South Bay Contemporary

South Bay Contemporary existed previously as a non profit art museum located in Torrance, CA, founded in 1990 as a charitable corporation. The goals of the museum were similar to the current goals for South Bay Contemporary.
The 501c3 corporation was dissolved (in 1997).

Peggy Sivert (Peggy Zask) was president – director in both cases.
Mission and Guiding Principles
Our mission statement is, “South Bay Contemporary: Bridging art, science and humanities through exhibitions and experimental projects serving the South Bay.”

Our goal is to expand the outreach of fine art in our community by combining each of our shows and events with some aspect of science or humanities (but not necessarily both). In doing so, we hope to show how art inspires and is inspired by the many fields of human concern.

For example, our 2014 fall show Transforming Feminisms explored the social and humanitarian aspects of society’s changing views on women and feminism. Our May 2015 show Visualizations in Art and Science highlighted the way that both artists and scientists use visual media as a way to improve their understanding of the world.

Our vision statement is, “South Bay Contemporary: Engaging the community in reflection of the meaning and relevance of contemporary art.”
One of our biggest dreams is to get people who are not involved in the art world to take an interest and participate and to consider how art shapes their world and how they can shape art.

History and Programming
South Bay Contemporary began in July of 2013. Since then, we have hosted dozens of art exhibitions, artist talks and workshops. At the beginning of 2015 we moved to The Loft in San Pedro, part of the city’s Arts, Culture and Entertainment District.

Our shows have covered themes and topics such as feminism, science, recycling, mental illness and therapy. We have shown paintings, sculpture, assemblage, digital media and more.
We have also worked with other nonprofit organizations that relate to our mission, notably the Surfrider Foundation and the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation (HCBF).

During our previously mentioned Visualizations in Art and Science, we teamed up with the HCBF and Cabrillo Avenue Elementary School to put together a month-long science and art themed project for 2nd and 4th graders, culminating in a student exhibition at our gallery.

Planning and Leadership
In the next two years our goal is to be on the path to achieving a permanent location in San Pedro devoted to contemporary art that relates to people’s lives. Our short-term goals include a rebranding of SBC, increased marketing, strong exhibitions to continue building our reputation and efforts to ingrain ourselves into the South Bay art scene with support from the broader community.

Specifically, we have contracted professional designers to assist in our rebranding efforts. We have begun planning for video promotions in hopes of expanding our presence on the Internet and social media.
We have an active Board of Directors who meet at least four times a year. They contribute creatively and financially in setting our path forward.

Community and Core Audience
Our core audience tends toward middle-aged residents of San Pedro and the South Bay. We would like to expand our community to include more young adults, people of all socio-economic backgrounds, and especially people who are not currently active participants in the art world.

Artistic Policy
Each show comes about through a curatorial process, in which a prospective curator submits a proposal for the exhibition, identifying the theme, artists involved and how the show relates to our mission. Our curatorial committee reviews each proposal and accepts those which adhere to our mission and contain strong aesthetic value.
Artists who show works in our gallery are permitted to offer those works for sale. If sold, we keep 50% of the sales price and the rest goes to the artist.
In the future, we would like to be able to fund an artist residency program, but we have no such plans in the works now.