By Martin Sevcik, Daily Bruin
Feature photo courtesy of Matt Petit, Jordan Murph, Gabriela Ojeda
Two UCLA alumni opened an art gallery on Melrose Avenue on Oct. 3, highlighting overlooked and underserved communities with their debut show “Luminarium: A Culture of Lights.”
The mission statement of The LA Art Box is, “To tell your story to everyone, everywhere.” The LA Art Box founders Bernie Bernardo and Mar Dumlao first met through Samahang Pilipino at UCLA, developing a lifelong friendship that would eventually lead to the creation of the gallery.
Bernardo said the gallery creates storytelling experiences that highlight communities of color. The founders hope this cultural space can fill a gap they’ve seen elsewhere in the art world, where these topics are often explored in an inauthentic or incomplete manner, Bernardo said.