Gallery Night Returns for First Time Under New Director

The first ever Second Saturday Gallery Night to be held under the guidance of anyone other than longtime director Brian Mallman will be held on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Mallman stepped down from his role as director on Saturday, Oct. 17, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and to concentrate on his own artistic endeavors.

Mallman's resignation also followed alleged conversations between members of Councilman José Huizar's staff with owner Clare Graham, who announced he would be closing his gallery to the public after Huizar staffers proposed charging fees to gallery owners for participating in the monthly gallery night.

Huizar's staff adamantly denied ever mentioning fees and instead insisted that they had approached gallery owners in spirit of improving gallery night, as well as informing owners of the legal liability that attended participating in the event.

“Maybe it was the terms we used that possibly set him off. We didn't talk about fees, we did talk to him about liability and we wanted to make sure he knew what his liability was as a participant in the event and talk to him about the city’s liability is as well.”

Steppping into Mallman's shoes is Cathi Milligan--owner of the the --who said she is ready to move beyond last month's controversy and ensure a thriving future for gallery night. 

"With what has happened, we're hoping we could turn gallery night into something better," Milligan said.

With 28 galleries from Highland Park, Mount Washington, Eagle Rock, Cypress Park, Lincoln Heights and Glassell Park committed to participating in the event, Milligan inisted that "Gallery night is not in jeopardy."

Milligan said she's also spoken with Nate Hayward of Council District 14, who said that Graffiti Busters crews would be cleaning the sidewalks before the event, as well as doing additinal trash pickup before and after gallery night. Additional trash cans and bike parking along York Boulevard have also been promised, Milligan said.

"I just want to let everyone know that gallery night is still happening and we're really looking forward to it," Milligan said.

A new map listing the 28 galleries planning to participate in Saturday's event has been posted on NelaArt's website, and can be dowloaded from the media box on the right.

Spoke'n'Art Ride Nixes Gallery Tour for Public Art Celebration

Josef Bray-Ali, owner of the and host of the monthly Spoke'n'Art bike ride, said this month's tour will be skipping the gallery stops in favor of a celebration of art in the streets.

"We're going to be doing a bunch of crazy outdoor performance stuff," Bray-Ali said."We're still trying to book smaller one-act shows in totally off-the-beaten path places."

Those off the beaten path places will include stops at "the Arroyo Seco Riverbed, some old fashioned dancing under some bridge, a weird quasi communion in Garvanza and a eulogy in front of MorYork," Bray-Ali said.  "After that we'll head back to the Bike Oven to have hot chocolate and tea."

Bray-Ali said the decision to take the tour off the beaten path was to relieve some stress on gallery owners, who have groussed about the large crowds his tour brought to their storefronts.

"He's doing a separate kind of bike thing that looks kind of fun. He will stop at MorYork, but he's got some music and performance art and spoken word lined up along the path," Milligan said. "I told Josef, 'you're a destination too, you're like a floating gallery.' That's the kind of cool stuff I want to see more of on that night. In the future I think he's gonna have more variety on the bike ride, smaller rides. He wants to make sure that galleries really want people to show up."