December 13, 2014
Fall of 2014 has brought about changes on the Art scene. Temporary Contemporary Gallery on Del Paso Boulevard in North Sacramento is now closed. B. Sakata Garo at 923 20th Street, Jay-Jay Gallery at 5520 Elvas Avenue and Alex Bult at 1114 21st Street remain open. Smallish Galleries come and go. We have heard of a new venture in the old Art Ellis spce on J Street. Of course there is Axis Gallery, re-opened in the Verge Center for the Arts. Here and there attempts have been made to combine legitimate art with other offerings. Archival Framing comes to mind with its mix of quality paintings and Funk Art sculpture, supported by an excellent framing reputation.
We did manage to get to one new gallery on Broadway named En Em Artspace. It had been opened during the recent Open Studio Tour. A skillful gallery operator will figure out some way to prevent people from gathering in group for loud chit chat while blocking the view of the Art. One hopes that the folks at En Em will develop skills along those lines. It helps if the point person does not involve them self in gibble gabble while ignoring those who are actually interested in buying and have a question or two.
Blue Moon Gallery, hidden in an improbable space at 2353 Albatross Way (don’t even) seems to have become the gallery of choice for a number of Eastern European or Russian painters. One or two of them seem to transcend the status of just rendering a scene in paint. There are times when I call in to question whether or not any artist in the area really has any thing to say any more. Many local galleries have operated on the model of supporting artists who have gone to college or university and earned their MFA. Perhaps these painters could not get gallery representation because of the lack of such credentials. Maybe it was a culture clash. It is worth a look. (Hint: go west on El Camino from Howe Avenue until you are about to go over I-80 and turn left on Albatross. Go to the end of Albatross at Silica Avenue, turn right, park and look around for an alley way going behind the buildings.
Alan J. Pedersen