By Gustavo Buenrostro
The Vincent Price Art Museum will present the work of former East Los Angeles College students,Linda Arreola and Star Montana, starting Feb 27.
Arreola’s work, “Architecture of the Abstract,” encompasses her early work of 2005-10, her collection from 2012-13 and and another series of work from 2014-16. Arreola says that the last two collections have never been exhibited before, so they are considered her newest works. She was influenced by Mesoamerican architecture.
“After studying architecture, I began to paint. I worked mainly in geometric abstractions,” Arreola says, “the new work is very linear and clean and you will see the connection to architecture and sculpture. I think of my work more as constructions rather than rendered paintings. I build with simple form and color.”
According to Arreola , she took her first art classes at ELAC and remembers when the VPAM was known as the Vincent Price Art Gallery,located in a small space in the art department. Arreola says she is very excited to share her work with the students of ELAC.
Montana will show her work titled: also. The collection consists of photos Montana took of her home life while living in East Los Angeles.
Montana says that she is very excited and proud to be showing her work at the VPAM.
“My family photographs comes from a need to deal with loss and pain visually, and not allow the pain to consume me,” Montana said, “It’s a healing process for me.”
She continued to say that loss in East L.A is a very common narrative and because of this, it gave her the strength to show her work to a wider audience than just a classroom.
The opening reception is on Feb 27 from 4 to 6p.m. and the exhibit will run through May, 21st.