Corgi Art Show Opening & Party

Art

Corgi Art Show Opening & Party

March 23, 2020 By Joshua Ching

In the past before I got my dog I would hit up as many corgi-themed events as I could in order to get recommendations on reputable breeders as well as just have the opportunity to see corgis. Ever since I got a corgi of my own I feel I’ve been hitting up way more corgi and dog-themed events in general and just so I can get my dog socialized with other dogs as well as just get to know and meet other dog owners. I feel if it wasn’t for me having a corgi of my own I would have passed on this art show given that the opening reception was in the evening and the distance the venue was from my house.

The venue, MADE by Millworks was a location I was unfamiliar with and after attending this show the best way I could describe it is that it is as hipstery as they can get. Located in the heart of Downtown Long Beach MADE by Millworks is attached to the Elinor Drinkery, a bar and beer/wine lounge which has quite a large amount of space which looks like they use to host concerts and wine and paint parties, and other special events. MADE by Millworks is a fairly large venue but despite its size only a small portion of it was devoted to the gallery while the rest was for retail part of their business. I’m not sure if this is how they usually have things or if this is just how they had things set up, but even though they didn’t have that much space devoted to the art exhibition they did cram as many pieces as they could on the walls. Looking back at my photos there were over 60 individual pieces on display which makes this one of the largest exhibitions I have ever been to.

The art on display was a fairly good mix of mediums from acrylics, to water color, to pencils and chalks, to mixed media collages, to even a few photographs. Out of all the pieces that were on display I think the ones that really had an impact on me were the photographs. It wasn’t because that they touched me emotionally or anything but it was because while photographing and documenting the pieces I met Brett Freger, one of the photographers who took some of the pictures on display and he asked me if I was the other photographer who had pictures displayed. I told him “no they’re not mine, but maybe someday.” That brief interaction just really stuck in my head because it gave me a new level of what I should aspire to.

When I started this blog it was for three main reasons.

1. An outlet which I can express myself and my opinion.
2. A way of showcasing my abilities to potential employers.
3. A digital presence which I could use to try to claim myself as a legitimate media outlet so that I could apply for media credentials for various events.

Until I talked to Freger I never thought about displaying my photographs as art pieces. If anything I thought maybe I could find work doing promotional photography for companies but that was it, but now I’m thinking I should really practice my photography skills and try to create photos that are good enough to be put on display somewhere. This is just more motivation that I really need to get out there and shoot more as well as really learn more post-production techniques.

One thing I was surprised about this show is that there weren’t as many corgis present as I thought there would be. Considering that this event had the endorsement of So Cal Corgi Nation, the people behind So Cal Corgi Beach Day I figured there would be a whole lot of corgis on site. I don’t know if it’s because we got there late but while there was a steady trickle of people with dogs coming in and out there probably were no more than a half dozen dogs or so in the gallery at any given time. I did see a few corgis in the bar area when I went to use the bathroom so I figured most people wandered in saw the artwork and decided to just hang out in the bar afterwards.

For the sake of organization I thought I’d start my recap by taking a look at the dogs first.

Here’s the first group of corgis I met when I walked in.

Eventually the really fluffy one decided it didn’t want to walk anymore so its owner picked it up. Just look how fluffy it is.

Here’s a golden retriever/corgi mix which is physical proof that if you crossbreed a corgi with a non-corgi the resulting offspring look like corgis in disguise.

Here’s my own corgi, Scooter taking a break from trying to wrestle with all the other dogs. I’m still in the process of trying to get Scooter to calm down when he’s in public especially when he see other dogs. Usually he likes to lay on the floor like he’s trying to hide from them in plain site, but if he has a chance to play with other dogs he will go crazy.

This tri-colored corgi was the loudest one there who was barking at pretty much everybody and everything that would get close to her. According to her owner she was only like 4 months old so she still has some training to do.

Here’s a cute little guy sitting comfy in his dog stroller.

This is Mr. Pickles, the official corgi ambassador for So Cal Corgi Beach Day. I was a bit surprised that out of all the dogs who showed up he was the only one to have an accident inside the venue and he peed on the floor. I’m curious if he’s not properly trained or if his owners forgot to give him a bathroom break. Either way you would think that as the official corgi ambassador they would have had the hindsight to make sure his bathroom needs were already taken care of.

This little girl was having so much fun with her ball and kept offering it up to anybody who would play with her. I made the mistake of throwing the ball a few times for her and she wouldn’t leave me alone. Eventually while I was on my way out I caught her wandering around MADE by Millworks with the ball in her mouth looking for somebody to play with her.

That’s it for dog pictures I was able to capture at the site, like I said it was a bit surprising that there weren’t more corgis on site. I think it was a good mix of timing and people just preferring to hang out in the bar rather than the gallery.

Here’s all the artwork from the show. With all the pieces on display it was tempting to split this into 2 parts but honestly I decided not to since I couldn’t think of a good way to bullshit an intro for a second part.

Mama by Ellen Surrey

Almost Ready! By Benson Shum

Little Corgi Ready to Play by Benson Shum

Corgi in Green Bowtie by Benson Shum

Emmet & Cooper by Peter Belcher

Pool Party by Carrie Wagner

The Chase by Carrie Wagner

Mr. Pickles by Peter Belcher

Frisbee by James Suhr

Snow Time by Tania del Rio

Green Time by Tania del Rio

Beach Time by Tania del Rio

Leaf Time by Tania Del Rio

Corgi Volks-waggin’ by Steamer Lee

Head in the Clouds by Steamer Lee

West Coast Welsh by Steamer Lee

Pacific Pembroke Pup by Steamer Lee

THC – Tropical House Corgi by Jessica Wilmart

Obi Wan on a Corgi by Mike R. Baker

Space Corg by Pan-the-Corgi

Kabbalistic Corgi by Elan Rodger Trinidad

Corgi Beach Day by Stephanie Han

Yum by Margot Vernier AKA L’atelier -Bestchien

Corgis in Wonderland by Margot Vernier AKA L’atelier -Bestchien

Man’s Best Friend by Brett Frager

Day of the Dead by Brett Frager

King of Corgis by Brett Frager

A Day at the Races by Brett Freger. This was my favorite piece of the entire exhibition. That look of defeat on the corgi that fell over is priceless.