Encore at The Braley
Group Exhibition | La Mancha Gallery, Pasadena, 2009
A special evening of art and culture uniting 32 local and international artists, poets, musicians, and dancers at 35 South Raymond Avenue — an independent curatorial collaboration exploring identity, new urbanism, architecture, and the environment in contemporary Los Angeles.
Thirty-Two Voices, One Evening, One Proposition
When La Mancha Gallery presented Encore at the Braley at 35 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena on August 21, 2009, the exhibition arrived as both a cultural proposition and a curatorial commitment. Omar Holguin assembled more than thirty artists — local and international — whose practices collectively addressed the defining questions of contemporary urban life: identity, new urbanism, architecture, and the environment. These were not decorative themes. They were the organizing logic of an exhibition designed to place visual art in direct, unmediated conversation with the lived experience of cities and the communities that shape them.
Produced as a collaborative effort among independent artists, curators, and galleries, Encore at the Braley embodied a working philosophy central to La Mancha Gallery's practice: that the most meaningful exhibitions are built through relationships rather than acquisitions. The curatorial process was iterative and adaptive — artists brought into the framework in stages, the thematic structure refined through dialogue, and the spatial arrangement of twenty-eight works across thirty linear feet of gallery wall developed until the show read as a unified statement.
The program extended beyond the visual. Poetry, music, and dance were woven into the opening reception as equal participants in the evening's cultural conversation. Encore at the Braley was never simply an art show. It was a proposition about what a gallery — and an opening night — could be.
"The most meaningful exhibitions are built through relationships rather than acquisitions — through a genuine belief in the power of contemporary art to address the world it inhabits."
— Omar Holguin, Curator & Director, La Mancha Fine ArtsWhat the Exhibition Presented
32 Artists — Local & International
A curated roster spanning Los Angeles, Southern California, and international practices — assembled through gallery relationships and a shared commitment to contemporary urban themes.
Multidisciplinary Opening Program
Poetry, live music, and dance performed alongside the visual works — treating the opening as a complete cultural event, not a conventional gallery reception.
Identity & Urbanism as Framework
Works exploring identity, new urbanism, architecture, and the environment — thematic threads selected for their direct engagement with contemporary city life.
Alternative Venue Exhibition Model
Presented at 35 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena — an expression of La Mancha Gallery's conviction that significant art can transform any space into a site of genuine cultural encounter.
Agile Curatorial Process
Artists brought in iteratively, the thematic framework refined through ongoing dialogue — an adaptive methodology that allowed thirty-two distinct voices to cohere without losing individuality.
One Night on the Record
Following a successful opening, the exhibition was cancelled by building owners due to a scheduling conflict. The August 21st reception stands as the exhibition's complete and definitive record.
What the Exhibition Presented
32 Artists — Local & International
A curated roster spanning Los Angeles, Southern California, and international practices — assembled through gallery relationships and a shared commitment to contemporary urban themes.
Multidisciplinary Opening Program
Poetry, live music, and dance performed alongside the visual works — treating the opening as a complete cultural event, not a conventional gallery reception.
Identity & Urbanism as Framework
Works exploring identity, new urbanism, architecture, and the environment — thematic threads selected for their direct engagement with contemporary city life.
Alternative Venue Exhibition Model
Presented at 35 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena — an expression of La Mancha Gallery's conviction that significant art can transform any space into a site of genuine cultural encounter.
Agile Curatorial Process
Artists brought in iteratively, the thematic framework refined through ongoing dialogue — an adaptive methodology that allowed thirty-two distinct voices to cohere without losing individuality.
One Night on the Record
Following a successful opening, the exhibition was cancelled by building owners due to a scheduling conflict. The August 21st reception stands as the exhibition's complete and definitive record.
The Roster
Thirty-two local and international artists working across painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media — each bringing a distinct visual language, together forming a dialogue across medium, culture, and geography.
How the Exhibition Was Built
The production of Encore at the Braley followed La Mancha Gallery's iterative, artist-centered curatorial methodology — beginning with the thematic framework and building outward through ongoing dialogue, collaborative refinement, and adaptive spatial planning.
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Phase 01
Discovery & Artist Identification
Exhibition themes established. Artist shortlist developed through gallery relationships and community outreach across Los Angeles and Pasadena. Criteria: practices engaging identity, urbanism, architecture, and environment.
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Phase 02
Curatorial Framework & Roster Refinement
Artists brought into iterative dialogue with the thematic structure. Roster refined for range and coherence. Consignment agreements finalized for 28 works across various media and frame sizes.
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Phase 03
Installation & Programming
Spatial plan developed for 30 linear feet at 35 South Raymond Avenue. Interdisciplinary programming — poetry, live music, dance — integrated into the opening reception arc as equal participants in the evening.
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Phase 04
Opening & Unanticipated Closure
Opening reception August 21, 2009: full attendance, successful execution of the complete program. Exhibition cancelled by building owners the following day due to a scheduling conflict. The opening night stands as the exhibition's complete and definitive record.
One Night That Holds
Encore at the Braley holds a particular place in the La Mancha Gallery archive as a demonstration, in concentrated form, of what independent curatorial practice at its most committed can produce. Not a polished institutional program handed down from a position of authority — but a living cultural space assembled through collaboration, trust, and a genuine belief in the power of contemporary art to address the world it inhabits.
The exhibition's abrupt end — cancelled by building owners after opening night — did not undercut its achievement. If anything, it made it sharper. Thirty-two artists gathered in a single room for a single evening, around questions that do not expire. The conversations were real. The opening was full. The record stands.
Artists
Consignment
on the Record
Exhibition Year
Thirty voices. One room. One night. Some exhibitions earn their place in the record not by running long, but by running true.
La Mancha Gallery
Curator & Founder — Omar Holguin
Encore at the Braley | Group Exhibition — 32 Artists
August 21–22, 2009 | 35 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA
