Eastern Star Gallery holds first off campus exhibition, ‘The mecca, California’

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Photo credit: Marley Chaney

A piece included in the exhibit by Bettina Hubby, a multi-media conceptual artist. She uses multiple mediums to create her work, including collaging, drawing, printmaking, sculpting, video and photography.

From Brentwood to East Hollywood, The Eastern Star Gallery created an art installation showcasing the beauty, inspiration and people that make California what it is. 

On Saturday, Mar. 15, The Eastern Star Gallery held their first off campus exhibition, “The Mecca, California.” According to the official press release, exhibition the explores the relationship between enlightenment, spirituality and humanism in Southern California. The show was held at an art gallery in East Hollywood called The Lodge

“We were inspired by California’s magnetic nature and the way that people have come here to either find themselves or lose themselves in their work,” Nicki Rosenberg ‘20, a member of the Gallery Board, said. “We were inspired by the different things that people have created and experimented with when they have come here to find themselves, things like scientology and veganism.” 

One of the main goals of the show was to explore how people that have come to California have influenced the state, and inversely, how the state of California has influenced the people who have come here.

The exhibition includes the work of Chad Attie, Alexandra Grant, Shane Guffogg, Tim Hawkinson, Bettina Hubby, Soo Kim, Alice Könitz, Friedrich Kunath, Johnston Marklee, Fawn Rogers, Ed Ruscha, Allison Schulnik, Samantha Thomas and Eric Yahnker — all of whom are Los Angeles-based artists whose work embodies the illuminative allure of California.

Photo by Marley Chaney
A piece included in the exhibition by Samantha Thomas. Thomas was one of 14 artists that were featured in the show.

“We had about 100 people attend the show. It was a lot of work, as we had to go to East Hollywood after school for about five hours each day during the week leading up to the show,” Rosenberg said. “We still had a really good experience though, and we worked with Alice Lodge, who owns the space. She was so much fun and really helped us understand what it was like to run a gallery.”

Due to the construction on Archer’s campus, the previous Eastern Star Gallery is now being used as the Student Store. Until construction concludes on campus and there is an appropriate space provided for the Eastern Star Gallery, there will continue to be off-campus shows.

“We really appreciated everyone who came and saw the show,” Rosenberg said. “It was such a success, and we put a lot of hard work into it that paid off.”

The exhibit has been extended until Saturday, Apr. 14, at The Lodge. The gallery is located at 1024 N. Western Ave.