Creating community at BMoA’s Concert in the Garden
Tonight’s Concert in the Garden, like many arts events, is about designing the type of community that residents want to see.
“We want to encourage a creative culture here in Bakersfield,” said Rachel Wainwright, curator of the Bakersfield Museum of Art, which is hosting the show as part of its Art After Dark programming.
“Their sound is perfect for this concert,” she said of the night’s performing bands Eunith and Fawns of Love. “Atmospheric, it creates an environment: upbeat that you’re engaged and moody enough that you can sit in the garden on a blanket and enjoy it.”
Feeding that creative scene is a priority for the museum when booking artists for the annual end-of-summer show.
“This is an environment that we are creating. They can embellish the experience of community that this Concert in the Garden allows.”
Fawns of Love is a duo consisting of vocalist Jenny Andreotti and multi-instrumentalist Joseph Andreotti. The group’s dream pop sound is influenced by artists like rock-synth act Sparks and singer-songwriter Kate Bush.
The music of Eunith, aka Matthew Prewitt, is at the nexus of Prewitt’s love of dance music along with the influences of garage rock, indie pop and hardcore.
His performance, which opens the show, will be enhanced by visuals from Keaton Punch. The digital artist, who has also worked with the bands Hate Drugs and Lou Beauty, said he struck upon a unique lighting presentation when lighting Eunith’s first live
performance at The Empty Space’s 3 Days in Space in March.
“I wanted to film this special moment, but I knew the lighting there would be very dark and difficult to work around,” he wrote in an email. “I brought my own lighting to the show, which made a significant difference and got the crowd super excited.”
In anticipation of this show, Punch and Prewitt started planning the visuals in early August and purchased a 200-inch projector screen to set up behind the band that will project a variety of interesting visuals to complement the music.
“We worked together for a few weeks to film and edit together stimulating and peculiar visuals for each song Eunith will be performing,” Punch wrote. “We hope these visuals along with my assortment of vibrant lighting will enhance the experience for everyone and inspire other musicians to try something new in their next live show.”
Guests will be able to bring
blankets and sprawl out in the garden enjoying the mix of nature, music and visuals. (Those who want to snag a good spot should buy their tickets in advance, giving them early admission before those buying tickets at the door.)
Those who want a tactile experience can enjoy a free art project using chalk.
It’s a project that will use the same materials that we use at Via Arte,” Wainwright said, referring to the annual street painting festival returning to The Marketplace on Oct. 22 and 23.
“We see it as a way to start talking about our major festival.
All attendees will get to play with the materials that our artists and students do and enjoy the temporary aspect to this art drawing.”
Beer and wine will be available from Kern River Brewing Co. and Tlo Wines, respectively, and water will also be readily available.
Food vendors include Korean barbecue truck Babmokja, Mari’s Guisados Comida Mexicana and Paleta Co., serving up sweet icy treats.
The event, sponsored by Moneywise Wealth Management and Wolf Spirit Distiller, will again offer bike valet from Pedego Bakersfield for those who live close
enough to ride the show.
With a forecast in the triple digits, some may wonder if they’ll sweat more than savor the sounds but Wainwright said the garden is a pleasant spot even in the dead of summer.
“We’re always concerned about the heat but we are grateful for the incredible coverage of the established and mature trees. By 7, the garden is completely shaded. And we do community yoga in the garden at the same time (and it’s OK).
“We make sure that people have water. And the museum will be open if you do need to cool off.”
Although the concert is the main event, guests can venture inside the air-conditioned museum to view the current exhibitions “Under the Kern County Sky: Prapat Sirinavarat,” featuring the work of Thai-born, Bakersfield-based artist Prapat Sirinavarat, and “Exploring the Figure: Selections from BMoA’s Permanent Collection.”