While the traditional ways in which we consume culture in person, especially when it comes to viewing visual art, have quickly diminished with museums, galleries and other venues closed due to the pandemic, so have opportunities for artists diminished, limiting their reach in an already dire economic landscape.<\/p>\n
But some galleries are finding ways to adapt.<\/p>\n
Durden and Ray, an artist-run gallery space based in Los Angeles’ fashion district, has organized an outdoor art exhibition with works by 102 artists scattered in publicly accessible areas across the county from Long Beach to Pasadena to the San Fernando Valley, called We Are Here \/ Here We Are<\/i>. The works are not meant to last and sit vulnerably in seemingly random locations where people not in the know of what they’re looking at may feel amused or confused. That’s part of its charm.<\/p>\n
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“Confine In Situ (Couch + Fridge)” by artist Stephanie Sherwood. Courtesy Durden and Ray.<\/em><\/p>\n Dealing with a sense of loss from seeing his and most of his peers’ opportunities slip away\u2014including artist residencies, fairs, performances and exhibitions\u2014co-curator Sean Noyce wanted to find a positive way to draw attention to artists still creating.<\/p>\n “Wanting to lift people’s spirits while bringing light to the fact that many of us are still making art in our communities, I came up with the idea to show the work in the last space open to the public: our neighborhoods,” Noyce said. “Art doesn’t disappear just because our galleries do.”<\/p>\n