ARTIST STORIES
Febuary ~ 2021
Artists in Place:
Avenue 50 Studio with Kathy Gallegos
by Angelina Coppola
As a teen, I used to ride the Gold Line past Avenue 50 Studio on my way to Chinatown. The studio always caught my eye and made me wonder. There was something magical about it. Now, over a decade later, it remains an oasis to the surrounding community, an anchor in a sea of change.

On the cusp of 2021, I sat down over Zoom with Kathleen Gallegos, the founder, director, and woman at the helm of Avenue 50 Studio. A natural storyteller, Kathy is an inspiration. She told me about how the studio started as a space to cultivate her own photography practice and how, like all good things, it organically grew into something else, a gallery and community gathering space for like-minded spirits.

Art found Kathy early in life. She grew up in Queens, New York, the middle child of six sisters. In the fifth grade, her teacher introduced her to art as a way to cultivate her voice. Kathy quickly fell in love with visual art as an outlet for expression and sought it out. In junior high, she moved to Los Angeles, to the Cuban/Puerto Rican community of Silver Lake, with her family. It was here in Los Angeles, particularly Northeast LA, that she planted her roots and watched them grow. In her early twenties, she became politically engaged with the Chicano Art Movement and attended Los Angeles Community College, where she nurtured her passion for photography. Quickly, she began documenting the fertile political and artistic landscape of the city in the 1960s and 1970s. Her work led her to Self-Help Graphics in the 1980s, where she was introduced to a community of Chicana artists including Margaret Garcia and Elena Cervantes, women who encouraged her to think big and take up space with her work, to use and own her power as a Latina artist. After living abroad in Honduras for a little while, she returned to Los Angeles and began teaching photography to youth before opening Avenue 50 Studio.

"It's amazing what the subconscious mind can
find in a piece of art."
-Kathy Gallegos
In search of a studio for her photography, Kathy stumbled upon what is now Avenue 50 Studio while on a walk in her neighborhood. The location had an ample washroom that could easily be converted into a darkroom and was accompanied by an 800 square foot space in the front, with high white walls and lots of nice natural light. Avenue 50 Studio was born. At the time there was a need for galleries to showcase and celebrate art in the Chicano community; Avenue 50 was created from a desire to serve. 

Kathy describes Avenue 50 as “…my university. I can read art….So many years of looking at artwork, being able to read the colors, the composition and how it relates to the community. This place is an education. When you’re a curator, the more art you see, the more you understand. I love this job for that.” She expressed how true art comes from an authentic place and is less dependent upon technique as it is upon that intangible, soulful thing that is difficult to describe but easy to feel. “It’s amazing what the subconscious mind can find in a piece of art….I like it when things appear when I’m not thinking about it. It just shows itself….Does a piece speak to you? Does it make you feel something? Whether it’s anger or disgust. It has to make you feel.”

What struck me most about our conversation was the symbiotic relationship between artists, students, curators, writers and the community at large at Avenue 50. Kathy speaks to this: “We didn’t get here from me. We got here from the community out there coming in and bringing in that great work….The beauty of a place like Avenue 50 is you can just do your art….It’s an experimental place. I don’t want it too fancy. It’s for artists. It’s for art lovers. It’s for us to gather and get together and talk and show some art and drink some wine….It’s a gathering place for artists, and we want to keep it that way, where it’s casual, where there’s not a lot of pressure.” 

I’ve always found Avenue 50 Studio to be just that: a warming, inviting and inspiring place. I am looking forward to when we all can safely gather again and enjoy art and each other’s company.

Until next time,
Angelina
Angelina Coppola
Angelina is Light Bringer Project's Program Coordinator
and Contributor for Artist Stories

Tom Coston
Board Chair

"These COVID days are hard for adults, but especially for our youth. Isolation and anxiety are common feelings and remote learning is the only form of contact students have with their teachers and peers. Hearing the call for some innovative programming, our Artists in Place video series emerged. Live and recorded, the program shares the practices of visual, performing, literary and media artists throughout Los Angeles; a connectivity that allows young aspiring artists to see, hear and learn from diverse artists in their real work spaces. It’s one example of how a serious challenge can lead to a great solution and we’re so proud of the difference it’s been making. Help us continue this work by supporting Light Bringer Project and the deserving students we serve!"
Top Photos: Ave. 50 Studio and its Founder, Kathleen Gallegos