The Funk Zone got truly funky Friday with Arts Alive!‘s grand reopening under its new owners, Laura Eliseo and Anthony Parisi. She, a dancer and painter, and he, a glass artist, recently took over the studio, which flourished for years under its founder and former owner, Laura Inks.
It was basically a mini arts festival in the middle of the night. Guests, visitors and performers wasted no time getting down to the festivities, which began with a series of ceremonial blessings, while community hipsters and drum circle denizens got the crowd dancing to African and Brazilian beats and modern electronic grooves. Belly dancers and fire dancers added a touch of the exotic to the party, as the crowd moved around the refurbished space, checking out the work of local artists on display.
For Eliseo and Parisi the party, which went into the wee hours, was a sign of more good things to come. The couple, who are also building an arts center on Kauai, intend to make a connection between the two places, eventually bringing artists back and forth to create some artistic synergy between the island and the mainland.
In the meantime, Arts Alive!, 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez, Suite 100, will continue to provide a venue for artistic creation and expression for the Santa Barbara community, and hopefully, for many of Friday night’s attendees, more of those fun get-togethers.