West End Celebration Art: YAC's Sketch Circle is back.

The West End Celebration in Sand City (11am-6pm on Saturday, Aug. 22 and 11am-5pm Sunday, Aug. 23) is not only about music, food and drink. Art has been the part of the fest since 2002—next year West End will be 25 years old.

Sand City comes with its own artists and craftsmen; many of them participate in the celebration every year. It is also a city of murals, and in 2021 the we. mural festival was part of the West End festival, and impressive mural art plays a role in the West End Celebration's success.

Earlier this year, a mural workshop took place at the Lido Stage inside the new Marriott Hotel in Sand City. There, experienced muralists and aspiring artists worked together to design and paint the backdrop for the festival's Redwood Stage—one of three official music stages this year.

But that's not all. The Youth Arts Collective, a nonprofit that helps local artsy youth hone their craft, comes back with its popular Sketch Circle, this year hosted by Captain + Stoker at the corner of Catalina and Elder in Sand City. The circle has been an annual tradition for the last 12 years. 

"Step into the spotlight, strike your best pose and watch as a lively circle of student artists and professionals draw your portrait all at once," YAC advertises its services. "Bring your partner, your dog, your kids, or even your motorcycle! Everyone, and almost everything, is welcome to pose."

The event is a chance to meet the young artists who spend their afternoons at YAC in Monterey, see and perhaps purchase their work. YACster Avery Yee of Avery Cadence Studios (www.averycadencestudios.com) will be selling their work alongside fellow YAC artists. 

YAC’s Sketch Circle at Captain + Stoker, West End Festival. 11am-6pm Saturday, August 22. Captain + Stoker, 1793 Catalina St., Ste. A, Seaside. Free. yacstudios.org/events.