On Saturday, March 17, 2018, from 6–8 p.m., the Arts Council for Long Beach will open Meditations, the inaugural Artist Registry exhibition at The Collaborative.

The Arts Council is committed to fostering creativity, enlivening communities and enabling a thriving arts economy. By enhancing the website and artist registry, all creative professionals can now showcase their work and regularly update not only their profiles but also add events to the Arts Council calendar. It will serve as a tool to inform arts and culture patrons about the latest news and happenings. Artists of all genres are encouraged to submit a new profile, and they may be contacted for the following exhibitions.

Griselda Suarez, executive director of the Arts Council, said, “The new artist registry will connect performers, musicians, writers, and artists of many genres to residents and businesses on a more dynamic site. We are filled with enthusiasm as there are countless opportunities to highlight the various ways arts and culture take shape in Long Beach.”

This special occasion brings together four artists for the first of four artist registry exhibitions. Opening night will include music by local musicians, Dave Williams and his Rhythm Agents. The show, Meditations, provides an opportunity for the viewer to meditate on their own connection to natural or human-made environment. Betsy Lohrer Hall explores built urban environment through imagery that references natural processes. Brittany Ransom presents the paradoxical bonds between human, urban, and natural ecologies through emergent technologies. Gail Werner approaches how cultural creation stories influence how she sees the natural world through the lens of her Cupeño, Luiseño, and Kumeyaay roots. Meeson Pae Yang probes the convergence of science, technology, and mythology through a richly layered collection of images and objects that reflect natural systems.

Brian Trimble, Community Arts Program committee co-chair, said, “The Collaborative Gallery space will allow the Arts Council to showcase the extraordinary range of artists living and working in our community.”

The event is free and open to the public and takes place at The Collaborative (421 W. Broadway).
Please RSVP at Eventbrite.com.

Artists may submit an artist profile at artslb.org/artist-registry/register/

This exhibition will be on view concurrently with a window exhibition Senses at the Pacific Court Apartments (250 Pacific Ave.) Senses features the work of three artists (Arezoo Bharthania, Kimberly Morris, and Martin Alexander) exploring ideas of perception through varied media. Individually, their works investigate the inherent tensions of control, self-identity, aesthetic beauty, and divisions of space. Collectively, their works consider values that have been ingrained in our culture, and the effect such pressures may have on the formation of us as individuals.

This admission-free event wouldn’t be possible without the generous contributions of our sponsors: City of Long Beach, Gallery 421 Apartments, Long Beach Home + Living, Lyon Management, Pacific Court – Pine Square Partners, and Los Angeles County Arts Commission.