1:15pm | Despite some rough seas, Craig Watson has kept a steady hand on the helm of the Arts Council for Long Beach. He’s overseen the creation of a new Cultural Master Plan, launched the GLOBAL brand for events in October and, more recently, saw the birth of The Collaborative gallery, which is being shared with the Museum of Latin American Art. His list of accomplishments is long, indeed. In the last several months, the Arts Council has started coordinating the Long Beach Downtown Art Walk, which takes place every second Saturday of the month and includes temporary and permenant gallery spaces. Key to this effort has been Phantom Galleries LA, led by Liza Simone, who said she plans to resign from her post in Long Beach in May, and funded by the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency to utilize empty retail spaces as art galleries.
It seemed like a good time to check in with Craig and find out about how the Long Beach Downtown Art Walk came to be, and what the future holds for it.
Sander: What led to the creation of the Long Beach Downtown Art Walk?
Craig: A combination of things. First and foremost it was driven by Liza Simone’s development of the Phantom Galleries, and the related activities of Vayden Roi and The Collaborative. We saw the opportunity for a more coordinated effort to time openings and develop promotions. Then, with the December gathering of interested curators and arts supporters, we loosely organized the Long Beach Gallery Association, then saw the results in January and February.
Sander: What were those results?
Craig: By promoting a common day [the second Saturday each month] and time [6-10 p.m.], the turnouts for the openings each month have grown. And, by the way, not just for downtown spaces, but definitely including the Lyons Art Supply and their Lyons at Night occurring simultaneously. By February, we also had a new gallery map in place, the creation of which was funded by the Arts Council and developed by Evan Patrick Kelly. Anecdotedly, the owner of Congregation Ale House “complained” that we had not given him enough notice about the size of the crowds, and wasn’t properly staffed! Of course, that is now behind us!
Sander: Prior to the formation of the Gallery Association in December, what role did the Arts Council have in the Phantom Galleries program?
Craig: Not a significant role, though we have worked on a number of projects downtown that could be seen as seminal or complementary. The development of The Collaborative at 421 Broadway is one example. Our work to put large-scale “art” photography on the old Newberry building on Pine, and collaborating with Robert Garcia, Liza Mitchell and the Molina family on the Press Telegram building murals are also part of that. We also have in progress a program to do four to six downtown artist installations in empty spaces where the chosen artists will have funding to realize their vision.
Sander: In speaking with attendees of the first Gallery Association meeting, how did you ease concerns raised about these temporary spaces competing with existing galleries, who have to pay their own overhead costs?
Craig: I think we emphasized the idea that a growing audience for art downtown is the most critical factor in their own success. They want “customers,” and so the bigger audience we can bring to downtown. … It’s the “a rising tide raises all ships” theory!
Sander: The Long Beach Downtown Art Walk takes place on the second Saturday of every month. Many associate this particular weekend with the Art Walk on Linden, between First [Street] and Broadway, which has been widely criticized for lacking artistic integrity and actually causing more harm than good to the city’s status as an arts leader. Why play on the same day?
Craig: Some downtown advocates have suggested moving the Downtown Art Walk to another date because of these issues. We can hope that what occurs on Linden will improve, but we have seen little evidence of that. We will have to see.
Sander: With Liza Simone of Phantom Galleries LB planning to resign from her Long Beach operation, though will continue with her efforts in Los Angeles and Pasadena, in May, this seems like an interesting opportunity to expand the Long Beach Downtown Art Walk brand, and perhaps to rethink how the entire process unfolds. What ideas have been floating around in this regard?
Craig: We would like to see a process developed with the two key funding stakeholders: The DLBA and the RDA. The impact from the state’s budget on the RDA is unclear, however. Still, we can imagine a process involving the RDA, the city and the DLBA that combines all the interests in downtown storefront activation with a request-for-proposals process to generate the best ideas for organizing this effort. As the city’s official arts agency, we are quite experienced in developing such a process. We are in the midst of proposing this to the stakeholders. Out of such a process, we can assure the most innovative and effective outcomes.
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Craig recommended several events this Saturday, including S.O.S. at DBlock Gallery (218 N. Promenade), which features photography by Dominic Miller. April Economides is promoting cycling and, with your bike helmet or a bike valet ticket, many local businesses are offering discounts and other incentives. He also suggests BETA RELEASE at Sixpack Projects (170 N. Promenade), which is a one-night installation of time-based “experiments in sound, video, and performance.”
More information about tomorrow’s Downtown Art Walk, including a detailed walking map, can be found at lbdaw.org. The Arts Council’s website is ArtsLB.org. Also, check out Phantom Galleries for information about upcoming exhibitions.
Disclosure: Long Beach Post publisher Shaun Lumachi is a member of the Arts Council for Long Beach Board of Directors.
8:13pm | Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Liza Simone of Phantom Galleries LA would be resigning from her work in Long Beach in May. It should have read that she is planning to resign in May.