Allied Artists Take the Village Green

By MATTHEW MEYER | Reporter

The Village Green came alive with artists and admirers on Sunday, July 16, as the Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore hosted its first-ever exhibition in the beloved community park.

The roughly 20-member Allied Artists generally have four shows each year, often set in scenic locales and featuring art that celebrates the natural beauty found throughout the Santa Monica Mountains.

A percentage of the proceeds from each show goes to benefit conservation efforts and environmental groups that help preserve open spaces.

Artist-member Russell Hunziker, a 30-year Palisadian, helped bring the group’s first show to the Village Green.

Twelve artists, each with about a 10 x 10 space to work with, displayed their art in a beautiful, open-air show that benefited from perfect weather and plenty of foot traffic.

“It was a great opportunity for us and a great opportunity for them,” Hunziker said of the passersby who happened upon their first Allied Artists show on a Sunday morning stroll.

The newcomers and Allied Artists regulars combined for “quite a good turnout,” he told the Palisadian-Post.

And in keeping with their mission, the show was also a great opportunity for the Village Green Committee, who maintain the privately owned park.

They received a percentage of the sales to help them keep Sunset’s slice of green clean and beautiful.

Hunziker has admired the space for years: “We’ve got this beautiful park … I thought it would be nice to give something back to the community.”

And with their first successful show at the location behind them, he’s already looking forward to returning some time next year.

First, the Allied Artists will host its annual show at Will Rogers State Park on Oct. 8. It’s one of the group’s favorite locales—they’ve appeared there for seven consecutive years.

The group will also continue their monthly “paint-outs,” held every second Saturday of the month at a different outdoor location.

Hunziker said the meet-ups are a great way to introduce people to the group’s mission and to share their love for the gorgeous settings that surround Pacific Palisades.

The group has more information about the paint-outs,
Will Rogers show and other upcoming events at its website, allied-artists.com.