Art Day 2015 and The Art Day Games

August 14th, 2015 — Los Angeles, CA: Two years after Los Angeles City Councilmember Felipe Fuentes issued his first Proclamation of the Art Day Games, the Games continued, this year featuring the Music/Songs Competition.

On August 11, Artisyn Studio, one of the storefronts at Commerce and Foothill, which teaches the arts and holds a weekly Open Mic on Tuesday evenings, hosted the Art Day Games, which are like the Olympics, but for the arts. Musicians Johnnie Ferro and Ralph Angel were the judges for both live performances, and music submitted digitally through ArtistsForABetterWorld.org. Said Ferro, “Thank you so much again for asking me to judge the competition this year. I was humbled and honored to help!”

Since contestants are allowed to play for the country where they were born or live, or where their parents were born, this year saw submissions from not only the USA, but also France, Denmark and Puerto Rico. Awards (medals, baskets of art and small monetary prizes) were presented on international Art Day, second Friday in August, at the house on Apperson which sports a picket fence that looks like a piano keyboard, built by Randy Mate of New Castle Remodeling. Fresh Aire Duct Cleaning of La Crescenta provided limited edition commemorative mugs and supplied a kids art table.

Art Day 2015
Becky Mate with Gold Medal Winner, Jewel Steele and Johnnie Ferro

Jewel Steele, who regularly performs in a band with her father and sister, won Gold for the USA. She said, “What I like about making music and writing songs is I love to tell stories, and make people feel good. People tell me that they really like my tone of voice and the clever words I use in my lyrics to tell different stories. I also enjoy working and creating with my dad when we write lyrics and put songs together at 3:00am. Music is an international language and I personally think that there would be a lot less pain and suffering in this world if more people would open their hearts and minds and let the music in like it did for me.”

When Kirsten Noelle found out that her original music would be judged on songwriting, musicianship and how well the artist “owned it,” she was not daunted by the fact that she had not brought her own music with her. No, she pulled out an unsent letter to a friend, a rather poetic one, and made a song of it on the spot, with a chorus and all. This impromptu creativity was so well done, it earned Silver for the USA.

Bronze went to Adam Jesse, USA, who said, “By making music, I get to send out a message that is more than just words. I also find it therapeutic in that I usually write about things when I’m down or having trouble with something. Music and song give people hope and raise their awareness of life. They inspire the future.”

Even though USA swept the Competition, all contestants were thanked for participating and were told they are valued by society for their continuing performances. Each got a small prize.

For more information about the Art Day Games, contact Sunland resident Becky Mate, the Founder of international Art Day, at artday@earthlink.net.