gallery always makes stopping in worth your while. 445 W. 7th Street

D&D Gallery presents Shuttered Images of San Pedro & Beyond. Fantastic images and reproduction techniques by veteran photographers: John Chase, David Fairchild, Ladona Livengood, Jim McKinniss, Jans Peermand and Slobodan Dmitrov. The artists will be on hand. Always a fine celebration at this gallery. 311 W. 7th Street

Gallery Azul: Redefining Femininity, a positive view of sinful women, and enticing show worth the climb to the 2nd floor gallery. 520 8th Street

Gallery 478 presents Liverpool, the Long Way Home-photographs by Bernard Fallon who shot these photographs as an art student; says Fallon, he "was drawn by his love for the sensation of events and scenes materializing in the viewfinder." Documenting the significant changes in Liverpool between 1966 and 1975, these are rich visual narratives of what would eventually become a vanished port scene. Live music usually begins at 9:00. 478 W. 7th Street

Studio 339: Celtic Color - Local artist and photo restoration expert Lauren Kilgore opens her studio to show the large scale work of Bryan Boylan. The work is based on Celtic myths and legends. Always fine hospitality at 339 W. 7th Street

Angels Ink: a new show, Compliments, Works by Denice Bartles, Iva Klakis, Stephen Mirich, Da Aie Park, John Smith, Jill Sykes and Allie Tegner. 362 W. 7th Street

The Board Room Gallery:the Chamber of Commerce's gallery dedicated to local and regional artists. Artist Ron linden curates this exceptional group of show of port photographs by Dan Thompson, Gil Mares, Ray Carofano and Mark Dunham. 390 W. 7th Street

Violet Parkhurst gallery presents paintings by Cao Young, the official artist of the 2008 Bejing Olympics. 439 W. 6th Street

Hollywood Dolls, an unusual salon of beauty celebrates its recent opening in the district with a ribbon cutting and party, 6:00 p.m. 617 S. Mesa Street

Gallery 741 & 731 Pacific Avenue: Sculpture by Larry Lebow, paintings by Richard Stevens, Tony Podue and Debbie Marr.

LOFT Galleries A: Layers of Meaning, fiber art by Cut-Loose Quilters of Southern California and open studios of Sam Arno, Muriel Olguin, Bob Doughty and more. 401 S. Mesa Street 3rd Floor

Williams' Books, book signing by Dr. Phil Borden author Shaku Maku - On the Ground in Occupied Iraq. 443 W. 6th Street

1st Thursday Artwalk May 1, 2008 6-9 pm Flyer and Map (Adobe Acrobat PDF File 556KB)