By More than a dozen people attended an intimate opening of Cal State Long Beach alumnus Garry Booth’s “Back Room” exhibit at the Phone Booth Gallery Saturday.
The exhibit featured art pieces ranging from oil paintings and illustrations to Star Wars woodcarvings from local artists.
Booth, who has always been interested in galleries, said he founded the Phone Booth Gallery in April 2008 after graduating from CSULB’s School of Art in 2007. The gallery first migrated throughout Southern California but is now located on Broadway in Long Beach, according to the gallery’s website.
He said that his experience of working in a gallery while in college allowed him to put together shows with his artist friends.
Booth, who solely funded his project, said that before creating the Phone Booth, he would do “pop-up” shows where he would display his artwork in different locations.
“I was straight out of college [when I started the Phone Booth Gallery] and I had no money,” Booth said. “The first years of any business aren’t that profitable, and that was the case. “Every single profit we made from the gallery was put back into it to do something crazier.”
Even though Booth is an artist himself, he said he prefers to showcase other artists’ work.
“In the beginning, I featured a little bit of my art, but I felt that it made more sense to just show other people’s art,” Booth said. “It’s easier to talk about other people’s art.”
Booth said he also likes to act as the “intermediary” when it comes to showcasing other artists.
“I like helping artists, especially emerging artists,” Booth said. “That’s what the gallery is known for.”
Every group show at Booth’s gallery features CSULB alumni, many of whom he said he’s kept in touch with over the years, such as alumnus Ryan Milner, who met Booth in high school.
Milner said Booth offers local artists the opportunity to showcase their work.
“I thoroughly enjoy working with [Booth] … He is incredibly professional and, even more, an incredible artist,” Milner said.
Rubi Gonzalez, a kinesiology major at CSULB, said she was impressed by the exhibit and the creative artwork featured in the gallery.
The Phone Booth Gallery will celebrate its sixth anniversary on April 5. The gallery will showcase six-by-six art pieces by various artists.
