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• Vanishing act

  Vanishing act

  There is nothing phantasmagorical about phantom exhibits; the tag is just an apt way of describing art shows that appear in temporarily vacant retail buildings and, poof, vanish in a month or so.

  “It’s just pop-up galleries,” said organizer and curator Michael Reddell. “It’s not like it’s original.”

  In the fall, Reddell became the executive director of Central Coast Sculptors Group and started doing phantom exhibits, which have become popular in urban areas. The inaugural one in San Luis Obispo was on Higuera Street in March. The current one is in Paso Robles, near the downtown park.

• The Central Coast Sculptors' Group of the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art has put together The Phantom Project

  The Central Coast Sculptors' Group of the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art has put together The Phantom Project

  In the display window of a Higuera Street shop, a trio of foot-high figures are clustered, peering down. The black glazed ceramic work by Tom Peck is titled “What Do You Suppose That Is?”

  Passersby are asking the same question. The normally vacant space is the temporary home of The Phantom Project, an ephemeral exhibit that will only be up until March 2.

  Phantom shows are becoming popular in art-based cities, where the exhibits appear in unused buildings

• Beacon Art Exhibit showcases more than 80 local artists

  Beacon Art Exhibit showcases more than 80 local artists

  The light is shining on more than 80 local artists for the annual Beacon Art Exhibit.

  “It always take some guts to put your work out there for people to see,” said co-juror and artist Nixson Borah.

  Of 200 entries, jurors selected only half. Best of Show winner Susan McKee, who has won awards before in the Watercolor Societies “Aquarius,” has no qualms about showing her art, but she stays out of the spotlight when gathering her material.

• Distinctive marks

  Distinctive marks

  Modern generations may think that printmaking means making photo copies on a printer, but it is a well established art that results in one-of-a-kind work. They are not reproductions; each is unique. China began woodblock printing in the third century.

  The diversity of later methods includes etching, solar plates, lithographs, linoleum cuts, and a dozen more.

  Juror Sandow Birk selected a monotype for the Best of Show for the Central Coast Printmakers’ exhibit at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. Show organizers — who invited artists statewide — decided to bestow only one award, so there are no honors for first, second or third place, nor any honorable mentions.

• Arts Obispo to move offices

  Arts Obispo to move offices

  The SLO County Arts Council, also known as Arts Obispo, is moving into a space owned by the city of San Luis Obispo as a way to reduce overhead and increase programming in the face of diminished funding. It will lose its gallery but will collaborate with other organizations and venues to maintain a full roster of events.

  The San Luis Obispo City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a one-year lease agreement for a 600-square-foot office at the Ludwick Community Center at 1123 Mill St. The rent is $1,294 per year, which is the estimated annual cost of utilities for the office.

  The nonprofit council, with a budget of $226,000 for 2011-12, has been paying $1,900 per month for rent at its approximately 1,300-square-foot office and gallery space at the Creamery in downtown San Luis Obispo.