ENCINITAS — A new twist will be added to this year’s Arts Alive banner program. As an honor to one of the town’s biggest supporters of local artists, the popular event will be dedicated to the late City Councilwoman Maggie Houlihan who died Sept. 16.
“This year’s exhibit is being dedicated to Maggie and her picture will be on the sponsor side of the banner,” said Danny Salzhandler, coordinator of the project. “We’ll have six miles of Maggie from La Costa Ave. to Cardiff’s restaurant row.”
The Arts Alive banner exhibit is a joint effort by the 101 Artists Colony, the Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association, Cardiff 101 Mainstreet and Leucadia Mainstreet. In its thirteenth year, the program promises to be the best yet according to Salzhandler. “The whole thing is not much of a money maker but a huge community favorite.”
In 2000, Peder Norby, then the executive director of the Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association, brought an idea to the 101 Artists’ Colony to exhibit paintings along the Coast Highway displayed on the street light standards. “There were only 25 paintings in that first year’s exhibit,” Salzhandler said. “Artists were chosen and the painting began. After the paintings were finished and unveiled in the Colony’s gallery everyone was amazed at the diversity and quality of the collection,” he said.
The outdoor exhibit would runs from February to May each year culminating in a live auction. Houlihan could
previous post
