My heart's racketing flywheel is stuttering:
Downtown! Downtown!

Cal State Long Beach artists are presenting works in photography, sculpture, paintings, mixed media and video art on Saturday in downtown’s cargo container art space, the Goods Gallery. All CSULB students are invited to attend for free. There’ll be cool local music by Dietra Kruschev and a cool cupcake party. Come celebrate "Downtown!" DTO9.

Your arts commissioner,
Barbara Navarro

This is what's happening at Cal State Long Beach this week. It's the Week of the Arts, or simply ARTSweek! Hooray!

Must-Attend (FREE) Events this Week

Sure, we all complain about higher tuition costs, the inflated prices on textbooks and paying exorbitant amounts of money on a parking permit when parking isn't even guaranteed.

Pencils down, big spenders! Jolt your brains' right-sided hemispheres, and absorb a few special and inspiring art shows happening now at the grand Cal State Long Beach. Oh, and, ahem!, all for free.

1. The Doodle Show, Merlino Gallery

Illustration student Beverly Bartolome (pictured above) did the right thing and celebrated her opening night at the Merlino Gallery with pink cupcakes. Art show runs through Sept. 18.

2. UAM@Noon, University Art Museum

Photo taken at Saturday's opening of "art/tapes/22."

An amazing show, "art/tapes/22," is not complete without a noontime walk-through with curator Alice Hutchison and artist Simone Forti. Be around Tuesday, Sept. 16, for UAM@Noon, when the museum opens its doors and our minds to the historical making of Maria Gloria Bicocchi's video visions.