By Hamp Simmons
Special to the Daily Press

It’s a brand new year, so get out your calendars and start marking dates. Next week, once everyone is back from vacation, we’ll go back to our traditional format of weekend events, but this week’s Palette will let you in on a few upcoming events that you may not want to miss.

January is always hopping in Santa Monica and this one is certainly no exception. Additional information on each of these events will be posted each week, but here’s a heads up to let you know what’s coming down the pike.

The West Coast’s top art fairs return
Photo LA
Friday — Sunday, Jan. 19-21

Art LA
Friday — Sunday, Jan. 26-28
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
1855 Main Street
(310) 458-8551

Los Angeles Art Show
Wednesday — Sunday, Jan. 24-28
Barker Hangar
Airport Drive
Santa Monica Airport

The three best art fairs on the West Coast return to Santa Monica this month. Photo LA opens to the public on Friday, Jan. 19. The Thursday night opening reception will be hosted by Graham Nash to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Hot on its heels, the following weekend, comes the Los Angeles Art Show, which opens on Jan. 24 with five centuries of art from around the world; and Art LA on Jan. 26, which will host a reception that Thursday night benefiting the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.

Even if, like me, you can’t afford to buy any of the spectacular works on sale at these events, you should definitely visit them both to get a look at what’s happening in art galleries all over the world. Between these three shows, you’ll get to know everything that’s cool in today’s art market.

Santa Monica’s January Cultural Happenings

Artnight at 18th Street
6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 13
18th Street Arts Center
1639 18th Street

Strange New World: Art and Design from Tijuana
Opening Reception
7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 13
Santa Monica Museum of Art
Bergamot Station G1
2525 Michigan Ave.
(310) 586-6488

Martin Luther King Commemorative Concert
2:30 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15
SGI (Soka Gakai International) Auditorium
525 Wilshire Blvd.

Art at the Santa Monica Airport
Santa Monica Airport Art Walk
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 10
Airport Avenue (between Bundy and 23rd)
Santa Monica Airport

Your own Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division will be presenting a new event this year — the Santa Monica Airport Art Walk. On March 10, you’ll be able to visit the artist studios at the Santa Monica Airport. You’ll be amazed at the quality and the quantity of work that is produced in that one of our most important cultural sites Santa Monica cultural event calendars

In Santa Monica, there’s just no excuse for anyone to be sitting around with nothing to do. Listed below are just a few of the Web sites you should bookmark and check out next time you find yourself sitting idle. Each of these local cultural destinations will offer you a chance to get out of the house and feed your mind.

18th Street Arts Center — http://www.18thstreet.org/
Aero Theatre — http://www.americancinematheque.com/Aero/aeromastercalendar.htm
Bergamot Station — http://www.bergamotstation.com/
California Heritage Museum — http://www.californiaheritagemuseum.org/
City of Santa Monica Community Calendars
Highways — http://www.highwaysperformance.org/
Miles Playhouse — http://www.milesplayhouse.org/
McCabes — http://www.mccabes.com/
Ruskin Theatre — http://ruskingrouptheatre.com/
Santa Monica Playhouse — http://www.santamonicaplayhouse.com/
Santa Monica Historical Society — http://www.santamonicahistory.org/
Santa Monica Museum of Art — http://www.smmoa.org/
Experience LA — http://www.experiencela.com/

Until next week, stop by the Creative Capital Web site and give us your thoughts on the proposed plan for our city’s future cultural growth (http://www.smgov.net/creativesantamonica/).

Hamp Simmons is the cultural affairs coordinator for the City of Santa Monica. Send comments or suggestions for the Palette to artpalette.mailbox@smgov.net.