Unassumingly tucked in a residential area of Broadway, Phone Booth Gallery holds an impressive array of modern and contemporary art. Celebrating its 5th year anniversary, Phone Booth Gallery’s walls are packed with illustrations, paintings, and dioramas. Owner and Director Garry Booth (who occasionally contributes art stories to the Post) has planned this exhibition a year in advance, just like all of this shows, and he is proud of how far Phone Booth Gallery has come.
“It’s amazing to know you’ve done something you love for three years, and can continue to do so is the biggest reward,” Booth says of this momentous occasion. He says three years because Phone Booth Gallery itself has only been in brick and mortar space for three years, the two prior, Phone Booth Gallery operated as a mobile, traveling gallery doing pop-up shows all throughout the Southern California area. Their first show opened in April 2008, and they’ve always kept a consistent home-base presence online.
“One of our strong points is our online sales,” Booth says, pointing out some of the differences that set Phone Booth Gallery aside from other art galleries. Long Beach has seen numerous art galleries come and go in much shorter time spans, and Phone Booth Gallery has had its fair share of growing pains.
“We experimented with different schedules.” Phone Booth Gallery is open Thursday-Sunday, and only during the afternoon hours of 12PM to 5PM. “It’s not as common to be open on Sunday,” he says. But that’s one of the things that Booth has found to have helped him succeed. “It also works because we’re in the center of everything.” And Phone Booth Gallery is in the center of everything, not too far from Downtown, Retro Row, or even 2nd Street, which has helped bridge these sometimes separated communities.
One of the strong points about Phone Booth is that all of the works are curated by Booth himself. “My initial thought is what can we do that is unique and fit with our program,” Booth says of potential artists showing in his gallery. Phone Booth Gallery presents eight to ten exhibitions a year, which Booth books a year in advance. “I get a lot of submissions.”
All opening events are on Saturdays in the evening hours, which Booth finds as one of the most crucial things about his gallery. “It’s all about showing the art in person.” And on his 5th anniversary show, there were several hundred in attendance. “I’ve even had some people camp out ahead of time,” he says. Booth also strongly values the opportunity to socialize within his gallery.
But online sales and prints have also been able to diversify Phone Booth Gallery’s clients. “We got an order from Malaysia,” Booth says. “That was a first.” Phone Booth Gallery’s online presence is clean and informative, showing every piece that is currently on exhibition, and what new prints are available as well. All of the prints, which are mostly screen printed or giclee, are limited and signed by the artists. Some prints are also only available during a specific exhibition cycle, and once that ends, the prints become unavailable.
{loadposition latestlife}Phone Booth Gallery has cemented itself in Long Beach and prides itself on showcasing top talent in contemporary, mixed media art. “All galleries are known for something, you have to be consistent and interesting, but I also want to surprise people.” Booth wants to be able to do ambitious installations, but he always takes each exhibition as one project at a time. Once each exhibition goes down, there are only a short couple of weeks before the next one has to be up. Despite the hectic schedule that places on him, “That’s what keeps me going,” Booth says.
When booking his shows, Booth always wants there to be an open dialogue with the artists. What he values most in himself and his gallery is his desire to “Try to be as genuine as you can, and show the work as it should be shown. It’s always a collaboration.”
The current 5th anniversary show ends May 22 and the next show opens on June 15. For more information, visit phoneboothgallery.com
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