By Pat KRAMER

March is a very special month at the McGroarty Arts Center, located at 7570 McGroarty Terrace in Tujunga. Starting yesterday, March 8 and running until March 14 are two overlapping art shows: McGroarty Kids and McGroarty Artists, followed by Spring at the McGroarty Arts Center, the Glendale Art Association’s show, which runs March 18 through March 24.

McGroarty Arts Center is a City of Los Angeles Historic–Cultural Monument (No. 63) dating back to 1923. John Steven McGroarty was one of Sunland-Tujunga’s most prestigious residents, having served two terms in the House of Representatives as well as California’s first poet laureate.

The McGroarty Kids Art Show will feature two-dimensional artwork by children ages 3 to 9, which will be displayed upstairs at the Arts Center. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, March 11 at noon to honor the young artists.

The second show, McGroarty Artists Show, runs concurrently with the Kids Show. Co-curating that show are Carolyn Young and Dawn Jenkins, who also arranged the opening receptions. McGroarty Artists features two-dimensional mixed media, ceramics, photography and paintings by students and teachers of McGroarty, past and present. Featured in this show are works by the late James Williams, a longtime painting instructor for McGroarty, as well as work by artists and teachers Danielle Eubank, Elizabeth Tucker, Sheri Garwood, Nicholas Fedak, II, Joyce Dudnik, Earl Beard, Corey Stein, and Joanna Gates, curator of the McGroarty Kids Show.

McGroarty Artists’ reception kicks off at 6 p.m. on March 11 with craft beer, wine, and appetizers (donated by Joselitos) among other treats. Performing for the reception is the improvisational jazz/blues trio The Artigans.

The final show, Spring at the McGroarty Arts Center, features the artists from the Glendale Art Association of which John Steven McGroarty was a member and active supporter. The show opens March 18 and runs until March 24 with its opening reception on Saturday, March 18 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. All receptions are open to the public at no charge.

McGroarty Arts Center is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the special events. For more information please visit www.mcgroartyartscenter.org.

  Pat KRAMER