Local Hero: Kathy Gallegos

"Art is incredibly important to our spiritual and mental well-being. It reflects our struggles, our inspirations and our aspirations."

At the heart of the Highland Park area of Northeast Los Angeles stands Avenue 50 Studio. And at the heart of Avenue 50 is Kathy Gallegos, its founder and director. For the past 15 years, Gallegos' dedication to the non-profit gallery has supported more than 1,000 talented Latino artists, writers, and poets.

A transplanted New Yorker, Gallegos -- of Cuban-Puerto Rican descent -- grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1960s, identifying with Chicano culture. An artist and activist, she spent the '70s and '80s working on a progressive newspaper fighting for economic and educational equality. In the 1980s her art and curiosity took her to Nicaragua to paint a mural, and twice to Cuba for the International Havana Biennials. The mid-nineties found her living in Honduras exploring Central American art before returning to Los Angeles to continue pursuing a career as an artist.

In 1998 Gallegos rented the Avenue 50 Studio as her personal studio. But, concerned about the lack of viable gallery space for Latino art, she founded the Avenue 50 Studio as a place to provide walls and resources for Latino/a artists who were woefully underrepresented. She exhibited Chicano masters such as Frank Romero, Barbara Carrasco and Magu, to notables such as Gil Garcetti and Shepard Fairey, and encouraged and supported hundreds of young, emerging artists. To date, Avenue 50 has held over 300 exhibits and shown over 500 visual artists, not only from the U.S., but from France, Spain, Cuba and Mexico.

Through her leadership, the Studio grew from her personal art studio to a thriving non-profit, Latina led, arts presentation organization. Throughout the exhibition history of the Avenue 50, believing in the talents and desires of the underserved, Gallegos ensured Latino programming of socially relevant exhibitions. In 2002 she brought an exhibition speaking to the struggles of the farmworkers entitled Making the Invisible Visible. In 2004, she brought an exhibition on prison art entitled Pinta Panos, Pinta Cuero.

Gallegos's belief in the historically spiritual power of Latino poetry brought her to partner with poet Rafael Alvarado who, in 2001, started a poetry reading entitled, La Palabara (The Word), which eventually grew because of demand to a point where a second poetry reading, The Bluebird was added. She believes that the arts need to be art for all.

In 2011, through a James Irvine grant, Gallegos commandeered a program, Poesia Para La Gente, bringing poetry to the underserved in her community such as the Downtown LA Mission, Homeboy Industries, and The Day Laborers camp at Home Depot. This inspired her to take Latino art outside the traditional Gallery walls bringing art to those who have no means to go to, or are intimidated by a gallery. Using art as a tool for healing and inspiration, she curated exhibitions of Latino art at the LAC USC MedCenter, at her local Councilman's office, and in local businesses.

In 2011, through Gallegos's guidance, the Avenue 50 received a grant from Cal Hum to explore and uncover the little know history of the roots of Chicano art in Highland Park. Through that discovery, Gallegos is investigating designating two structures in Highland Park as historical monuments which housed significant Chicano history. Currently, Gallegos continues to work with the Community to ensure that Chicano art thrives and is recognized as a true Los Angeles treasure.

To learn more about Avenue 50's exhibitions and programs, visit Avenue50Studio.