The clock is certainly ticking on 2023. But while we have a few precious moments left, let’s look back on the best in arts and culture this past year in Orange County – and in one case, beyond.
Earlier this week, we offered the top five moments in classical music, theater and dance. Here we present our arts and culture writers’ top five best – or most notable – moments in culture, visual arts and food.
From all of us at Culture OC, happy New Year everyone! We’re glad you could join us during our inaugural year, and look forward to an exciting and eventful 2024.
Top 5 Cultural Moments
While there were many festivals and events to choose from, a handful stood out in our minds. The local Vietnamese and Asian communities celebrating Tet, or the Lunar New Year. Casa Romantica closing after landslides, and after some hard work, reopening. And Buena Park designating a stretch of Beach Boulevard as “Koreatown.”
Here are five of the top cultural events that occurred in Orange County in 2023, in approximate chronological order. – Richard Chang
Tet Festivals After Monterey Park Shooting
2023 started with a crazy mass shooting in Monterey Park, killing 11 Asian people – mostly seniors – and injuring nine others. The next day, seven people were killed in Half Moon Bay, five of them Chinese. While officials and some attendees were nervous, three Tet festivals and parades in Orange County occurred over the following two weekends without a hitch – the Little Saigon Tet Parade in Westminster, the OC Tet Festival in Fountain Valley, and the UVSA Tet Festival in Costa Mesa. The very public gatherings proved that despite isolated instances of extreme violence, you can’t keep people from gathering and celebrating their traditions and culture.
Casa Romantica Closes, Reopens After Landslide
After a winter of wet and powerful storms, an April landslide in San Clemente damaged a portion of Casa Romantica, a historic San Clemente landmark. Sections of the ocean terrace and lustrous walkways were taken down the cliffside, toward the beach below. Fortunately, after some repairs, Casa Romantica was able to reopen and celebrate some events and, of course, the cherished annual holidays.
Pageant of the Masters/Monsters
The Pageant of the Masters celebrated its 90th anniversary during the summer with the theme, “Art Colony: In the Company of Artists.” It was more diverse than one might expect, with explorations of Chicano, African American and Native American art. The Sawdust Art Festival and Art-A-Fair also enjoyed an active Laguna Beach summer art season, comparable to pre-pandemic levels. And in October, the Festival of Arts returned with its Halloween-themed Pageant of the Monsters, which occurs once every five years.
Koreatown Designation for Buena Park
In October, Buena Park city council members voted unanimously to designate Beach Boulevard from Rosencrans to Orangethorpe Avenues “Koreatown.” It’s about time: The Korean scene has been thriving in north O.C. for years, and it’s more than just Korean restaurants, K-Pop and suljips (bars).
Culture OC Launched!
The site you are reading now launched on Sept. 8, filling a vacuum of arts and entertainment journalism and coverage in Orange County. Why Culture OC, and why now? Read this outstanding and insightful explanation.
Top 5 Visual Arts Moments
Though we are not the Mecca that is Los Angeles, Orange County has enjoyed its share of notable art exhibitions and events this past year. The O.C. Museum of Art celebrated its one-year anniversary, the Pageant of the Masters celebrated 90 years, and the Hilbert Museum of California Art relocated to a temporary space in Old Towne Orange as it busily worked on an expansion that will nearly triple its original size. Here are the top five visual art events and exhibitions, in no particular order other than feeling. – Richard Chang
Bowers Museum Hires New President and Chief Curator
After the death of Peter Keller in November 2022, Seán O’Harrow took the role as president and CEO of the Bowers Museum in August. It’s been a good fit so far – he’s a multicultural person, half Vietnamese, half European American, like the institution he represents. On Dec. 1, he hired Tianlong Jiao as chief curator, the museum’s first senior or full-time curator since April 2005. Both current exhibitions, “Beyond the Great Wave: Works by Hokusai” (through Jan. 7) and “The Power of Photography” (through Jan. 14) are impressive, and the future looks bright for Orange County’s largest museum.
