The opening night reception for Boyle Heights: Arte Vida Y Amor drew large crowds through the rain and into the Medical Village at L.A. County-USC Medical Center last Friday.
Avenue 50 Studio and the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) rotated over twenty Boyle Heights-raised artists to showcase throughout three total exhibitions, which ran for four months each and began spring of last year.
The VIP’s Executive Director Astrid Heppenstall Herger chose Abel Salas of Brooklyn & Boyle and Kathy Gallegos, founder and owner of Avenue 50 Studio, to co-curate the event. The opening night reception included work by Fabian Debora, George Yepes and Rafael Cardenas among others who are recognized artists in the community. A whole wall was dedicated inside the Medical Village for showcasing events such as these.
‘Falling Star’ by Fabian Debora hung at one end portraying the image of a woman looking upward in different shades of purple highlighting the structures of her face as vibrant reds sat in the background.
Four of Rafael Cardenas’ black and white photographs were on display shedding light on a variety of scenes around Boyle Heights. ‘Dos de Asada’ centerpieces smoke rising from a taco stand as customers’ dinners are being prepared. ‘Skater on Indiana’ revealed a more casual landscape as a young man on a skateboard rolls down Indiana Street along a large white building.
All artwork displayed was for sale, ranging from $600 to $8,000 dollars with proceeds going back to the artists and Avenue 50 Studio. It included acrylic and oil paintings, photography, serigraphs and mixed media on wood.
Boyle Heights: Arte Vida Y Amor will run through March 30
The Medical Village inside the LAC + USC Violence Intervention Program
2010 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90033
*Open 24 hours a day-Doors are locked Sundays but visitors can access the gallery upon request.
