By Dulce Carrillo
After half a year of being re-opened, students still don’t have any idea that East Los Angeles College has their very own art museum. “We have a museum?” is a comment which is what you’ll hear from most students when they hear ELAC has a museum.
The Vincent Price Art museum is located by the S1 building, close to Carl’s Jr. Students usually pass by the building many times but never notice the museum. It may look like a regular building or like the Performing and Fine Arts Complex buildings but it is a part from them.
Finals are around the corner, but for any stressful day take some time to relax your mind and enjoy antiques from ancient America to modern art. Students even learn some history about the city of East Los Angeles at the Vincent Price. Students that enjoy going to museums in Los Angeles pay or drive far to get to them.
If only they knew that the Vincent Price is free to anyone and just walking distance while in campus. “People that come in the museum leave right away,” says Daniela Angelo, musem receptionist. Students at ELAC don’t value the art that was donated by actor and art advocate Vincent Price or care how the museum is considered part of art in Los Angeles.
It should be an honor to have the Vincent Price at ELAC, especially for art history majors. Having antiques from ancient civilizations in Central and South America should matter to the Latino students. They should know what their ancestors did on a daily base or why they brought traditional customs.
In other words, learn about your past generations. The art galleries in the Vicent Price have upcoming events monthly from different cultural artists in Los Angeles. “When there are events, it gets crowded… around 200 people,” said Lidia Garcia and Mei Jen Tsung, two receptionists of the Vincent Price.Students should take part of these events.
Do you find earthquakes, volcanoes and ice cream cones in space fascinating landscape? Visit the Pearl C. Hsiung exhibition before class to learn about earthquakes, volcanoes and see ice cream cones in space. Go to the Pearl C. Hsiung exhibition before or after class. The exhibition ends December 16.
If you’re into history, politics and want to know what happened during the National Chicano Moratorium March that was against the Vietnam War then there is an exhibit for you. Learn how the death of Mexican- American journalist, Ruben Salazar and how it made a huge impact to the Chicano community.
Maybe you want to learn more about Chinese-American art? Then come on January 21 to April 21. You can explore the contributions and cultural legacies through more than 100 works of art by five Chinese-American artists.
The Vincent Price Art Museum is not far away. Invite friends and family to contribute and to spread the word about the East Los Angeles’s first institutional art museum. If you want to volunteer for upcoming events, you can contact Karen Rapp, the director of Vincent Price at (323) 265-8841.
