New Gallery in Torrance Presents Artists’ Views of Social Concerns

When artist Peggy Sivert Alley took over a closed restaurant in a Torrance shopping center, her plan was to turn it into a studio.

A studio she got. But with so much leftover space, she decided to create an art gallery. With the catchy name Minus Zero, it opened Friday on Pacific Coast Highway at Calle Mayor.

It’s a gallery with a twist, because Alley’s plan is not to spotlight individual artists, but to build shows around social, political and environmental issues, as reflected in the work of several artists.

“The issues are coming up strongly,” said Alley, ticking off the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, environmental pollution and endangered species. “Artists are ready to respond, to say something that needs to be said. . . . We decided this was the place we could do it.”

The March show, in which 12 artists are showing 20 pieces that include paintings, photography, sculpture and assemblage, is on “Environmental Responsibility.” There are both positive and negative views of the world, with a brilliantly colored cityscape shown alongside a painting dominated by a brown swirl of polluted urban air.

One work is being created during the show, with visitors to the gallery writing on a moveable white wall what they think is the greatest environmental threat. By writing something on the wall, people make their own statement about the environment, said artist Jan Gray, and to do that they must expand their own vision. He has stenciled TV screens and drawn an endangered deer as a starting point for the work.

In addition to monthly shows, Alley will feature art by children and plans evening poetry readings, jazz and video showings.

The Hermosa Beach artist, who grew up in Rolling Hills Estates, said she went into the venture with no gallery management experience. But she had a ready model in L.A. Art Installation One in Encino, where artists pay dues and get free gallery space provided by a corporation. That group also bases its shows on themes.

At Minus Zero, Alley selects the artworks based on slides submitted by artists, saying that there is no shortage of good work to select from. Artists in a show pay $50, as well as 50% of their sales during the exhibition.

Alley, who said she has spent $3,000 to fix up the storefront and prepare the first show, got a break from shopping center owner Paris Zarabian, who is a friend. He is not charging her for the space, which she said normally would rent for $2,500 a month.

But there is a “for lease” sign in the window, and Alley is subject to being moved elsewhere in the center--or out altogether--as stores rent. She said her goal is for the gallery to earn enough to pay rent and become a secure tenant.

“I have nothing to lose,” she said, adding that she wants to display art that says something about important issues. “If I do this, I have a good chance at success. I’m not aiming to make a bunch of money.”