‘Resilience’: As it rebuilds, Open Gallery curates group show for Long Beach Walls
And everything you need to know about this year’s joint Walls-Art Renzei festival.
The owners of Open Gallery continue to struggle toward reopening after a drunk driver caused two cars to careen into their showroom and home earlier this year. Now, they are putting that struggle, those feelings, into an art showcase as part of the Long Beach Walls festival.
Inside The Edison Theatre in Downtown, Open Gallery has curated a group show of around 40 artists for “Resilience,” a popup serving as the pre-party kickoff for this year’s popular mural festival. Many of the artists have participated in Long Beach Walls in the past or are participating this year, including OG Slick, Reeder One and Cryptic.
This is the second year in a row Walls has connected with Open Gallery to host the pre-party art show. But this year is different since the gallery remains shuttered following the February crash.
Brandon Richardson was laid off by the Long Beach Post on March 22. Thank him for continuing to cover Long Beach without pay.
“They already knew we didn’t have our gallery space available,” Open Gallery co-owner Artos Saucedo said, adding that Walls organizers expressed their desire to support Saucedo and his wife Liz Garibaldi as they rebuild.
The gallery opens tonight (Friday, June 21) with VIP hours from 5-7 p.m. and community hours from 7-10 p.m. “Resilience” will remain open to the public June 22-25 from noon to 7 p.m., June 26-27 from noon to 9 p.m. and June 28-29 from 6-9 p.m.
Throughout the week, the space will be activated with a number of events, including an artist talk with Jasper Wong and OG Slick.
The space will feature a gift shop, with a portion of merchandise and art print sales going toward helping Saucedo and Garibaldi reopen their space at 1738 E. Seventh St. The traumatizing crash, which saw a car come to a stop dangerously close to the couple’s 13-year-old son’s bed, inspired the name of the popup, Garibaldi said.
“Everybody’s going through something to a different degree — we just went through something super life changing,” Garibaldi said. “It’s just been kind of eye-opening to see every little thing that’s going on and I just have way more compassion for everybody in the world.”
The Open Gallery rebuild is at about the halfway point, Saucedo said, and the money generated from this showcase will play a major role in keeping them afloat. The couple hopes to reopen around September, he added.
“We’re starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel,” Saucedo said.
Long Beach Walls, which joined with Art Renzei, officially starts Saturday, with 14 murals and six art installations. In addition to the art itself, Walls spokesperson Melendy Britt said the festival “goes off the walls” with projection mapping activation (mapping video footage onto a surface like a building—or ship) from Brendan Monroe at the Queen Mary, Long Beach Transit bus wrapping from Narsiso Martinez, mural bike tours and more.
“This year,” Britt said, “the event will foster a deeper connection between art and the diverse communities that call Long Beach home.”
Long Beach Watchdog is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a subscriber.
Murals
- Alepsis Hernandez at Lowell Elementary School
- A.L. Grime at Lowell Elementary School
- Andrea Wan at Browning Early College High School
- Detour at Browning Early College High School
- ILL.DES at Lowell Elementary School
- KATBING at Renaissance High School for the Arts
- LEDANIA and SakoAsko and Browning Early College High School
- Lula Goce at Renaissance High School for the Arts
- Noah Worldsmith at Renaissance High School for the Arts
- OG Slick at 210 Third Lofts
- SAWAI at Mark Twain Neighborhood Library
- Persue and Rain at Lowell Elementary School
- W3R3ON3 at Lowell Elementary School
- 594evah at Browning Early College High School
Art Renzei installations
- b1n4ry at Pacific Tower Parking
- Balloonski at 213 E. Broadway
- Brendan Monroe at The Queen Mary
- Hung Yi at Bertrand Smith Acres Of Books
- Roshi at Long Beach City Hall
- Spencer Little at Renaissance High School for the Arts
Events
- June 21-28 – “Resilience” art show at The Edison Theatre.
- June 24 – Welcome Ceremony at the Long Beach Convention Center
- June 25 – Moonlight Movies on the Beach, “Kung Fu Panda 4” at Granada Beach
- June 26 – Moonlight Mash Rides at GoActiveLB Hub Downtown
- June 27 – Artist Talk: Jasper Wong and OG Slick at The Edison Theatre
- June 28 – “Resilience” signing show at The Edison Theatre
- June 29 – Secret Walls Battle at The Edison Theatre
For more information, visit longbeachwalls.com.
