Instagram story viewer> @speczacular> Tagged

Zachary Benson Friedberg

@speczacular

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

California Family 💖💖💖

12

1

Three years ago we started with a question: what if IKEA Costa Mesa became the art space Orange County didn’t have?

Year one we tested it.
Year two we grew it.
Year three, this year, we found our footing. The activations, the flow, the team, the format. It all clicked.

Now we’ve been given the green light to build the festival we’ve been envisioning from the beginning.

Thank you to every artist, every collaborator, every person who showed up on May 30.

Thank you to @speczacular, @rebekahrrose, and @_siincero_ for the murals. To @mrchavarriart for leading the community wall. To @marcusomariprp for hosting the Poetry segment and to @ravina.340 and @letrasbyalex for the poetry performances and artist chat. To @viettriet for designing all event materials & concepts. To @theinspiredcapture for shooting our first artist picture day. To @casalulo for live screen printing all festival print & making it an experience. To @ivany.edits for capturing the day and cutting this recap. To @art.ofthe.endangered, @594evah, and every artist who came to visit and support.

Thank you to @ikeausa @ikeacostamesa for six years of partnership and to @artsupplywarehouse for showing up as our featured partner. Year four goes bigger.

2027 will be a full festival in the IKEA Costa Mesa parking lot. A main stage with performances. Kids, teen, and adult zones. Food vendors. And for the first time, an open call for artists and art organizations to vend alongside us. A full day of the arts in the most central place in Orange County, built to make it easy to discover and support each other.

Same premier sponsors. New event sponsors coming on.

Follow the artists from this year. Get to know their work. Join the Artist Safespaces roster (link in bio). That roster is the pool we build 2027 from.

We built this to be for artists. Come build it with us.
Presented by @artistsafespaces x @ikeacostamesa
Featured partner @artsupplywarehouse

#artistsafespaces
#arttherapyfestival
#orangecountyarts
#costamesa
#mentalhealthawareness

3

23

Last week’s @artistsafespaces event @ikeacostamesa is a yearly must. Poetry and art activities for everyone, plus live murals by some crazy talented artists. Thanks @salinamendozaart for all of it 🌟

54

5

POV: Your local IKEA pays your local artists.

These murals were painted live at this year’s Art Therapy festival. Every muralist was paid the day they painted. The finished murals are currently on display inside IKEA Costa Mesa for a limited time before they go to their giveaway winners.

Stay until the end for the community wall. Real anonymous responses to this year’s hero question: what do you think people get wrong about you?

This is what an authentic retail partnership looks like. Not a sponsorship sticker. Real compensation, real visibility, real follow-through.

IKEA Costa Mesa knows ball when it comes to creating safe spaces for artists.

Muralists:
@speczacular @_siincero_ @rebekahrrose

Community mural instructor:
@mrchavarriart
#ikeacostamesa #localartists #payartists #muralart #artistsafespaces

3

4

Another great event with @artistsafespaces x @ikeausa ! Our prompt on the mural was, "What is one thing people get wrong about you?"

So many folks were excited to share, while a few felt vulnerable putting their feelings on a wall. Reading through the responses actually inspired others to write down their own feelings. And that’s where the art therapy comes in, providing a safe space to express yourself and feel seen and heard through an interactive piece like this.

Shoutout to all the live artists and thank you to all who showed up and participated!

42

6

Saturday was fun! Thanks @artistsafespaces and @ikeacostamesa for the invitation to paint a mural and design the Art Therapy festival print. Nice to see so many people show up and spread positivity around art and mental health.

#art #liveart #muralpainting #happyart #funart

186

23

Not only did we get an exclusive piece at the Art Therapy event at IKEA today, but the artist @speczacular walked up at that right moment and helped Fionn and I screenprint his art onto my canvas.

Thanks to all who made this event fun and memorable.

17

3

A bit of TODAY’s SHENANIGANS @ikeacostamesa for Art Therapy 😌

THANKS FOR INVITING ME BACK! @artistsafespaces 🧡

Should I start printing poster for the shop? 😍

219

10

Muralist @speczacular signing and numbering 1 of 100.

Each print is hand-signed, numbered, and printed on museum archival paper for the 3rd Annual Art Therapy: The Mental Health Festival.

Stay till the end. He almost forgot this was supposed to be fun. 😜

Festival is Saturday May 30 at IKEA Costa Mesa. 10 AM to 3 PM. Free.

Buy an IKEA frame, get the print free. Sells out early every year. Printed on-site by @casalulo

#artistsafespaces #arttherapyfestival #artprints #ikeacostamesa #orangecountyart

3

5

5 days out from our 3rd annual Art Therapy Festival presented by @artistsafespaces & IKEA Costa Mesa. We’re a nonprofit run by artists, gallery partners, citywide organizers, and curators. We built this festival for the adults who need a place to be themselves without judgment and immerse themselves in emotional creative freedom, around people who designed the space for you. Meet all the artists part of this year’s experience. Each artist has a connection to mental health, whether it’s personal, their art style, or part of their business. Swipe to see them all >>
#artistsafespaces #arttherapyfestival #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #costamesa #mentalhealth

3

0

3

3

This year’s Art Therapy Festival print is designed by @speczacular. There will be (100) limited edition prints that are numbered & signed by Zach. Purchase a frame and receive the festival print for free. IKEA team will be assembling them so you can put them on your wall the moment you get home!

Zachary Benson Friedberg aka Speczacular is a self-taught artist creating vibrant artwork exploring themes related to escapism and the unknown which he exhibits internationally. Currently his artwork reimagines iconic mid century modern architecture on other worlds, among alien explorers, in alternate dimensions, and in a future where the promise of everyday travel to the stars is realized. Zachary’s paintings are most notable for their attention grabbing use of highly opaque fluorescent paints which help capture the happy feelings of the Southern California lifestyle and aesthetic.

@casalulo will be on-site this year executing all the live screen printing. We are honored to have Johana back with us. She is a special part of this day.

Prints are first come, first serve. We sell out early each year. Come meet Zach, become a collector, and watch him paint a mural live. We can’t wait to hangout with you soon!
#Arttherapy #artistsafespaces #speczacular #artprint #ikea

3

2