November 4, 2008

POLICE LOBBY PROVIDES NONTRADITIONAL ART SPACE

Ten visual artists based in Pasadena will be the first to exhibit their works at a new – and rather nontraditional – gallery in the Pasadena Police Department’s lobby, 207 N. Garfield Ave.

An opening reception for the artists will be held Friday, Dec. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. Works include watercolors, oil-based paintings, photography and mixed media.

The Cultural Affairs Division of the City Manager’s Office and the Pasadena Police Department are co-hosting the inaugural exhibition. The unique partnership was formed when Police Chief Bernard K. Melekian contacted the Cultural Affairs Division to discuss the lobby for gallery space.

“I wanted people entering the building to have a cultural experience that would expand the range of services customarily provided by our department,” he said.

The Cultural Affairs Division organized a panel of arts professionals who selected high-caliber, Pasadena-based artists working in two-dimensional media. A panel of Police Department administrators then chose 10 finalists. This exhibition was developed to provide more opportunities for Pasadena-based artists, as outlined in Cultural Nexus, the city’s cultural master plan.

Artists in the exhibition are Stephen Berkman, Matthew Cramer, Emily de Araújo, Bia Gayotto, Walter Impert, Brooke Kent, Ronald J. Llanos, Lynne McDaniel, Adia Millett and Mary Kay Wilson.

The exhibition will run through April 2009. For more information call (626) 744-7062.