Dog
Days displays art of CSULB grads
By Cassady Jeremias
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
More than 150 people crammed into opening
night of the Dog Days art exhibit in Chinatown
Saturday to see the work of recent masters
of fine arts graduates from Cal State Long
Beach.
The event drew artists, students, friends
and family to the small Acuna-Hansen gallery
surrounded by busy discount Chinese boutiques
and apartment homes.
Dog Days is an exhibit showing from August
2-30, featuring work from artists at the
transitional period of going school to the
professional world.
Noah Haytin, a recent illustration major,
said the show allows artists to gain exposure
and help generate public interest. "It
is a real mix of majors, from illustration,
drawing and painting, and sculpture,"
he said.
For most, it is their first show since graduation.
The graduate art students of CSULB hold
a show annually; this one differs in that
everyone involved has graduated from a masters
program either this spring or last fall.
Most had their last exhibit on campus, a
requirement for graduating from the program.
Lio Cheng Liu, who graduated in May with
an MFA in drawing and painting, displayed
two of her works. "It is a good chance
to have a show like this, and the society
out there will have a chance to look at
our art," Liu said.
For her, this summer is a time to relax
a bit, and focus on what she will do next.
"For the summer, I am trying to calm
down," she said. "I have been
so busy in this program, I need to think
about all the knowledge and things I have
learned from school and digest
it."
Liu said she plans to begin working on another
project next year, and then she will try
to find a place to display it. She hopes
to find a gallery in West LA, Wilshire,
or Chinatown. "I have family heritage
here, so maybe Chinatown is a good place,"
she said.
Kiera Dooley, a recent printmaking major
displayed two works in the front window
of the gallery. Her "bicycle related
artworks," include a unicycle with
an unusual seat featuring an orange colored
vibrator sticking vertically out of it.
Her statement in the brochure hints that
she is testing the boundaries of fine art
and pornography. "People enjoy it.
They think it is funny," she said.
Dooley said she also hopes to gain exposure.
"It is my first show in the real world.
I am hoping to get a lead into galleries.
This is a good space and a good location."
Among the visitors perusing the small space
was Chris Lee, a photographer from Long
Beach who came to support a friend in the
show.
"When I first opened up the flyer,
I liked the diversity of the works and styles.
Now that I am here, there are some pieces
I am less than impressed with than in the
catalog, but some more. I think Jennifer's
(Gunlock) work is very unique, and that's
not just because she is my friend. There
are really a lot of varied styles, some
work needs a stronger technical foundation.
Overall it is good," he said.
Lee
said he wished there were more identification
of the artists on or near the work.
The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday,
12-6 p.m., through August 30.
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