2:45pm | During the many months of major construction that took up the full city block bordered by Magnolia Ave., Broadway Ave., Chestnut Pl., and 3rd St., the name of the five-story project was displayed prominently: “gallery421.”

But as it took shape, it became clear this was an apartment complex. So I imagine I’m not the only one who wondered: What’s with the name, bro?

The first part of the answer is pretty self-evident: the official address of the place is 421 W. Broadway. But the “gallery” part of question was seemingly answered¹ for me a couple of weeks ago while attending a fairly swank little open house at the apartment complex’s fairly swanky grounds, where I ran into Craig Watson, executive director of the Arts Council for Long Beach: gallery421 is home to an art gallery, The Collaborative at gallery421.

[Editor’s update, Monday 3:00pm: In the comments section below, Craig Watson has posted some helpful information on parking and the selection process for future exhibits.]

Now, what’s with the name of the art gallery itself? It’s called “the Collaborative” because although the Arts Council is managing the space, the aesthetic maintenance of the gallery is a collaboration between the Arts Council and the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), who will take turns curating the exhibits on a quarterly basis.

A new art gallery in Long Beach, even if a worthy endeavor, might not be a newsworthy one. The Collaborative, however, is a bit different, because it exemplifies a new model of development within the city. As you may know, all new building projects within the purview of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) of a certain size are required to conform to the RDA’s Percent for Public Art Program: 1% of the total construction cost must go toward funding public art on the property. Until now that has meant each project included some artistic flourish. Hence the oversized Christmas ball and unusual landscape architecture (which I find hit-and-miss) at HarborPlace Tower, the blue wavy lattice line (which I don’t get) running horizontally in front of the Camden Apartments, the half-Olympic logo, half-Metropolis wannabe silver figures (which I find shoddy as hell) adorning the Aqua Towers². So it’s probably fair to say that, however well-intentioned the Percent for Public Art Program has been, the ball has often been dropped when it comes to implementation.

If nothing else, the Collaborative at gallery421 is a fresh approach. According to RDA Development Project Manager Barbi Clark, credit for the idea goes to Lesley Elwood, a public art consultant hired by gallery421 developer Lyon Communities³. Not surprisingly, both the Arts Council and MOLAA were happy to climb on board. “This is an unprecedented way for the Percent for [Public] Art Program to provide an art experience to the citizens of Long Beach,” effuses Watson. “It’s not a work of art, but a facility that serves the community.”

The Collaborative is a simple one-room gallery with plenty of natural light coming in through the glass walls facing Broadway—perfect for featuring a themed exhibit, as is the case with its inaugural, MOLAA-curated show, Descartes (which is not related to the French philosopher, and which you can read about here and there).

According to Jessica Lah, the Arts Council staffer currently (wo)manning the gallery during its open hours, so far only about four to ten people per day are visiting the Collaborative, a good chunk of them gallery421 residents. Surely part of the reason for this low turnout is that people simply aren’t aware the gallery is there: an outdoor sign was installed only recently, and the hours are posted only once inside the gallery421 vestibule. Then there’s the parking problem. If you know Long Beach, you know that parking is tough—particularly in certain areas, such as downtown. Visitor parking at gallery421, which will eventually contain retail shops on its ground floor, is $10, with no validation possibility of any sort. Clearly this is an issue the parties involved might want to revisit. Presumably there will be some sort of parking validation for visitors to the forthcoming retail establishments. Perhaps the Arts Council (et al.) could implement these logistics sooner rather than later for visitors to the Collaborative?

As it is, what we’ve got for public art at 421gallery is a lot better than what we might have had. See for yourself Tuesday through Friday 11:00am-5:00pm (except it’s open ’til 9:00pm on Thursdays), Friday/Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm. And don’t miss the quarterly art receptions for each new exhibit (you know: wine, cheese, mingling). Contact the Arts Council for Long Beach and MOLAA for details.

Footnotes
¹Only “seemingly” because it appears the apartment complex was named before it was decided that an art gallery would be a permanent part of the premises. Go figure.
²Although let’s be fair: the Aqua Towers as a whole are pretty shoddy, so this “artwork” is consistent with the project as a whole.
³Without getting into too much detail, the 1% will be met through Lyon’s funding the gallery in decreasing amounts for the next five years, after which the operating costs will be borne by the Arts Council and MOLAA. This satisfies only part of the requirement, though. The remainder will be satisfied by a large mural that will be installed in place of the big 421gallery sales sign currently draped on a west-facing building surface. Clark states that the mural will be installed sometime six to nine months from now.

Disclosure: gallery421 is an advertiser of the staging-live.lbpost.com.