5iftybucks Gallery revived in Pomona
A.S. Ashley, Correspondent


POMONA - Are art galleries recession-proof? One would think so with the addition of three new galleries in downtown Pomona in as many months. More likely it has to do with artists already knowing how to do things without funding.
The latest gallery is about an artist who has been in the game of creating venues for artists and their work for quite some time.

Well known in the Pomona Arts Colony and current curator at the dA Center for the Arts, Rolo Castillo has set out to revive his gallery, 5iftybucks, in the most unlikely of locations - in front of the American Legion Post 30 on Holt Street in downtown Pomona.

Rolo Castillo has been resurrecting the phoenix-like 5iftybucks Gallery and reinventing his art showcase over the course of 20 years. The gallery started in Los Angeles' arts colony, more by name than by location: Castillo set up shop in empty storefronts, local restaurants, any place that had walls and floor space for an exhibit.

After moving to Pomona's Arts Colony, Castillo has had his 5iftybucks Gallery in as many live/work spaces as he has lived in over the past seven years. He closed his last venue on Pomona's Antique Row a year ago before taking on the chief curator spot at the dA.

Though Rolo will continue to stage his art extravaganzas at the dA, he longed to have a more intimate venue to showcase his favorite artists.

Castillo found such a location in the parking lot of the venerable Legion Post 30, on Holt Avenue just east of Garey Avenue. The lot was once used as a car dealership with a small office, where Castillo wasted no time converting the building into a roadside gallery.

5iftybucks is set to open today, featuring local artists Sally Egan and Amy Bystedt in their show "Let Them Eat Steak," a photo album exhibit of their latest collaborative works.

Today's opening reception will be from 5 to 10 p.m.

Egan and Bystedt, both accomplished photographers in their own right, have periodically paired up for exhibitions since their college days more than a decade ago. Their juxtaposition of natural and staged subjects causes one to wonder if anything in their photos ever existed in real life, but more often than not, it does.

Always a favorite of local artists, 5iftybucks openings are a perfect place for art lovers to mingle and chat with the area's local talent, all in one place. This Saturday's event promises to be no different.

5iftybucks Gallery is at 213 East Holt Ave. in Pomona. Information: 5iftybucks@gmail.com or (909) 450-3020.

You can view the invite for "Let Them Eat Steak" on www.pomonaartscolony.com.

A.S. Ashley is a Pomona Arts Colony artist and advocate.