A Point of Light in the Recession-Hit Art World

After being hard hit by several recent recession-forced closures, the art world got a new flash of life this week with the opening Saturday of the Kim Light Gallery, at 126 N. La Brea Ave., in the former Ovsey Gallery space.

“I just think it needs to be done--giving a breath of fresh air in L.A. by taking a risk with new artists,” said Light, who has brought in Jeffrey Poe (formerly with Robert Berman) to help run the gallery.

In addition to the inaugural exhibition, “Lost Dogs & Beer,” an installation by Chris Wilder (through Oct. 17), the gallery will show younger artists including Kim Dingle, Keith Boadwee and Dani Tull. Future plans call for a video library, project room and performance art presentations.

Information: (213) 933-9816.

MORE GALLERIES NEWS: After six months at his Wilshire Boulevard space in Santa Monica, Randall Scott will close his TBA Gallery next Sunday after the current exhibition of Reggie Amos, Michael Barton Miller and Richard Stein. The building owner had donated the space and felt six months was “enough time,” Scott said, adding that he plans to find a new donated location for the gallery, and is looking at spaces throughout L.A. and Orange counties. “It could be a month before I open a new space, it could be into next year. It all depends how charitable people are. All I know is that there’s a lot of spaces that haven’t been leased--even some gallery spaces that might not be leased. Obviously, I will go after those first.”

A group show of contemporary Latin American artists including Judy Baca, Yreina Cervantez, Roberto Delgado, Carmen Lomas Garza and Gloria Longval will open the newly configured Galeria Las Americas on Oct. 2, with a reception from 6-10 p.m. Following the departure of co-owner Ramses Noriega, the downtown salon-style gallery formerly known as Galeria Nueva is now solely owned by artist Linda Vallejo, who said she plans to represent about 20 new artists from “throughout the Americas.” In addition, the gallery has planned a poetry reading in conjunction with the L.A. Poetry Festival for Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. Information: (213) 613-1347.

MEMORIAL: The Orlando Gallery in Sherman Oaks pays tribute to dealer and artist Phil Orlando, with a memorial show of his own works from 1960-1992, as well as works by 40 California artists including Simone Gad, Greg Gorman, Don Lagerberg, Betye Saar and John Schroeder. The exhibition opens Oct. 2, with a reception from 8-10 p.m., and runs through Oct. 30. Orlando, who ran the gallery with director Bob Gino, died July 28 at the age of 69.

AUCTION: “Art Is for Everyone III,” the Museum of African American Art’s annual art auction, will be held today from 3-7 p.m. at the Tower Restaurant in the Transamerica Center at 1150 S. Olive St. The auction features works by more than 60 African-American artists, including Romare Bearden, Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Carrie Mae Weems and Roland Charles. Christie’s auctioneer Andrea Fiuczynski will conduct the event, which is chaired by actress and director Debbie Allen. Tickets are $50. Information: (213) 294-7071.

RENOVATIONS: The city-run Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood is closed for the next four to six months for a major renovation, which will include added classroom space and construction of a second-floor stage area. The center will resume its exhibition schedule following the renovation.

GRANTS: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has received $150,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the October, 1993, exhibition “Expressionist Utopias: Paradise, Metropolis and Fantasy in German Art and Architecture, 1905-30.” The grant is one of 37 awards to museums and historical organizations totaling more than $4.5 million. The only other California recipient is the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which received $250,000 for “City of the Gods: Ancient Urban Civilization of Teotihuacan, A.D. 1-750.”

Los Angeles artists Barbara Carrasco, Mark Niblock-Smith, Keith Antar Mason, and the collaborative teams of Diviana Ingravallo and Tracy Mostovoy, and Art Domantay, Gregg Bayne, Rowland Hill, Jane Lee and Wilma Nakamura are among eight recipients of LACE Artists’ Projects Grants. Additional recipients are Debora Aoki of Honolulu, Roberto Salas of San Diego, and Mario Torero of Carlsbad. Each recipient will receive between $2,650-$4,500 for a specific project to be completed in the 1992-93 fiscal year.

MURALS: “Los Angeles Murals, Part III,” the third annual workshop held by the Los Angeles Mural Conservancy, meets over five Wednesday and Saturday sessions beginning Sept. 30 and running through Oct. 17. The workshop, which meets in the Fairfax High School cafeteria, includes bus tours, artist’s demonstrations, and an overview of graffiti art and technological advances in mural preservation. Fees are $110, or $35 for the Oct. 10 bus tour and lunch only. Information: (213) 481-1186.

PERSONNEL: Lee Werbel has taken over as Southern California field director of the California Confederation of the Arts, following the departure of Tarabu Betserai, who left the organization Aug. 15 after two years in the post. Werbel, former managing director of the Aman Folk Ensemble, has acted as independent consultant to organizations including the L.A. Cultural Affairs Department and the Community Redevelopment Agency. She also previously served as program manager for the National/State/County Partnership grants program.