Finegood Gallery Stages First Exhibit of Amateur Art

Amateur artists of all ages will showcase their works at the first “Art of Our Generation” exhibit starting next Friday at the West Valley Jewish Community Center in West Hills.

Among the exhibits will be oil paintings from a 4-year-old girl and a 78-year-old man. Some of the work will be for sale.

Normally, the center’s Finegood Art Gallery is reserved for professional entries. Center officials decided to give its aspiring artists a rare opportunity to display their work, which includes oil paintings, stained glass, sketches, sculptures, watercolor and photography. A number of professionals also will show their work.

“We wanted to give them a feeling of confidence, of success,” said Bobbie Sperling, the center’s membership director. “What we’ve seen is far beyond what we anticipated.”

Altogether, 112 pieces will be shown from Aug. 3-19; only 16 of the 128 submitted works were not accepted. The artists are either members of the center or students at the facility’s art classes.