ART REVIEW: “In Your Face: An Exhibition of Self Portraits”

On Saturday evening, June 19, I attended the opening reception for the “In Your Face” exhibition at the San Buenaventura Artists’ Union Gallery. The concept for this juried show was to line up an exhibition of self portraits, “making the private public.” It was one of the more interesting exhibitions I have been to over the past few months. I was highly impressed with the variety of mediums and the broad range of talent exhibited. This show included works from Lens Poteshman, Michelle Bramlett, Aldo Figueroa, William Solomon, Eric D. Ward, Jerome Parker, Melanie Newcombe, and many more. There was even a youth exhibition (these were exceptionally talented children) in the upstairs section of the gallery, which gave the show an innocent flavor. On a scale from 1-10, I would give this exhibition a 9. The exhibition will run through August 1. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend that you stop by the gallery to check out this amazing show.
The San Buenaventura Artists’ Union Gallery has become one of my favorite galleries for a number of reasons. The first reason involves its location. The gallery is nestled right next to the Pacific Ocean in the city of Ventura, where California Street meets the sea. The view alone makes it a desirable location. The city of Ventura, CA is something of a “Sleepy Hollow” artists’ community; it is outside of the prestigious Los Angeles art scene and yet has its own clear and distinct artistic voice. Whereas the LA art scene can be very closed off to outsiders who have yet to establish themselves, the Ventura art scene is highly welcoming and supportive of the arts. When Sylvia White moved her gallery from Santa Monica to Ventura in 2008, she made a statement in the Ventura County Star about why she chose the city of Ventura to relocate her gallery (the full contents of the article can be found on her gallery’s website). “I thought it was really wonderful the city was bending over backwards to help artists,” a group “usually viewed as the lowest part of the food chain,” she said. “That deep respect for artists, the environment and history, that’s not something you can find in Santa Monica or Culver City or even New York.” In so many words, Ventura is definitely an artists’ community. The only other places that have a similar vibe in my experience are maybe Austin, TX and Santa Fe, NM. The big difference is that neither of those places have the Pacific Ocean as their backyard.
Another reason that I am particularly fond of the Artists’ Union Gallery is that they welcome three-dimension works and free standing sculpture. Most galleries I am acquainted with tend to stay away from the hassle of showing three-dimensional pieces, and it is particularly refreshing to see a gallery that embraces such a variety. It is an extremely well organized, nonprofit Co-op gallery, and considering the pros and cons on co-op galleries, this one definitely falls into the Pros category. The drawbacks of this gallery involve low sales rates and low foot traffic. I was proud to see that the opening reception for the “In Your Face” exhibition had a surprisingly high attendance rate, so this drawback may be changing. However, it’s best if we can all make an effort to support this wonderful community of artists. If you find yourself in the vicinity, go make a day of it in Ventura; take a romantic stroll down the beach, check out the gallery and the amazing works they have on display, then take a walk up to old Main Street and grab some dinner and a cocktail. I promise you will not regret it; it is significantly more fun that fighting for parking in LA!