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LBC CenterStage
Realizing Futuristic Dreams
A Conversation with Louise Kripal
by Tom Hayashi
 
Louise Kripal has an extensive Human Relations background which includes being the Founder-Director of the first Independent Living Center in the South Bay, serving as Chairman of the State Health & Welfare Committee for the California Association for the Physically Handicapped, Crisis and Resouce Counseling experience, and being a private tutor. In 1995 she became a member of Long Beach Arts and started out working as Publicity Volunteer. In the last four years she has become involved in the East Village in various capacities including coordinating an Art Walk. Currently she fills the non-profit slot on the EVA Board. Her term as President of Long Beach Arts terminates this July when a new Board will be elected. Louise is an emerging
artist who prefers to work in mixed media and collage.
LBC: GENERALLY SPEAKING, DO ARTISTS GET THE RESPECT THAT THEY DESERVE?
Louise: Well, the answer to that question could vary depending on the artist you are addressing. I can only comment on the remarks that I hear from the artists that I've encountered. And I will have to guess that probably most have/would answer that question with an emphatic "No!"
Most of the artists I have met are looking for respect, not only from their peers, but from society as a whole. And I would have to agree with this (reaction) to an extent. This lack of respect, or acknowledgement, holds true not only today, but historically. Take, for example, Van Gogh and Michelangelo. In their time they were not given the full respect or the appreciation they deserved or wanted. It was only after their deaths that the world began to appreciate their genius. The word "respect" is very subjective and leaves much room for personal interpretation. One artist's idea of gaining respect may mean being exhibited at a certain gallery while another artist may feel respect rests in the fact that his/her work brings in the "big dollar" on sale of works.
I think, basically, it is human nature to desire appreciation for one's work (in one form or another). The line becomes blurred and the definition of success is not determined until much later in the life of artists, most often, unfortunately, not fully appreciated until after his/her passing.
And may I add a question to your question?
LBC: SURE!
Louise: Why do some artists get recognition and others do not? I think the answer is complex but it revolves around the time, place and situation one lives in. If a certain era, culture, a society, values promotion of art; then the artists of that given period will benefit accordingly. People's attitudes, their consciousness revolves around the value and importance of Art is predicated by conditions of the popular or select conventional standards...
LBC: HOW ABOUT LONG BEACH? IS THIS CITY REGARDED AS A LEGITIMATE SOURCE OF CREATIVITY IN THE SHADOWS OF SUCH CULTURAL GIANTS AS LOS ANGELES OR SANTA MONICA? WHY & WHY NOT?
Louise: In reference to Long Beach, ...I would say, "Yes, we are a legitimate source of creativity." Again we need to really re-think what we mean by the word 'legitimate.' What the average person considers legitimate is influenced by factors such as size, the national and regional popular media coverage of cultural developments, etc.. L.A. and Santa Monica are what they are, and they are not Long Beach. Size, alone, sets Long Beach apart from L.A.. in (sheer blunt) comparison.
The media tend to emphasize the cultural locale with the largest population, the largest subscribers of cultural products etc. For instance, do you think the same number of L.A. residents read the Long Beach Press telegram as Long Beach residents read L.A. Times? I doubt it.
What is often covered on the big television networks is not the activities in Long Beach but, rather, it is often of Los Angeles simply because of name recognition, point of popular orientation to geography, not because what is going on in Long Beach is less significant than what is happening in LA.
It is sort of ironic because, way back when (at the turn of 1900s), Long Beach was considered the locale for art in the region with respect to visual and performance art, and even in film. But how many people know about that? Yes, some Long Beach residents know that MoLAA's (Museum of Latin American Art) building was the Hippodrome (Skating Rink.) And, how many know that it was once a silent film studio (The Balboa Studios)?
I am not that surprised that only a very small percent of Long Beach residents know any thing about The East Village district. I just read a community wide survey recently conducted claimed that 49% of 200 citizens interviewed did not know that the Long Beach Plaza was being replaced by a new City Place (a new out-door mall). You wonder if people have their eyes shut while they drive around or peruse through the news papers.
If we are not able to combat the ignorance or lack of awareness of the community for the cultural activities in Long Beach, we cannot expect other audiences or art professionals to take us (Long Beach) seriously.
LBC: HOW DOES THE LBA HELP VISUAL ARTISTS IN LONG BEACH?
Louise: Primarily, Long Beach Arts since its inception in 1924 has strived to help the visual artists by providing the opportunities for both the emerging and the well-established a place to exhibit. Today and as well as in the past, the LBA helps to promote an understanding and appreciation for art by encouraging and facilitating direct and indirect collaborations with various public and private organizations and groups in the region.
We put a great deal of time into educating the artist in skills they will need to succeed to thrive in the market as professionals. We do this by informing them about all the resources available in Long Beach, like the services offered by the Public Corporation for the Arts (PCA), the East Village Arts Association, the Downtown Business Association, the Museum Council (Long Beach Museum of Art) and other venues that are available for them to exhibit their works. We have been providing professional development workshops in order to give the emerging artists a good start in their respective careers.
LBC: WHAT IS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FACING AN ORGANIZATION LIKE THE LBA TODAY?
Louise: I feel the greatest challenge today facing all non-profit organizations like LBA, besides the normal challenge of raising money and staying afloat, is trying to balance the community grass roots feel of a member based historical organization with the need to operate in a more professional and efficient manner. Many organizations like ours do not lack passion, but what we are deficient in is a sense of structure in administrative and operational matters.
LBC: WHAT ROLE DOES LBA PLAY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EAST VILLAGE ARTS DISTRICT?
Louise: Well, again as many may not be aware, that the East Village Arts district of today is a revival of the original concept of the area known as the Wayside Colony. The Colony was an art district formed in the early 1900s and it involved some of Long Beach Arts early founders. However, as I mentioned earlier, most people are totally unaware of the East Village Arts District or the association.
Currently, I feel LBA serves as an advocate, liaison, and partner in bridging the gaps often left between other visual arts organizations like the Second City Council, Artists Reaching Kids (ARK), Long Beach Museum of Art (Artists Council,) etc. Since, historically, LBA was such an integral part of the original East Village, it has an even more important obligation to educate the general public of its existence and the many opportunities it offers. Opportunities, not only for artists, but for the average resident or visitor as well.
Over the past 4 to 5 years, LBA has hosted several Second Saturday Art Walks. And we have collaborated in nearly every event sponsored and organized by the East Village in some manner. Our respective missions are basically the same: to promote art created by the artists in the local area.
LBC: IF LONG BEACH ARTS SHOULD BE FORCED TO CLOSE ITS DOORS. HOW WILL THIS IMPACT ARTIST/CITIZENS OF THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE?
Louise: Unfortunately, this possibility is more likely than I want to admit. Without a solid board of directors, the funds to hire at least a part-time Director, and a significant increase in our pool of active committee members, I don't see how LBA can continue to exist, let alone grow, to meet the full potential of the mission that we have set out to fulfill. If Long Beach Arts is forced to close its doors, I feel one of the most valuable resource, especially for the emerging artist, will be lost without an adequate replacement.
To my knowledge, the LBA is the only one stop resource and gallery for the emerging artist in town. It is a place where an artist can come and learn the ropes without feeling intimidated so to speak. Long Beach Arts offers painting classes, professional enrichment workshops like Barbara Lyter's "Trouble-shooting: Photographing your Art", and Linda Ikeda's "Digital Enhancement Technique for the Traditional Visual Artists." And most important of all, the LBA offers a friendly place to meet other artists and to show one's work, not only in our main gallery but in our satellite galleries as well (there are three shows currently on display in town at this time.)
Additionally, going back to your original question, I believe the community at large will also suffer a loss of access to opportunity to appreciate the local works, from the school children that drop in or walk by daily, to the general audience who just loves to see our rotating exhibits. They will no longer have a free, conveniently located gallery.
While there are limited numbers of locations and organizations in the community where these similar services are offered, in places like the 117 Gallery on Linden and Second City Council, not many places can and do offer as many services and resources as the LBA. This is simply due to the difference in the organizational focus, as we have lightly touched on before. However, the LBA's closure would increase the need for places like Long Beach Culture.org and The PrimeSpot.com, so cleverly serving as an alternative to the brick and mortar organizations. Some of the needs of the local artists are being met via the use of the internet.
LBC: WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ACCOMPLISHMENT(S) OF YOUR ADMINISTRATION IN THE LAST YEAR?
Louise: I would say that, besides managing to keep the (main) gallery operating on a day-to-day basis staffed entirely by volunteers and with limited financial resource, we have been able to initiate several important organizational changes:
1. Development and implementation of new policy and procedures reflecting a more thoughtful and efficient management of the organization.
2. Regular offerings of educational programming: workshops, seminars and art talks.
3. The website
4. Expansion of the Satellite Program with the recent major opening in the City Auditor's Office! and
5. Have managed to successfully pull off unique and somewhat cutting-edge, well attended, competitive exhibits including the Ceramic, Textile, Fiber exhibit and the Art in Motion (kinetic) exhibit.
I must add here that all this would not have happened without the undying support of exceptional volunteers, advisors, and the financial support of many vested members of the community, including Martha Cheadle, the PCA, the local businesses and, most importantly, our member-artists!
LBC: WHAT IS THE NEXT BIG FISH YOU WOULD LIKE TO FRY?
Louise: Personally, I have a more futuristic dream that I may try to turn into reality. It would be a one to two year project, something similar to the kinetic exhibit but much, much larger. It would be known as The Long Beach Kinetic Sculpture Race. All Long Beach artists, nearby area artists, organizations, schools, businesses, and the City agencies would be invited to get involved on some level. For all those who are not familiar with such an event, just imagine a life-sized, human-powered, Dr. Seuss-like race in front of your eyes, traveling on land, sand, and water, paralleling the Gran-Prix but free to the public and a lot more fun.
On a final note, someone recently sent me one of those email stories. It talked about a man, who at 55 realized that most men live to about 75. He estimated he had about 1,000 weeks (on the average left). So he bought a jar and filled it with 1,000 marbles. At the end of each week he removed one. When he got down to the last few marbles he finally realized how very precious his life was and how quickly the weeks have passed. I realize that, right now, my jar has probably only 500 marbles left. I'm pretty sure of this, because I know I lost a few when I took on the job as President last year.
So starting July when my term is over, I will do the things that are most precious to me: artwork, reading, Tai Chi, attending mass and spending time with my dear friends and family while I can. THANKS FOR THE INTERVIEW, TOM!
LBC: It was my pleasure, Louise. Thanks for taking this time with me, and keep up the great work!
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To learn more about Long Beach Arts (LBA) or to contact Louise visit www.longbeacharts.org or call (310) 830-5943.
View Louise Kripal's LBC page and events
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