Stephanie Zapalac (L). Marsinah Ramirez (C), and March Beagle (R)
8:30am | It is not hard to imagine Victorian era air ships, mechanical calculating machines, and watch work automata being utilized by scruffy youngsters looking to rebel against the buttoned down propriety of their elders. Whether the emergence of Steam-Punk can be attributed to H.G. Wells, or to the creators of Wild Wild West, these anachronistic mashups have become all the rage. The ethos has crept into fashion, music and, not surprisingly, art.
Tomorrow evening from 5 – 9 PM, Warehouse 1333, located just North of Anaheim on the West side of Redondo, is opening its doors for a pair of art shows that celebrate Steam Punk. The Warehouse, home to antiques, vintage collectables, and 20th century modern decor, is also home to two art galleries. Beta Gallery is coordinated by Marsinah Ramirez, and The Blank Canvas by Stephanie Zapalac. March Beagle, owner of Warehouse 1333, ran the very successful Elan Collection in the early days of 4th Street’s Retro Row.
In the midst of preparing for Saturday’s opening, Marsinah took some time to tell me about the show. I asked her how it came together.
Ramirez: At our last art show, “Art Slam,” there was a lot of buzz around Pete Ramirez, whose work I brought in at the last minute. I asked him to come and he brought 2 pieces, people liked his work, and he sold them. I knew then that he should be the focus of the next show.
His works are Victorian era meets Sci-Fi industrial. They are well created. They have a beautiful patina, and lots of gears and spokes. Most importantly, they are affordable and all original creations. He is a good fit for the Beta Gallery.
His work is mixed media, or sometimes he calls it “found objects”. All recycled material. Assemblage is another name I’ve heard used but, basically, he created a Victorian era lamp with gears and a cyborg head that looked like it came out of a time machine. Industrial is big right now in vintage, so his work compliments the mid century furniture I sell.
Sander: The show features a few other artists, also. Can you tell me about them, and their work?
Ramirez: Linda McClure is an artist who does steampunk Jewelry. She got her fine arts degree and did painting for a while, but then she found herself creating a lot of romantic jewelry with an industrial edge. She did not know at the time that she was doing steampunk, and was surprised that there was a genre for the work she was creating. Now she is primarily a jewelry artists. I describe her work as steampunk with polish. I think it’s so refined. She could be in department stores, and she tells me she is looking to sell in retail settings.
Pete Buchan, the other Beta Gallery artist, is self taught, and he sculpts and paints. He uses gravity to paint, dripping industrial enamel from chopsticks. He will be featuring some steampunk-esque art.
Both galleries are featuring steampunk artists, including Kitty Brown, John Hicks and Kathleen Kaplan.
Sander: How did the two galleries in Warehouse 1333 come into being?
Ramirez: In a word, market need. I have a space in an antique mall and specialize in mid century furniture. Being close to the art community through Pete Buchan, I saw jaw-dropping, original art by talented artists in Long Beach and started to wonder why they were having such a difficult time selling their work. The work was exceptional. And most of the artists I talked to had reasonable prices on their work, yet no distribution channel to market their art. Etsy and street fairs can only take an artist so far.
I have blank wall space in my store. Why not bring the art to the store. I charge artists 30 percent commission so they can keep their work affordable, and it gets sold, not stuck in their homes.
I opened the Beta Gallery in September, and we typically run shows every 2 months. Our goal at these shows is not to interpret art, but sell it. We had an “Art Slam” in September in which artists showcased 3D art. We had about 14 artists. Stephanie, who curates The Blank Canvas gallery upstairs, has access to lots of artists.
The two galleries are independent, but are connected through March Beagle, the owner of Warehouse 1333. She saw what I was trying to do: Make art more accessible and showcase Long Beach talent. She knew that Stephanie, who was coaching artists, had similar goals.
One day, all three of us sat down and brainstormed about what was right and wrong in the art world. At that meeting, March, who has been in the vintage business at least 50 years, recalled a time when she had an antique store on 4th Street and said she was selling more art out of her store than the art gallery next door at the time. She was an innovator then and now, and has provided both of us with a unique opportunity to create an alternate model for the sale and showing of art. So we promote the galleries together, but Stephanie curates her space and I do the Beta.
Also, all three of us found ourselves philosophically aligned, and knew that art should be integrated in the home design process. People could get their art work with their furniture. It works. I guess it’s my way of saying that art does not have to be an after-thought when doing interior design.
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Warehouse 1333 is located at 1333 Redondo Boulevard. For more information, visit Warehouse1333.com.
The show opens tomorrow, Saturday, January 21st, with a reception from 5-9 PM. The show continues through March 17th.