The Beverly Hills Art Show took place on Oct. 19 and 20, featuring more than 230 artists across four blocks of Beverly Garden Park. The biannual event attracted about 40,000 visitors over two days and included festivities such as gourmet food trucks, competitions, art demonstrations, live music, and a food and wine garden.
Artists displayed their work in various genres, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, drawing and watercolor. In the children’s area, a booth displayed artwork from the Beverly Hills Unified School District, featuring impressive pieces created by students from elementary through high school. Visiting children took part in an arts and crafts table, creating maple leaves from clay.
Members of the City Council and the Arts and Culture Commission presented awards in categories such as best art display, best watercolor, and best photography and digital art. The prize for best in show was awarded to Nairi Safaryan, a wood sculptor.
Katherine J. Flynn, the first-place winner for photography, told the Courier that her art is inspired by liminal spaces she encounters in her travels. Her exhibition featured landscape photographs framed in worn car doors and rearview mirrors sourced from junkyards. “I live in Venice, but I also have a place near Joshua Tree, in a town called Landers, where I have a junkyard. My daughters and I always make stuff out of things we find,” Flynn said. “My favorite photography is capturing human experiences or just getting on the road and seeing what I discover.”
Artist Susan Spector conducted a printmaking demonstration, allowing attendees to create their own prints with carved linoleum and acrylic paint. She noted that the demonstrations provide an opportunity to interact with the community and encourage creativity. “It’s fun to interact with people. They come up and want to see what I’m doing, mostly children,” Spector said.
Some artists used unorthodox materials, such as Janelle Naslund Bloudek, who created coffee-based watercolor paintings featuring wildlife and portraits of women in brown shades. Her innovative work earned her third place in the watercolor competition. “The coffee is what sets it apart. It makes it a little bit different,” she remarked. This was her second time at the art show, which she described as a great experience.
Daniel Han, who won the award for best art display, explained that his work combines textiles and photography. His pieces feature photography printed onto velvet and other fabrics, giving the images new perspectives. “It’s a homage to where I’m coming from. My birthright is the fashion industry and textiles. I grew up as the son of a gifted fashion designer. My earliest memories involve clambering over rolls of fabric,” Han said. His combination of photography and textiles tells a compelling narrative. “It made very natural sense to bring what I was born into with textiles, fabrics and materials, and then figuring out how to tell the best story.”
To the amusement of visitors, Jesper Johansen’s comical photography featured train model figures in unexpected poses, such as cycling around donuts, skiing down toilet paper and men carrying candy. “It’s priceless. It’s very interesting, original, and entertaining,” said Kathy Kahen, a visitor at the art show.
Stephanie Crowden, who won the third-place award for sculptures, exhibited work inspired by the African diaspora. Although she has only worked with sculpture for a year and a half, Crowden began experimenting with the medium to unwind from her job as an interior architect. “I tend to get a material and let it speak to me, allowing my mind and hand to create something,” Crowden remarked. “Everything I do relates to the African diaspora and the history of our journey to America, showcasing the diversity of our people and what we’ve endured, including our emotions, experiences, traditions and food—all related to the Black experience.”
The spring 2025 Beverly Hills Art Show will take place on May 18-19.
