What is the Candlewood Arts Festival?
Founded in 2019, the Candlewood Arts Festival is an annual celebration of public art, community, and our shared environment in the heart of the California desert. Each spring, artists are invited to create site-specific works that respond to the land, culture, and community of Borrego Springs. From sculpture and installation to sound and performance, the festival brings bold, thoughtful, and often unexpected art experiences into public spaces.
Organized by the Under the Sun Foundation, the festival supports emerging and established artists, while fostering connections between the arts, the Anza Borrego Desert, and the people who love it and call it home.
Who makes this happen?
The Festival is organized by Kris Kuramitsu, an independent curator and educator who has focused on the support of contemporary art and artist for over three decades. In addition to her work on the Candlewood Arts Festival, she teaches art history and organizes exhibitions at galleries and museums in Southern California and beyond.
The Board of Directors of the Under the Sun Foundation, which organizes the Festival, includes:
Halina Avery, whose dedication to the arts, and interest in bringing business knowledge to the nonprofit world, have informed her wide ranging professional pursuits. Halina holds a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Music degree from Yale University, and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University.
Chris Avery, who received his B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Redlands. As a part of his degree, he participated in archaeological field work and relations building with the Hopi cultural preservation office in Northeastern Arizona. He now hopes to apply his life experience to the world of philanthropy.
Theo Avery works as an attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from University of Redlands with a B.A. in Philosophy and obtained his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
How can I get involved?
Please sign up for our mailing list so we can keep you informed about our next Festival. If you are an artist who would like to share your work with us for consideration for future Festivals, please contact us at [email protected].
Where can I find out more about Borrego Springs?
Find information about things to do, attractions, restaurants, and places to stay in Borrego Sprngs at The Borrego Experience.
Borrego Springs is the gateway to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California.
And for more information about the Sky Art sculptures in Galleta Meadows by artist Ricardo Breceda, including a map of their locations, at the Under the Sun Foundation site.