Renowned Los Angeles-based artist, writer and journalist Doug Harvey and Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) master’s of fine arts (MFA) students will be getting “Tubular!” March 23 – May 7 for their student-showcased art exhibition at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

Tubular!, an art exhibition that will be curated and organized by Harvey, will feature paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages, videos and site-specific installations by 20 artists currently enrolled in CSULB’s graduate studio art program.

Harvey, also a highly-respected are critic, writes prolifically for such publications as LA Weekly, Art Issues, Art in America, New York Times and THE Magazine Los Angeles. He has also authored numerous essays and will write a piece for the exhibition’s catalog.

“’Tubular!’ is a word that evokes concepts of both containment and connectivity—ideas that define the peculiar hothouse environment of the fine arts grad school experience,” explained Harvey. “These concepts can also inform curatorial practice, presenting the possibility that a group of artworks can add up to more than the sum of its parts, can interconnect and extend into the outside world en masse in ways the individual components cannot.” (...)

Continue reading Tubular! Doug Harvey curates exhibit of CSULB’s art students at Pacific Design Center

Perhaps you have driven by on a Saturday night and seen the large crowd spilling out onto the sidewalk during an opening night. Perhaps you have walked by afterhours and stood in front of the window, admiring the aesthetics of the gallery from an outside perspective. Or perhaps, in the hustle bustle of a gentrifying area of Long Beach, filled with gay bars and interior design storefronts, you have yet to notice this neighborhood hot spot.

The next time you are in the neighborhood, stop in to see the art work. Both Belsito and Roche are friendly, warm and inviting. The gallery itself showcases featured artists that are typically local to Southern California and if you hit the gallery on the right day, you will also get to see the stunning New Mexico landscape photos by Roche or the lifelike, eclectic portraitures of the famous by Belsito. (...)

Continue reading Belsito Roche Fine Art Gallery Hosts Reception for Grant Charles Bathke

The evening fun, scheduled for Thursday, March 25 from 8:45 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., will take place at the newly-restored Art Theatre at 2025 East Fourth Street in Long Beach.

Admission to the event is $10 per person and includes admission to Misconceptions and live entertainment. (...)

Continue reading Artful Thinking goes Out at the Movies at the Art Theatre

Book Week is the annual celebration of literature organized by the Long Beach Public Library Foundation. Come listen to The Soloist being read aloud in the family friendly atmosphere of the Long Beach Sunday Market, located on the playground of Longfellow Elementary School.

The event will also feature performances throughout the day by student cellists and musical portrait photo sessions by Ogg Studios. (...)

Continue reading Community Reads One Book at Long Beach Sunday Market

This concert, part of LBSO’s 2009-2010 “Beethoven Comes to the Beach” season, is the fourth of six Classics Concerts in a season that features all nine Beethoven symphonies as well as other major classical works.

“For this concert, I have programmed three seminal works by a trio of famous composers—two from the first half of the 20th, and one from the first half of the 19th century from the man who forever changed the face of classical music,” says Diemecke. “We begin the concert by celebrating the 100th anniversary of Samuel Barber’s birth in 1910 with his Second Essay for Orchestra. Next, we have a performance of George Gershwin’s groundbreaking masterpiece, Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra, performed by brilliant Van Cliburn winner Jon Nakamatsu. We end with one of Beethoven’s most beautiful and dynamic works: Symphony No. 6, the “Pastorale.” (...)

Continue reading Pianist Jon Nakamatsu performs at Long Beach Symphony Classics Concert

“Pacific Standard Time will celebrate Southern California’s history of post war art and I’m delighted that our Long Beach museums are playing a key role in what will be a major international cultural event,” said Mayor Bob Foster.

The Getty Foundation in Los Angeles has awarded $3.1 million in grants to 26 arts institutions across Southern California as part of its unprecedented initiative Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980.  Concurrent exhibitions, in the fall of 2011, are expected to attract national and international attention and visitors.

“Long Beach played an enormously important role in what was one of the most exciting and vibrant periods of modern American art,” said Melissa Abraham (Getty Foundation). (...)

Continue reading Three Long Beach museums receive Getty Foundation grants for So Cal collaborative art project

The art exhibit will display original paintings, limited edition prints, clothing and more.

John S. Culqui was born in Lennox, California. John is a first-generation Ecuadorian American and the youngest of eight children. His exposure to the arts began at home as he observed his mother designing custom dresses for her clients and his father, a master jeweler, creating new pieces. John’s family maintained their South American heritage while assimilating themselves to American cultural. This dual tradition would become the catalyst for John’s artistic endeavors.

A typical Southern California kid growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, John spent a lot of time outdoors and visiting local beaches, skateparks and backyard bowls often. (...)

Continue reading John Culqui’s art goes on display at Surfing Heritage Gallery

No time to eat? Join the foodies from LB Food Review for cocktail hour in the Nino’s Art Bar and kick off First Fridays in style. Taylor Nelson and Chris Livingston, who founded a website of the same name, say that LB Food Review is about sharing a passion for the city by hosting gatherings at local culinary favorites. The duo will start at Nino’s then head north on the Big Red Bus. The group will make a stop along the way to sample a few microbrews, then continue on to their final destination just across from the Expo Building.

Head into the Gallery Expo (4321 Atlantic Avenue) to find out the answers to all of arts questions. Art reflects life? Or life reflects art? Or is it live art? Well, maybe not all the answers.

ArtistsAsArt will perform live drawing and artist collaboration at the Expo. Bring a sketchpad or camera and explore your creative side. (...)

Continue reading Foodies lead the exploration of art, music at First Fridays

Every great city has a thriving arts and cultural life. Museums, performances, galleries, special events, artist loft districts, and strong cultural institutions are in many ways what separate ordinary cities from world class urban centers. Long Beach has the makings of a world class arts and cultural center, but has struggled to reach its full potential. I want to help change that.

This Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council will consider a package of five arts initiatives, four of which I have authored, and another that I cosponsored. I have introduced these initiatives to support and enhance the arts and culture in Long Beach, and I’m excited to have the support of so many artists and arts advocates for these important actions. We are looking not only for ways to better fund the arts, but also simply to get the City out of the way of the natural evolution of arts and culture by amending obsolete ordinances which have served to stifle, rather than encourage, arts and culture.(...)

Continue reading Reminder! Art Motions go before the City Council on Tuesday

To date, Ardinger has edited more than 200 books. Her clients include published authors, would-be and wannabe authors, graduate students, and professionals in many fields. She is the “Go-to” editor for two small on-demand publishers and the American Holistic Health Association. (...)

Continue reading Don’t Embarrass Yourself in Print: Tips from a Professional Book Editor