SeeCalifornia.com

WALNUT CREEK, CALIF. — Californians live in an inflatable world. There’s the blow-up promotional gorilla towering over a car dealership, Wacky Men bouncing up and down on a business rooftop near the freeway, replica helium blimp inflatables, and of course, kids bouncy house inflatables seen at every festival and in yards for birthday parties. And who can forget the giant rubber duck sensation to welcome the Tall Ships at the Port of Los Angeles in August 2014?  If inflatables didn’t draw attention companies such as Inflate Co. would be out of business.  Inflatables are magic! They even garnered Walnut Creek’s Bedford Gallery a National Endowment for the Arts grant for a traveling exhibition called “BLOW UP: Inflatable Contemporary Art”.  Pictured is an inflatable Pontiac Trans Am car created by San Francisco artist Guy Overfelt, who will give a talk on how to design and fabricate a large-scale inflatable sculpture on April 28, 2015. Part of the launch weekend for the lively exhibit guests can visit and see at Lesher Center for the Arts between April 26 and June 21, 2015, the inflatables are scheduled to travel to galleries in Chandler, AZ; Huntsville, AL; Ashland, OR; Storrs, CT; Elmhurst, IL; Muskegon, MI; and Loveland, CO through August 2016.