By Alicia Cheak
Daily Bruin Contributor
It’s small and inconspicuous. Nestled among the other art
galleries on the Broadway strip in Santa Monica, The First
Independent Gallery (FIG) was created in ’93 by a group of six UCLA
art professors. Disillusioned with the politics of commercial art
shows, they wanted a gallery which would represent artists while
allowing them to work with more freedom than they would have in
bigger, mainstream galleries.
"The road of seeking a right gallery, and for the right people
around you was very difficult, especially if your work didn’t fit
into a certain mode or ideology, and I got sick of it" says Sam
Amato, one of the pioneers of the gallery, who has recently retired
from the art faculty at UCLA.
"As our own managers, we are generally in control of our own
destinies, or at least we can sort of determine where it would go"
Amato says.
Joe Blaustein, also responsible for bringing FIG to life, was
frustrated at the lack of representation artists were
receiving.
"Most of us felt that the local gallery scene was unpredictable
and not particularly responsive to the range of work we were
involved in," Blaustein says. "So we decided to take things into
our own hands and establish the shows to look the way we wanted
(them) to."
FIG’s focus is modernist paintings, figurative and abstract. Of
course, sculptures and prints occasionally make their way into the
exhibitions. "If it is high quality art, we’ll show them," Amato
says.
"When we first began we selected artists based on personal
contacts and individual assessments of qualities. We were looking
for artists whom we felt did quality work," co-founder Bill Lane
says of the selective membership process.
Amato believes that after 30 years of seeing thousands of works
he is "professionally qualified to evaluate works and to evaluate
with knowledge.
"I am 90 to 95 percent right," Amato says, confident in his
judgment of quality artwork.
"The most important thing about FIG is that it is comprised of
strict professionals who get together and look at prospective
artists’ works and vote on it," Loraine Lubner says. Lubner is also
a a current FIG member and UCLA alumna who has a degree in art and
philosophy.
Currently, FIG is comprised of 23 artists who support the
gallery, both financially and with their works. They meet once a
month to discuss the welfare of the gallery.
"Artists are notoriously isolated. It is unusual to have all the
artists together. We know each others’ histories, problems. I’ve
even seen some of them marry and have kids," Amato says. "In
commercialized galleries, managers do all the work. There may be a
camaraderie of two or three artists  but here I am surrounded
by my colleagues, whose work I respect."
Amato believes that FIG has successfully garnered a group of
professional artists but is disheartened by the continual lack of
recognition.
"It’s still not as visible as it should be. The amount of people
who attend the shows is dismal compared to the quality of art,"
Amato says. He is disappointed with the limited coverage
alternative galleries receive, how "it’s like a void, a silence
which hovers over the efforts of the gallery."
Amato considers FIG a heroic effort because its creation
required all of its members "to put in body, soul and muscle to
building and painting — to get what was once a business office
into a place which looked like a professional gallery." But despite
the continuing dedication, exhibit sales are barely enough to cover
the cost of maintenance.
"Some of the members have decided to partially participate or
perhaps drop out all together," Amato says. "Everything is up in
the air right now. The lease is up next spring but we have put so
much into it and I think the general feeling among the members is
how can we continue."
But despite the predicament, shows are still going on.
This month, Lubner will showcase her works, which are about
paint.
Her works are not figurative, so an observer will not be able to
compare it to anything he has seen or experienced in the external
world. What they will see is color and how the color is the
painting.
"You put something down on the canvas and you respond to it.
Then the paint takes over and expresses the qualities of anguish,
isolation and joy, which really is the subject of my painting. It’s
not what you can see or discern," Lubner explains. "Its a dialogue.
You are both the creator and the instrument."
When Lubner speaks, she seems to be talking about a world which
is somehow inaccessible to the average gallery visitor.
"I think this is a very literate society," Lubner explains, "and
it’s difficult to look at a non-figurative work and comprehend it.
But I hope that it will be an emotional — whether disturbing or
satisfying — experience for the audience. If it leaves you cold
–so be it."
"Painting forces you to be an honest person because you can’t
leave anything which doesn’t work. You can’t accept anything Â
if it is an easy solution, if it isn’t the right solution," Lubner
says of the commitment she has to her work. And perhaps this
honesty is characteristic of FIG as well, as they hold
uncompromisingly to the standards and vision of the gallery,
despite its ambiguous future.
"There are ebbs and flows, but we just have to maintain the
funds and the creative energy to survive the next two years," Lane
says.
Amato continues to believe the gallery will make it despite his
present frustrations. "I just feel it," he says. And he will
continue to paint, to remain innovative, to endure.
"When I do a show, the most important condition is met if my
peers are there and anyone else who comes to see it," Amato says.
"Money and fame and glory would be nice, but I am an artist and I
have to paint."
GALLERY: First Independent Gallery is located at 2022a Broadway
Ave., Santa Monica. Open Wed.- Sat, 11- 6. "Lorraine Lubner:
Paintings" is on view October 2-26. For more information, contact
Gallery Manager Peter Kosenko at (310) 829-0345.