Ray at Night is San Diego's largest and longest running monthly art walk. Gustaf Rooth launched
the festive community tradition along with Ken Calloway
in 2001. Held the second Saturday of each month, Ray
at Night hums with creative, ambling energy; more
than 40 eclectic galleries, cafés and retail shops
invite gatherings and conversation. With live music,
dance and spoken-word performances, the vibrant scene
attracts a crowd of about 1,500 each month. Rooth
returned to San Diego from Sweden in 1999. He recalls
discovering the site for his studio, The Planet Rooth
Studio: “I walked down Ray Street and stood in front
of this building, and it looked horrendous,” he says.
“The façade hadn’t been painted in forever, and it
was missing windows. But I could feel it in my gut:
That was it.” Shortly after he opened his studio in
2001, Rooth told his neighbor, Ken Callaway, owner
of North Park Studio, about his participation in a
monthly art walk in Sweden and suggested they start
one on Ray Street. Callaway was enthusiastic, and
they began planning.
After the first year of Ray at Night events, Rooth
helped the North Park Main Street business association
secure grant money to repair sidewalks, plant trees
and purchase benches and trash receptacles. But
he’s most gratified by his role in giving artists
a start by hosting their first show and supporting
North Park’s burgeoning art scene.
