La Jolla Art & Wine Festival: a look back at the 18th

The La Jolla Art & Wine Festival has just wrapped its 18th edition, and if you missed it, it's worth knowing what you skipped for next time. The free two-day juried show took over Girard Avenue in the heart of La Jolla on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, running from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM both days. It's one of the most prestigious art and wine festivals in Southern California, and it doubles as a fundraiser, which is the part that really gives it some weight.

On the art side, more than 170 juried artists from across the U.S. and Mexico set up, with work in painting, sculpture, jewelry design, fine glass, ceramics, woodwork, mixed media and photography. This year's featured artist was Doug Merskin, a Florida-based mixed media artist with studios in both Florida and California, who turns acrylic paints, mineral pigments and metallic powders into sculpted, three-dimensional pieces using a heat-bending technique. The festival is strict about what gets in: photography, painting, 2D and 3D mixed media, jewelry, ceramics, glass, fiber, sculpture, wearable art, woodworking, printmaking, watercolor and drawing are the only accepted mediums, and handmade crafts or manufactured objects have no place here.

Then there's the Wine & Beer Garden, which is the 21-plus half of the weekend. Entry to the festival itself is free, but the garden needs a ticket, and it's recommended to book in advance. More than 35 international wineries, local craft breweries and craft distilleries poured there, with names like Pali Wine Co, PRP Wine, Melograno, Shepard, Turtle Rock Ridge Winery, Valentina Vineyards, Ramona Valley, La Jolla Crafted Wines, Artiste Winery, Mia Marie Vineyards, Bernardo Winery, South Coast Winery, Paul Hobbs Winery and Outlaw Wine Company on the wine list, and PureProject, Boochcraft, Fuego Hard, Mujeres Brew House, Mike Hess Brewing, MAKKU, Singha Beer, Tipsy Truck, Weihenstephan, Bitburger, Tap Truck and Novo Brazil on the beer side. Spirits came from Above Board, Good News, Batch 22, Puesto, Eden Mill, Marisi, Camel Gin, Chervona Vodka, Brahman Premium Tequila, Blowfish Tequila and Vieroma, while food and non-alcoholic options came from The Cottage, Topo Chico Sabores, The Food Box, Popup Bagels, Schmakary's and Shake Shack.

It wasn't just for adults, either. The Geppetto's Toys Family Art Center, over on Wall Street at Girard Avenue, handed out crafts for kids, prize drawings and giveaways sponsored by Geppetto's Toys, which is a family-owned La Jolla toy store and one of the largest independent toy stores in the country, at 7850 Girard Ave. The rest of the program filled in around that, with a two-day silent auction, pet adoption stations and live music and entertainment.

Behind all of it is the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival Foundation, a La Jolla-based non-profit that's been tax-exempt since early 2014. Its mission is to raise money for La Jolla's public schools, bring art to the community and promote the village and its merchants, and all donations are tax-deductible. Since it started, the festival has put more than $1,700,000 toward La Jolla public schools, benefiting more than 4,000 children. If you're an artist looking ahead to the next one, the application opens in January, closes in May, and there's a $42 non-refundable fee, so it's worth getting your statement and images in order early.