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Bombing with yarn in Santa Monica on Saturday, by Arroyo Arts Collective

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If you’ve ever thought, “Hey, that tree could use a sweater,” or “Wouldn’t that light pole look good with some hand-knit sparrows hanging from it?” then the art exhibition of your dreams awaits you this weekend.

One week after the textile mayhem of International Yarn Bombing Day, the L.A.-based Arroyo Arts Collective invites nimble-fingered knitting enthusiasts to check out “Yarn Bombing 18th Street,” an exhibition comprised of site-specific yarn-based installations and a gallery of hung work on the grounds of the 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

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What is yarn bombing? For the uninitiated or the crocheting-impaired, yarn bombing combines the art of street installation with needlework, creating vibrant, unexpected graffiti infused with anything from Muppet humor to political messages in a venue shared by everyone. For an avid yarn bomber, adorning a park bench or a parking meter with some fuzzy tactile graffiti is just another day at the office.

For the Arroyo Arts Collective, founded in 1989 by writers and performers who live and work in northeast Los Angeles, the event has been in the planning stages since February. After the event, the knit graffiti installations will remain on public view until July 8.

In addition to yarn bombing the outside area around the Art Center, at 1639 18th St. in
Santa Monica, the event features a more conventional exhibition in the gallery, featuring mostly recycled knit and fiber materials. After all, these knitters may qualify as urban graffiti artists, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about the environment.

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International Yarn Bomb Day on Saturday

— Nate Jackson

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