Have you been to 18th Street Arts Center recently? For the last few years 18th Street has put on BAM – which will also happen again this fall so don’t fret – but this Sunday (May 19) Nicole Gordillo Schimpf (the same mastermind event planner behind BAM and founder of Tap & Cheer) has put together a wine, art, and food tasting event not to be missed! All the proceeds go to 18th Street thus funding art programming that provokes public dialogue about contemporary art and artist residencies, which provide space and time for cutting-edge artists to make challenging work, like the preview you will get of the collaborative exhibition Forêt Intérieure/Interior Forest by Alexandra Grant.

1st Annual CRUSH Wine, Food, Art & Music Festival hits sunny Santa Monica for a Good Cause!

Santa Monica, CA– On Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., 18th Street Arts Center is bringing its complement to the renowned BAM Fest (Beer, Art and Music Festival) to the Westside of L.A. Held in the heart of Santa Monica, CRUSH celebrates the best of locally-produced art, food and music along with a selection of fine wines. With a variety of small bites from 10 restaurants and trend- setting chefs, 2 Master Chef Finalists, 12 award-winning wineries, a leading sommelier, specialty cocktails of fine spirits, live music, a collaborative exhibition and open artist studios as well as Crash Courses to educate, CRUSH is well-poised to provide attendees with a delightful, engaging cultural experience.

The event is a steal with general admission tickets priced at just $45 and VIP tickets that provide priority entrance for $55. Tickets may be obtained online at www.18thstreet.org. CRUSH attendees will not only feel great because they’re spending a Sunday afternoon sipping in the sun, tasting culinary delights, interacting with artists and exploring significant artworks while listening to talented young musicians, but also because they know that all proceeds benefit 18th Street Arts Center, a 24- year old, influential non-profit arts organization in Santa Monica. Young Jazz musicians from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts will appear and as a special treat, NBC’s ‘The Voice’ music- reality show contestant, Orlando Napier and his R&B power trio will be the headline music act at CRUSH. Between band sets, artist and DJ, “Fresh + Sunny” will fuse an array of musical styles to keep the crowd movin’.

For this year’s CRUSH, 18th Street is partnering with Edible Westside Magazine, a to help facilitate the artisanal food and drink side of the festival. Publisher of Edible Westside Magazine, Linzy May Mahoney, aims to keep the focus on fresh, seasonal foods, sustainable practices and the local community of farmers, chefs and wine-makers. Participating wineries ranging from big to small are featured at CRUSH, including recognizable brands, such as Hitching Post Wines, local favorites like Colcanyon Estate Winery in Malibu, and Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda. Smaller winery Turiya Wines, also featured at CRUSH, produces ultra, boutique wines from the Central Coast of California and plans to present its rare, fine wines both blends as well as extremely small releases of single cultivars.

For the foodie at heart, restaurants, chefs and catering companies will offer a bounty of small bites from signature dishes to new creations utilizing local farmer-fresh produce. Favorite Santa Monica neighborhood restaurants such as the Library Alehouse and Real Food Daily will showcase dishes developed around local, organic and seasonal ingredients. Former Master Chef finalist, Becky Reams will be partnering with Weiser Family Farms to create an original culinary treat designed from the local farmer’s seasonal produce. Even restaurants yet to open, will be at CRUSH to show off their skills and what they plan to bring to the Westside scene. Bank of Venice, to open late April, will feature the craft beer-influenced dishes it plans to offer the Windward Avenue area while Santa Monica restaurant, Fork in the Road, to open in early June, will be offering organic, Mediterranean-themed dishes to be food and drink print publication focusing on the coastal communities of LA County paired with rare vintage wines and top shelf cocktails. Both restaurants are part of the culinary family of Venice Ale House owners, Tom Elliot and Spoon Singh. A special bonus for CRUSH attendees will be the opportunity to participate in 20-minute mini-educational sessions called Crash Courses, which will teach attendees how to evaluate wine like a trained sommelier based on visual representations of the aromas, tastes and textures found in their wines while Tracy Kontos (former Master Chef finalist), will teach guests how to make homemade fresh ricotta and tomato jam, served on a garlic crostini. Finally, Wise Coffee will show you how to consistently brew the perfect cup of coffee based on water quality, temperature and just a little patience. With the marriage of wine, art and food, 18th Street has concocted a one-of-a-kind fundraising event.

CRUSH attendees also have the special opportunity to explore the multi-faceted installation, by Los Angeles-based artist Alexandra Grant based on an ongoing exchange with the iconic French author, poet, playwright and philosopher Cixous. Grant’s exhibition focuses on is a collaboration that encompasses works from a series of public drawing sessions, reading groups, artist collaborations and a large- scale, site-specific installation. In addition, the resident artists and organizations that work and create daily at 18th Street open their studios for attendees to experience works in progress. Such artists include internationally-recognized installation and environmental artist, painter and sculptor, Lita Albuquerque; documentary and experimental filmmaker Michael Barnard, as well as Southern California’s boldest center for new performance, Highways Performance Space. In addition, visiting Italian award-winning filmmaker, Gianpaolo Bucci and Nepalese public art, installation and photography artist, Hit Man Gurung will also have their studios open for attendees to visit. And if you’re looking for a way to get to and from the event safely, SideCar, the will be providing a $25 credit to all CRUSH attendees anywhere in Los Angeles. Without a doubt, CRUSH will draw a great crowd in its first year as Santa Monica’s best wine, art and food tasting event!

Tickets are on sale at: http://18thstreetcrush.eventbrite.com/. A list of participating Wineries, Wine Experts, Restaurants, Leading Chefs, food and drink is here. For more information about CRUSH 2013 and 18th Street Arts Center visit: www.18thstreet.org

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