For [Art] Lovers Only

The 15th Annual Los Angeles Art Show was to be held from January 20th-24th this year and I didn’t even have ten dollars to call my own, let alone enough to buy a ticket. I wondered if friends would be willing to lend me some cash, at least until I found a new job (Having quit the restaurant wasn’t looking like a good idea at this moment. After all, who dares quit their job during a recession?). But, pride and shame kept me from disclosing myself as a beggar. No, I thought, I’ll just have to suffer quietly as the Art Show travels through town.

As I arrived at the Museum of Latin American Art one Friday night for volunteer work, the Volunteer Manager informed me MoLAA had rented a space at the L.A. Art Show. “Would you like to help us out?” she asked. I agreed without hesitation…

And that is how I attended gratis one of the most important cultural events in Los Angeles that brought over 100 art galleries from around the world. The Convention Center showroom looked like a mega-museum, with bustling art-lovers ogling through 10,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, videos, and sculptures. I was excited, captivated, and inspired by the art and artists, alike. Here are some works/galleries I enjoyed and hope you do too: