Monique Arambula
Staff Writer
The Los Angeles County Fair this year featured more than just traditional displays of art on walls. It included hands-on workshops, cultural storytelling and handmade creations scattered across the various expo halls. Whether it was thread and fabric or stained glass, the fair’s art scene proved that creativity can thrive anywhere.
Kristen Huizar, an embroidery artist from Expo 6, was part of the Eastside Arts Initiative, which invited artists who previously received grants from the organization to return and showcase their work. She noted that all her materials were thrifted and that her love for stitching came from learning how to sew her own pants as a kid.
“My pieces are the embroidered ones where I’m doing an embroidery workshop and Andres is doing live painting,” Huizar said. “You can take embroidery anywhere since materials are very cheap, which is something good to instill into young artists, that you don’t need a lot of money or space to do art.”
“If I could do hand stitching, I can make it into a line,” Huizar said. “It’s like drawing in slow motion.”
Alongside her was Andrés Vela, a painter who also participated through the Eastside Arts Initiative. Instead of showcasing a full gallery, Vela led a hands-on workshop where visitors were invited to draw on top of a sketched eye he provided.
The eye served as a fun starting point for people to add their own ideas, like Mike Wazowski, Minions and even Bill Cipher from “Gravity Falls.” The central eye acted on Vela’s own monster-themed artwork.
“This monster came out of the sketch… I call them little monstros,” Vela said. “My mom’s Mexican, my dad’s Guatemalan, so I take parts of Mayan and Aztec stonework and make it my own.”
While Expo 6 mostly resembled a typical vendor space with jewelry, bags and stickers for sale, the art corner stood out. Even though it was tucked away in the back near a collection of vintage typewriters, it still created an inviting space for people to slow down, participate and connect with the artists behind the work.
A more dedicated art space could be found in Expo 5, which featured the widest range of handmade pieces. There were stained glass displays, sewn dresses, decorative Christmas trees, edible art like cakes and handcrafted blankets. It felt more like a community craft fair than a vendor market.
Jane Tickey-Williams, who has taught stained glass for years through Claremont Adult Ed, was one of the artists offering live demos in Expo 5.
“I figured this way, we’re showing them what we can make out of glass and show that it’s good for you mentally,” Tickey-Williams said.
Tickey-Williams explained that she first learned stained glass in the early 1980s through adult education programs. Eventually, her former teacher stepped back, and Tickey-Williams knew what she was doing, so she took over the class.
Now, decades later, she teaches her own students and continues sharing the benefits of hands-on craft at events like the fair. During her demo, visitors could enter a raffle for a free handmade stained-glass spinner.
Tickey-Williams shared how she loves being able to show people that learning a new craft is not just about the end result. It’s about discovery and personal growth.
“I still teach,” Tickey-Williams said. “And for people to get out and do a craft, it’s very good for you.”
One visitor, Cera Ramos, a sophomore pre-nursing major at Pasadena City College, was compelled by the creativity of the table art in Expo 5.
“I really liked the Wicked table and I enjoy how it was brought to life in this unique way,” Ramos said. “It was beautiful. It was very creative. It was a way to capture the movie without physically capturing the movie.”
“I didn’t notice the brushes at first in the art table, I just saw the flowers, but then I noticed the brushes and thought that was very cool,” Ramos said.
Monique Arambula can be found at monique.arambula@laverne.edu.
Monique Arambula is a staff writer for the Campus Times. She is also a freshman communications major with a concentration in public relations and a minor in film production.
