The Santa Monica Museum of Art presents Tour da Arts, vol. 5, its fifth annual cultural bike tour through the city of Santa Monica. In the words of Asuka Hisa, SMMoA’s director of education and public programs, “Tour da Arts, vol. 5 is a fantastic way to explore the arts in Santa Monica while embracing a greener, healthier, and more sustainable mode of transportation.†For this year’s tour, the Museum has partnered with community groups, cycling organizations, and creative individuals to bring you a day of cross-disciplinary, cycling-related activities on Sunday, August 18th from 11 am to 5 pm. Each of the three stops on the tour features a particular art form: visual art, music, and dance.Tour da Arts, vol. 5 kicks off at 11 am with a bicycle-themed festival at SMMoA. The focus of this year’s festival will be multi-modal transportation and the creative side of bike culture. To encourage participation in the ride, 25 free bike rentals will be provided by Perry’s Café and Rentals on a first-come, first-served basis. Partners from Metr
o will show participants how to load their bikes onto buses and light rail, Bikerowave—a local bike co-op— will provide complimentary pre-ride tune-up services, and Solé Bicycles will exhibit one-of-a-kind, artist-designed bicycles alongside their everyday line. As the first stop on the tour, SMMoA will host walkthroughs of its summer exhibitions: Joyce Pensato: I KILLED KENNY, dosa at SMMoA: Exploring Joshua Tree, and Marco Rios: Anatomy of an Absent Artist.
The tour will depart promptly at 1 pm for its next stop, the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club. At the club, riders will enjoy a combination of modern beats and line dances with Griffin Rodriguez and some of his Icy Demons bandmates. The ride will continue to Grant Elementary School for At the Oasis, a unique, site-specific Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre performance that uses a 1966 Oasis trailer as a stage and prop. Finally, riders will return to SMMoA for an exciting raffle, featuring products from Pedego Santa Monica Electric Bicycles and Linus
Bikes, and a brand new bike from Bike Attack. Tour da Arts will be led by certified cyclists from local advocacy organization Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.). Hundreds of cyclists will join in for this celebrated annual tour, which will proceed at a sociable pace and obey all traffic laws.
SMMoA kicked-off Tour da Arts, vol. 5 in June with a “Bike Critter Art Contest,†an opportunity for people of all ages to submit cycling critters. The winning drawing, by David Chernobylsky, was selected by a panel of three professional judges—illustrator Calef Brown, artist Mel Kadel, and Giant Artists agency’s Jen Lamping—to serve as the event’s featured mascot.
Admission is FREE and open to all ages. Registration is required, and space is limited. Register at smmoa.org/tourdaarts.
What to Bring: Basic riding skills and a bicycle in good running order. All participants under the age of 18 must wear a helmet and be escorted by a parent or guardian. Children under the age of 9 should be on a tag-along, bike trailer, tandem, or other safe child-carrying device.
Tour da Arts schedule:
11 am – 1 pm: Tour da Arts, vol. 5 Festival and Check-in at the Santa Monica Museum of Art
- Tours of SMMoA’s current exhibitions: Joyce Pensato: I KILLED KENNY, dosa at SMMoA: Exploring Joshua Tree, and Marco Rios: Anatomy of an Absent Artist
- Bicycle Advocacy: Learn fun and safe biking tips from Santa Monica SPOKE/Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, LA Metro, City of Santa Monica Transportation, and C.I.C.L.E.
- Art Bikes and Tune-ups: Get a complimentary bike tune-up from Bikerowave, LA’s volunteer-run, community operated bike repair shop. Check out Solé Bicycles’ Art Bikes, a series of unique, artist-designed bicycles
- Food and Drink: Enjoy delicious options from ONE Coconut Water, Clif/Luna Bar, and Whole Foods Market Santa Monica
1 pm: Tour da Arts, vol. 5 Cultural Bike Tour departs SMMoA
1:30 – 2:15 pm: Second Stop: Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club
- Enjoy music by Griffin Rodriguez and members of Icy Demons, an experimental music project
- Refreshments and snacks provided by Whole Foods Market Santa Monica, Clif Bar, ONE Coconut Water
3:00 – 3:45 pm: Third Stop: Grant Elementary School Playground
- At the Oasis— an exclusive performance by Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre
- Additional refreshments and treats
4:15 – 5:00 pm: Final Stop: Return to SMMoA at the Bergamot Station Arts Center
- Tour da Arts raffle, with products from Linus Bikes and Pedego Santa Monica Electric Bicycles, and a bicycle from Bike Attack.
