This review was on the Brea Gallery in Brea, California and my impressions of it from my first visit there.
Brea Gallery
Art is a way for people to escape their realities. The gallery to most people is just a way for the artists’ work to be displayed and give no thought in to what the process of putting a show together is. Many behind the scenes actions that go into putting together a show go unrecognized by visitors to a gallery. Aspects galleries address are general layout of the gallery, the use of color, lighting, how labels are placed, the quality of installation, hospitality of employees, and does the gallery have an educational impact. The Brea Gallery uses these aspects to let the visitor focus on the work instead of any possible flaws.
The layout of the gallery was a little strange but it was fun because the flow made you walk around the entire gallery. When you enter the gallery, you are first greeted by a receptionist at the desk. To the left of the desk is a gift shop that, to me, seems out of place, but if you go past the shop and continue straight there is a slight open area where artwork is placed. If you keep going straight there is a tight hallway where one should be very cautious of the work around you. At the end of that walkway and on the right, is a small room full of work. This area is great to give certain pieces the time to shine because it has a small room that is surrounded by other works in a similar style. To the left of the walkway opens to a bigger area that has a giant room in the middle of the gallery. If you walk to the end of the gallery it wraps around to the left and brings you back to the front of the gallery.
The gallery is painted white to let the colors in the paintings show which is a smart move because it doesn’t let people’s attention stray from the art. The lighting also helps people keep their focus on the work because if a spotlight was point elsewhere that’s where they would be looking. The lighting in the gallery was great because it is something that is overlooked by visitors unless something was off. One thing that could have been a little better is how the labels were placed. The placement of the labels is great; it is the quality of installing that needs to be addressed. Some of the labels were peeling off the wall and were a little distracting because I just wanted to fix it. The gallery has certain requirements for the artists when framing their works. I love that they do this because it keeps everything uniform and clean. The installation of the works are clean and even.
The first thing you see when you walk into the Brea Gallery is the receptionist desk and are instantly greeted by the staff. They are very friendly and knowledgeable not only about the gallery and its show but also the whole city of Brea. Having the employees know so much about the city helps bring the community together and offers that educational side of galleries that people are looking for.
There isn’t much about this gallery that I would change except for removing the gift shop. The Brea gallery is an amazing gallery and the staff makes it that much better. This gallery used all the aspects to keep their work hidden from visitor’s eyes so that their eyes stay on the artwork which is the goal of the gallery.