Thought-Provoking Installation at City Hall Lobby Enters a New Dimension

The old saw that there are two sides to every story is no doubt often heard at West Los Angeles City Hall. Through June 1, those who pass through the building’s lobby may also contemplate the premise that there can be two sides to a work of art.

In an installation that takes as its starting point the traditional Oriental folding screen, artists Rachelle Mark and Ruth San Pietro have each created a bevy of widely varied works that stand free of the wall, often as hinged painted panels that read differently on either side. (In one of San Pietro’s creations on an environmental theme, however, the folding screen idea takes the sculptural form of a deeply hollowed-out tree trunk.)

The screens are a three-dimensional departure for both painters, who generally work with canvases traditionally hung on walls. But according to Scott Canty, art curator for the satellite galleries run by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the show fits well into plans for the West Los Angeles City Hall Gallery.

“I’m trying to open up another venue for artists to create installation series,” Canty said. “I’m also trying to get people to think of art not just as painting. There’s an opportunity here to change the environment, so that when people walk into the building, they’re walking into the artist’s mind or into the artist’s interpretation of the space.

“People are used to coming into City Hall to do official business,” he said. “Here, they can slow down, not rush through, then go about their business. We can be right there; they don’t have to walk to a gallery--which so many people would walk right by.”

“In the Fold, on the Edge” through June 1 at the West Los Angeles City Hall Gallery, 1645 Corinth Ave. (between Sepulveda and Bundy), Los Angeles. (213) 237-1373. Open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday .

CLOSING WORDS: Starting a gallery of contemporary art--especially one whose goal is to launch the careers of young or otherwise emerging artists--always has been a precarious business proposition. Galleries often are forced to fold within a year--but that is not necessarily the end of the story.

The Market Street Gallery, which opened in Venice last May, closed its doors as of the first of this month. According to gallery director Rebecca Rutledge, her partner in the venture withdrew because of other financial commitments.

But the gallery survives, at least in spirit. “I’m hoping to restructure the business internally and come out in early ’91 with a new partnership,” Rutledge said, adding that she wants to reopen in the Market Street area.

And Rutledge continues to represent gallery artists as a private dealer. “We did very well with the artists. Most of them are going on to other shows around the country,” she said.

Pat Badt, for instance, is showing at the M-13 gallery in New York; Rome Stuckart is exhibiting at the John Reilly Gallery in Chicago, and Gary Paller will be showing in Milan this September, then in Korea.

As for Rutledge, she said that “until we’re ready to reopen, I intend to use the time wisely, with studio visits--I hope to see all the work that you don’t have time to see when you’re running a gallery.”

She remains optimistic about representing emerging artists in Los Angeles. “What I’m beginning to hear from collectors and others is that people are willing to come out to look at artists who don’t have a name. No. 1, for the thrill of discovery. No. 2, because the prices are still affordable. There’s a lot that can be done.”

Rebecca Rutledge, P.O. Box 2847, Venice 90291. (213) 301-8284.

IN THE FLOW: In “Currents in Watermedia,” the title of an exhibition at the Brand Library Art Center in Glendale, the word current has a triple reference: to the flow of water, the medium’s base; to converging trends and to current events.

The work of the five artists represented in the show--Millie Kornfeld, Marge Moore, Rowan Wolnick, Mary Ann Chater and Phyllis Solcyk--also touch more or less directly on the subject of water. But they are otherwise quite different. The five women met over the years through the Valley Watercolor Society.

Millie Kornfeld, a scuba diver, depicts underwater scenes. Graphic arrangements reminiscent of board games show up in Marge Moore’s abstractions. Rowan Wolnick’s works feature a white egg in various natural and symbolic settings; Phyllis Solcyk depicts watery hideaways in Dana Point and Malibu as well as harbor scenes. In the paintings of Mary Ann Chater, whose work is the most overtly political of the group, banners bearing pictographs fly over animal and natural scenes.

“They didn’t come together with this show saying, ‘Let’s do something with the environment,’ ” said Cindy Cleary, gallery director for the Brand Library. “But when they sat down together, they found that that was their common link: They all have a vision of what the environment is.”

“Currents in Watermedia,” through June 5 at the Brand Library Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale. (818) 956-2050. Open 12:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 12:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday .