Art and Empowerment: The Role of Women-Owned Galleries in Long Beach

Written by Sarai Carpio-Au

Photos by Jamie Guerrero

Long Beach homes a city where creativity flourishes through the enriched support of its community. Local galleries, monthly art showcases, and various forms of art on walls expand the opportunities artists can be exposed to. Women-owned galleries play a vital role in female representation and offer a space for local emerging artists to build relationships and platforms. Elizabeth Munzón, owner of Munzón Galley, and Betsy Lohrer, curator of Flux Art Space, work towards providing these opportunities by fulfilling their own passions and the talent of their communities.

Native to the San Fernando Valley, Elizabeth Munzón shares the journey of an artist with a dream. The moment she first picked up a paintbrush lingered from childhood to higher education. Munzón moved to Long Beach in 2008 to start fresh and shape what her future would be. Attending Long Beach Community College, she experimented with her career path and eventually had enough credits to pursue a degree in art. She made her way to Long Beach State University, where her horizons expanded. As a first generation Mexican-American, the pieces she produces come from pre-Hispanic stories, folklore, and personal narratives. She incorporates symbolism into her own stories, experiences, and the history of her descendants. She was inspired by the layout of Artistic Edge Art & Framing, a Long Beach picture frame shop on Fourth St. and St Louis Ave. The owner, Kathy Caitano, had a mini gallery in the front while she worked on her frames in the back. Driven by the arrangement, her space would be filled with the liveliness of her own craft as she’d be able to have her practice in the same space where she could hold critiques, art shows, and networking. Moreover, the space was created to keep in contact with her fellow peers she met at LBSU while also opening the doors for future alumni to be recognized and heard.

Originating from Munzón’s first space, Flatline Gallery, 2017- 2022 was an era where she was balancing a full-time job, the gallery, and her own practice. In 2019, she had to take that leap of faith to pursue what it was that she wanted. Then came COVID-19, a pivotal point determining the outcome of many small businesses. Along with the variety of what a gallery possesses, being a first time gallery curator comes with sufficient hard work and lots of learning. Flatline Gallery was where it all began and was crucial to the learning process fueling Munzón’s motivation. “The more I did it, the more I wanted to be better and hold more responsibility, whether that be programming, curating, or figuring out how the gallery would be financially stable,” she said. Munzón shifted the focus from in-person contact with customers and began to use an online presence to meet the community. Learning how to be seen in the greater Los Angeles art scene and consistently connecting with LBSU alumni artists and new graduates generates this cycle of networking and a platform for Long Beach artists. The space highlights skills surrounding painting, acrylic, and oil to print, making transforming as one of the fundamental spaces when navigating through Long Beach’s art scene. Workshops with local artists, group shows, and connecting events can be found on East Anaheim St., Long Beach for creativity to be explored and supported at Munzón Gallery.

Born in New York, Betsy Lohrer would migrate to Southern California, but going back to see family and loved ones would expose her to contemporary museums and the liveliness of east coast art. From a young age, Lohrer resonated deeply with art, and without question, it was a lifestyle that she wanted to take seriously and explore through various mediums. Early influences include Ann Hamiliton’s installation “The Capacity of Absorption” from 1988-1989, utilizing the space in a way that was revolutionary for Lohrer. Hamilton’s art and many others inspired Lohrer’s aesthetic and how 2 and 3 dimensions can be used to interact with not just what the audience may see but also how it may touch all senses of the body. Since Lohrer’s art can be classified as experimental, it challenges our society’s capitalistic norm to make art for the masses, but she expressed how her art is “antithetical” and “counterbalance” made to be captured in the moment. With the rise of technology and screen usage, she continues to create in a form that communicates what can be learned through the physical materialistic values of the world. Another inspiration, Yoko Ono, whose “poetic sensibility and minimalist approach” to philosophy was crucial to the Fluxus Movement in the 1960s. The art movement represented being in the middle of change and, furthermore, the process of oriented art and being able to actively see how the creation was produced.

The premise of flux is that creativity is an integral part of life, and Flux Art Space with its grand window space showcases the art not only inside but to the general public daily. Today, being an artist is heavily focused on one’s ability to put oneself out there, as many aren’t too keen on having the attention. Lohrer was able to be in the middle through curating art. The art displayed is picked based upon variety, introducing artists to one another, and the public creating an “interweaving” community. She exhibits power to make a difference in the community as she opens her doors for all to experience the virtue of craft. As she works at the back, the ability to produce shows and help artists realize what ideas can come into place is one of her greatest treasures. Lohrer uses her space to invite artists throughout Southern California to have an opportunity to showcase their work while making connections, creating a multigenerational community of culture. Artists know where to find one another, but when the general public witnesses something new and exciting, a perspective on life “worth wild” is generated. Her shows aren’t motivated by the outcome, but by the experiences that are at Flux Art Space, where creativity is overflowing with human interaction.