If the walls in the Long Beach Creative Group’s newest gallery can speak, they’re likely to try to teach an art lesson.
LBCG’s latest gallery “In Memoriam” is filled with works from late educators and artists from Long Beach colleges in an effort to “honor their legacies,” said Marka Burns, founder and president of LBCG .
All prints, paintings and sculptures on display are for a silent auction, where residents can submit competing bids until Saturday, July 16 at 3 p.m. when the winners will be notified.
“It’s kind of one of those organic processes where we talk about the people who have influenced us as artists,” Burns said. “And one thing led to another … we decided to have a show that would honor the legacies of these artists.”
Each artist featured has taught art to students in the community for many years, whether at Cal State Long Beach, Rio Hondo College or within the Long Beach Unified School District. All of the late professors selected have a connection to at least one of the LBCG board members whether through school, their career or personal life.
Since LBCG was formed, the group has featured students and colleges in the area. In January, the Rod Briggs gallery at LBCG hosted a graduate masters of fine arts show called “Points of View” showcasing the work of many graduating students from Cal State Long Beach.
Rod Briggs, both featured artist at the auction and the name for the LBCG gallery, was a teacher at LBUSD for decades and a prominent member of the city’s artistic community before passing away in 2017. His photo-realistic Long Beach paintings document the aesthetic transformation of the city from the mid-20th century to the early 21st century.
The late Domenic Cretara and Howard Hitchcock both taught at Cal State Long Beach for many years, the latter hiring Burns for his first teaching job at the same college. Cretara also died in 2017 and his work includes oil paintings and several film projects.
Hitchcock is a printmaker, painter and sculptor who “pioneered the process of ceramic shell casting for bronze sculpture, taught a course at CSULB for many years” and wrote a book on the subject, according to the LBCG website.
“We were reminiscing about our days in college,” Burns said. “I guess, that’s exactly what happened. At [reminiscing about] how important these professors are to us. We were talking about it in a meeting and we just said, ‘Hey, why don’t we put it on our calendar to do as an exhibit?’
The late Stephen Werlick, who included sculptures celebrating the societal status of man through connection as well as the form of woman, was married to one of the LBCG board members, Dorte Christjansen.
Richard Lopez is the only artist who has not taught in Long Beach, even though he graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in fine arts. Lopez taught drawing and painting at Rio Hondo College in Whitter for over 30 years. His paintings examine the balance between the spiritual and the physical, according to the LBCG website.
The pieces were chosen by each artist’s remaining heirs — son of Hitchcock, Lopez’s wife Trina, Cretara’s wife Betty, Werlick’s wife Dorte — who have worked at LBCG for the past six months combined the auction. The gallery will feature approximately 10 pieces of work from each artist, with a total of more than 50 original artworks for auction.
The money raised will also benefit Long Beach not-for-profit Able ARTS Work (AAW), whose mission is to provide creative arts activities and resources for people of all ages and abilities in the city. They will receive 10% of the profits made.
“Able ARTS Work is honored to be a partner of LBCG’s exhibit‘ In Memoriam, ’” said Kristy Glass, Able ARTS Work’s director of community development. “This exhibit is a tribute to the incredible artists in Long Beach. LBCG and AAW share a common effort in promoting creative arts and creating spaces that promote creative growth within the community.
The Long Beach Creative Group gallery is located at 2221 E Broadway and is open daily from 4 pm to 7 pm Bidding ends at 3 pm on Saturday, July 16. To view a slideshow of the items included in the auction, visit the LBCG website.
