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LBC ViewPoint
Reflections of the New Aeon
By Guest Contributor Joe Flazh!
[NOTE: Joe Flazh! is a fine art photographer, writer and art impresario. He has lived and worked in Long Beach for over 25 years and, in 1995, was chosen as a winner honored at the 70th Anniversary Exhibit of the Long Beach Arts organization. Recently he has been promoting emerging artists in California through his work as vice-president of Long Beach's new Second City Council Art Gallery, a nonprofit arts foundation. He is currently producing a series of new art events, including an Erotic Gallery, at the Coffeehaven Coffeehouse & Art Gallery--which events continue to be enthusiastically received.
He sent the following in reply to a follow-up about the turn-out for the gallery show called Reflections of the New Aeon. The opinions stated below are his, and do not necissarily reflect the views of LongBeachCulture.org, its partners, or members. If you want to comment, contact him directly at: Flazhman@aol.com. His letter is repurposed here with his permission.]
Sander,
Please forgive my tardiness in reporting back to you about the reception
for "Aeon," but I feel very confident, considering that you work in the art
world yourself, that you'll understand. My schedule is constantly on "hectic."
First of all, a million "Thanks" for helping put out the word; anything I
can do to help promote your events just let me know.
The crowd at the exhibit was stupendous. And not just because of the
number of people who were there, but also because of the international look
that they brought to the show. They were literally from all over the world,
extremely interesting and entertaining in their own right, especially since
Kenneth Anger himself attended. I couldn't figure out how to take any surveys
for you because I was also working the event, but what was glaringly obvious
was the snub that the arts community of Long Beach gave this event. Only one
member of the 11-7 collaborative showed up, and none of the officers of the
East Village Business Association. Their only presence was an obtrusive card
table with promotional materials for the East Village's upcoming Halloween
extravaganza. They were trying to sign up artists to pay $50.00 for a booth
at their event. This distraction seemed almost hostile to the exhibit.
What's worse, the collaborative gave these outside artists little
cooperation in mounting this exhibit and made them rent the spaces for an
entire month even though the exhibit lasted only two weeks. And in order to
do the historical part of the show the Getty required the promoters to be
fully insured and equip the gallery with a state of the art security system--
no cheap expense! The curator, Carolyn Tillie, offered to leave the system at
11-7 if they would pay even just a portion of the cost, but the collaborative
rejected the offer. So after two weeks the system went with Carolyn.
It was shameful that this city, the political powers, the PCA and this
city's petty art community just resent originality so much. I know almost
everyone, at least by sight, and nary a one was there. Still the audience was
huge, exciting and where Long Beach should be going as far as inviting
traveling shows of this caliber to take temporary residence in venues able to
host them. I would have loved to have produced such an exhibit at the
Coffeehaven.
Well, I'm sorry you missed it, but thanks again for your help. Perhaps
you can take a survey on LBC.O asking your readers & members how many of them
viewed it for themselves.
Flazh!
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