Brand Library & Art Center presents Neighborhood Ecology, a love letter to Southern California and the dynamic communities tucked in its diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. Neighborhood Ecology continues through May 9 and will bring together a group of local artists whose work highlights different aspects of various Southern California environs: how the area is seen by non-locals, how it is experienced by its residents and how the community celebrates its identity. The artwork will explore the many facets of the region – its boosterism, its visible societal concerns, its flora and fauna, its historic manmade landmarks and its passionate residents. The exhibition will include works by Andrea Bersaglieri, Jonathan Casella, Christopher Chinn, Baha Danesh, Susan Feldman, Aroussiak Gabrielian, Jazmin Garcia, Josh Hash, IBARRA, Fredrik Lidskog/Impermanent Art, Megan Mueller, Jynx Prado, Felix Quintana and Jaime Scholnick.

For Neighborhood Ecology, the exhibition will include artwork in a variety of media including painting, printmaking, new media, film, sculpture and photography. Visual artists are heavily influenced by their surroundings; this experience of space leads to inventive ways of interpreting the neighborhoods around them. Southern California has a kind of magic and excitement that inspires the artists who inhabit the region. Golden Hour, interweaving freeways, diverse styles and methods of architecture, a history of westward expansion, Native California plant life, street art, Hollywood, unhoused communities and smog are just some of the influential qualities present in sunny So Cal. The result is a vibrancy of color, passion and attitude that is this place.

In addition to the professional artists featured in Neighborhood Ecology, young artists from all five high schools in Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) will present artwork that examines aspects of Southern California living. This is the library’s third GUSD collaborative partnership, which seeks to highlight and nurture the burgeoning talent of exceptional students. This format will allow students at GUSD to exhibit alongside professional working artists in the gallery. This offers a unique chance for the students to share their work professionally, begin to build a portfolio for college applications and learn from established artists. 

For more information and to view the list of student artists, please visit BrandLibrary.org/Gallery.