About the event:

Come see an exhibit of Music Photography at COLLAGE in San Pedro! This is all original work by me (Dani Crum) displayed on the walls of this small elegant venue. Check the COLLAGE website for events / open hours.

Find directions and other COLLAGE events at: www.collageartculture.org

History of the exhibit:

On June 21, 2025 COLLAGE celebrated International Make Music Day, a holiday that was founded in 1982 in Paris, and has spread around the world.  It is now celebrated in more than 1000 cities in 120 countries (Learn more at makemusicday.org).  This year, Make Music San Pedro joined with four local venues (COLLAGE, Deco Art Deco, The Neon Sun, and The Sardine) to put on a music festival. 

The photos on display were all taken on June 21st for Make Music Day.  On that day Collage hosted twelve hours of  music across genres ranging from cajun to soul-funk, Hawaiian to improvisational jazz.  Several hundred people stopped in over the course of the day, and nearby venues hosted events that fit the theme. 

The visual effect of the day was inspiring, and might have been lost except in memory but for photographer Dani Crum, who took hundreds of images of the musicians, audience, and even close-up shots of instruments that showed the wear of long use.  Collage is truly fortunate that Dani shared her photographs, which capture some of the excitement that happens when a community collaborates to make sonic magic. 

This show is dedicated to all the players, to the audience that supports them, and to the eternal joy of music. 

From Dani Crum, Photographer:

A few years ago, a friend asked me to join her photography class, and the result changed my life.  I discovered how photography allows us to capture not just a moment, but the feelings within it.  I'm passionate about finding the beauty, emotion, and wonder around us and preserving it with photographs.

Recently, a friend invited me to a music event, and I took a few shots of his band.  I loved it!  To me, musicians put a piece of their soul into their performance;  I want my photos to reflect back to them how beautiful and talented they are. 

When I heard about World Make Music Day at COLLAGE, I really wanted photograph it.  When I got to COLLAGE, the event was even larger that I had realized — so many different artists in multiple venues with a variety of instruments.  I am grateful for this opportunity, and hope I've been able to capture, for you,  a few moments from this incredible event.