" title="Gallery Expo show 1" width="350" height="280" class="size-full wp-image-14378" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/sigtrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Gallery-Expo-show-1.jpg?w=350&ssl=1 350w, https://i0.wp.com/sigtrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Gallery-Expo-show-1.jpg?resize=300%2C240&ssl=1 300w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />“The LA River is my favorite playground in Long Beach,” Rodriguez said. “I take my dogs down there and can spend countless hours shooting an amazing array of pictures.”
Photography in this exhibit depicts the activities taking place along the LA River, but some of the debris portrays a seedier life than most people would expect. “It’s sad to see the sort of items that you see down in the river’s bed, from hypodermic needles, plastic pot-dispensaries containers, broken beer bottles, used lighters, forgotten toys, plastic water bottles, sofas, shopping carts, and even dead animals,” Rodriguez said. “Depending on my mood and time of year, I can shoot the natural beauty that is so overlooked by residents in Long Beach. Or, based on my frustrations, I can capture the trash in a way that can open the eyes of so many as to the plight of this wonderful habitat for so many birds and mammals.”
Besides photography, there will be assemblage art made from items found along the river. Soft balls, hard balls, tennis balls, ping-pong balls, footballs, soccer balls, bouncy balls, dog balls and more will be included in the art. (All the balls from the exhibit will be donated to youth groups in Long Beach after the exhibit has run its course.)
“I would challenge the Long Beach city leaders to venture out and spend a day taking in the beauty of the LA River in Long Beach and see, first hand, the demise that polluters in this city and surrounding areas are bringing to the river and to the oceans and beaches it flows into,” said Rodriguez.
Along the LA River is a two-day exhibit that runs Friday, April 6, from 6pm to 10pm and Saturday, April 7, from 4pm to 8pm only. Admission is free and open to the general public.
More Information
galleryexpo.net
