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SunSentinel News
Arts District founder opens new gallery on Lucerne Avenue
3:00 am, November 19, 2014
November is an even busier month than usual for the indefatigable Rolando Chang Barrero, artist and founder of the Boynton Beach Arts District.
In addition to finding time to paint, running the Arts District, having art walks, and children's and community events, creating new work for a solo exhibit at Florida Atlantic University's John D. MacArthur Library, and exhibiting his signature birds in an endangered species exhibit at the Scope Fair in Miami in December, Barrero is opening a fine art gallery on Lucerne Avenue in downtown Lake Worth.
"We're bringing luxury to Lucerne," Barrero said. "It's the next logical step for me."
With BBAD up and running, he can focus his attention on other ventures, and he never lacks for projects.
Occupying 1,200 square feet at 711 Lucerne Ave., next to the Bruce Webber Gallery and his Art Frame Shop, Barrero shopped around for space all summer before the space became available.
"I'm really thrilled," Barrero said. "This just fell in my lap. Lucerne Avenue is a great spot. It was Maryanne Webber's store and a pre-existing gallery that comes with a lot of good will."
Barrero has engaged the design services of Mila Troytsky of Art DOM, a design management agency.
"Maryanne was in this spot for the past 25 years," said her husband, Bruce Webber, co-founder with his wife of Lake Worth's Street Painting Festival. "We're excited to have Rolando join the neighborhood and hope it will be good for both of us."
Karla Walter, a ceramicist and art gallery specialist at Palm Beach State College, said, "Rolando is passionate about his art and about bringing people together around art. Where he goes, people go. He brings a great vibe with him and will be a huge asset to the community."
Barrero plans to showcase a variety of media from photography, to ceramics, to painting, to Juan "Erman" Gonzalez Couture hand-woven and hand-dyed clothing.
Barrero will hand pick works from a selection of Miami and Palm Beach-based artists, including a number from the Boynton Beach Arts District.
Included are photographs by Amanda Johnson and Durga Garcia, ceramicist Carlos Alves, known for his life-size mosaic pineapple at the Delray Beach Courthouse, mixed media paintings by Ilene Adams and Ali Miranda's "Panel of Taboo."
Diane Arrieta, an artist and the curator of Barrero's show at the FAU Jupiter campus, said, "Rolando is one of the hardest working artists I know, but he still has time to help other artists."
"His work has a lot of symbolism and as well as a great deal of depth and multi-layers," she said. "Showcasing his work is a great way to expose our students and the FAU community to the contemporary art in the area. I wanted to highlight this and get people to take the time to see the depth of his work."
Rolando Chang Barrero Fine Art Gallery opens from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday. Visit rolandochangbarrerofineart.blogspot.com or call 561-223-2147.
"Mi Pajaro" runs through Dec. 12 at the MacArthur Library Gallery, 5353 Parkside Drive, in Jupiter. Contact Diane Arrieta at diane.arrieta@gmail.com or 561-339-9426.