� By TIFFANY RIDER

Staff Writer

W ith years of experience as an art execu-tive professional working from South

America up to North America, Alex Slato isenthusiastic about being the executive direc-tor of the ArtExchange.To be located on Long Beach Boulevard at

3rd Street, the ArtExhcange is a public-privatesector project that Slato says will act as an an-chor for the arts community in Long Beach,bringing the city’s three museums, several artgalleries and the artists themselves together.Prior to his involvement with the ArtEx-

change, Slato studied mass media at the Uni-versidad Catolica Andres Bello in Caracas,Venezuela. He later served as the executivedirector of Valor-Arte Gallery and AuctionHouse in Caracas, where he says he in-creased annual gross sales revenue from$500,000 to $6.8 million, expanded interna-tional sales offices in Miami, Mexico Cityand Buenos Aires, and exported more than3,800 pieces by Venezuelan artists to inter-national markets. Over the last seven years, Slato put his efforts

into what he describes as a pillar of culture inthe East Village Arts District – the Museum ofLatin American Art (MOLAA). The founder ofthe museum, Dr. Robert Gumbiner, recruitedhim in early 2002 when he was working inMiami. There, Slato served as deputy director,associate director and vice president of exhibi-tions and special events. When MOLAA was inthe rebuilding phase, Slato’s goal was to put themuseum on the map.“For many years I traveled the U.S., went to

every Latin American show, I did lectures onLatin American art and I sort of tied MOLAAto all different existing museums not only inthe U.S. but in South America,” he says. Dur-ing the last few years of his work withMOLAA, Slato became a member of theboard for the proposed ArtExchange project.Once the physical aspects of the museum werecomplete, the opportunity to get more involvedwith the ArtExchange came along.“It was sort of a way to begin a new rela-

tionship with the city,” he says. “Having allthat experience building an institution andbuilding the community support of a museumlike this – for me it was just a great opportu-

nity. To take everything that I had from build-ing a museum, and prior to that being in thearts, to now developing a space in the city.”Slato left MOLAA in October of last year

after submitting his resume for the open posi-tion of executive director of the ArtExchange.He earned the spot in November. “For me, it was really important because I

was in a bubble. I know Latin American art isan important thing, but I hardly got to knowthe city. I saw that this was an incredible op-portunity for me to get to know the arts in thecity and really engage that,” he says.Slato’s enthusiasm for the ArtExchange pours

through his passion for art and community. Thegoal of the project, he says, is to transfer knowl-edge and inspiration between artists and enthu-siasts and create an art market for Long Beach.The facilities will include about 15 art studios

for rent, an art gallery, a shop for glassmakingand industrial art and a courtyard for events. Al-though the ArtExchange building will be a hubfor artists, Slato says the ArtExchange isn’t justabout artists working inside the building.“This is for the general artist in town,” he

says. “It’s to create a synergy between artists,because we don’t have a market in town, andwe do not have an anchor in town.”

Slato says he hopes to build and grow hisongoing relationship with California StateUniversity, Long Beach (CSULB) through hisnew position. In 2005, Slato brought an art stu-dent from the university to exhibit at MOLAA,and from there has continued to work with artstudents and graduates from CSULB. “I’m looking at getting the best of the MFAs

[master of fine arts] in a show,” he says. “I’mready to help the artists who are graduating todevelop as well. The university and the ArtEx-change are perfect complements. The universityteaches the concepts and the theories; we’rehere to develop the practical part as well.”

At the same time, Slato says the ArtEx-change will serve as a connector for all otherart institutions in town – from Long BeachMuseum of Art to small galleries like As-cend Gallery.“The exchange . . . is going to be an anchorfor the community to come to learn aboutart, to develop their skills, but to also sharetalent, information and resources,” he says.“It’s going to become an economic catalyst.The train is here and the bus is here. This isnot just for the downtown. This is a place forpeople from L.A. to take the train and comein and take classes. People from OrangeCounty can take PCH [Pacific Coast High-way] and come in and take classes.”The idea for the project came into fruition

after a case study done by the originalfounders of the ArtExchange concept – oneof whom is California State Sen. AlanLowenthal. An example observed in thestudy is The Torpedo Factory, an old manu-facturing structure utilized during wartimethat is now a popular tourist destination fullof artist studios, where visitors can buy artand observe it in the making. The study in-volved traveling to The Torpedo Factory andother such places to understand how these artcenters engage both artists and the widercommunity. One main difference between the ArtEx-

change and The Torpedo Factory, Slato says,is that the ArtExchange will embrace allsorts of visual arts.“A lot of The Torpedo Factory is tradi-

tional, and I think Long Beach is beyond tra-ditional already,” he said. “We have anincredible university with a huge school ofarts and a great film school. Art and visualart has new media and new technology, soit’s about keeping a balance with traditionalarts, but everything that is coming out isusing new technology.”Slato says Long Beach has a growing arts

community that is coming together like a de-licious stew.“I like to always compare art with other

things I love, like food,” he says. “I think allof that is also visual, and it enhances thesenses. You’ve got all of the ingredientschopped, you’ve got a wonderful soup and allyou need is to thicken the stew. Everything iscoming together. You can see it and you can

smell it, and you can see the flavors integratingin that meal. But those things you put in at theend to make it complete – the finishingtouches – I think Long Beach is going throughthat right now.”Slato says the arts community is finally feel-

ing support from the city in a more committedway than in previous years, especially with theLong Beach Redevelopment Agency’s (RDA)investment in an area he says, “is in great needof cultural use to create connectivity.”The City of Long Beach approved an envi-

ronmental impact report for the project, and afeasibility study has been completed. Slatosays the architectural designs and drawings arebeing executed, with the RDA taking care ofthe brick-and-mortar capital expenses. The focus for the ArtExchange now, ac-

cording to Slato, is internal organization.This includes developing policies and proce-dures, internal structure and strategic andfundraising plans. “It’s up to us now to really look for the pro-

gramming money and get everything started.That’s the phase that we are in right now –building programs, getting the 2011 calendarready, figuring out what’s the opening exhibi-tion. It’s really a lot of fun right now.”Slato says the ArtExchange is about a year

and a half away from completion and that heand the board are currently working on devel-oping programming and exhibits as well asforming community partnerships. On July 10, the ArtExchange is hosting its

first fundraising event where it will give booksfrom the now-closed Acres of Books back tothe community. Attendees can fill an originalfruit crate from the 1950s or 60s for $25 withsome of the 20,000 books left in the buildingstarting at 3:30 p.m. The Summer And Musicconcert series is sponsoring a swing concert inthe lot adjacent to the building starting at 5p.m., along with a classic car show.For more information on the ArtEx-

change, visit www.artexchangelb.org or call562/491-0278. �

A Conversation With . . . ArtExchange Executive Director Alex Slato

July 2010

Alex Slato is the executive director of the ArtExchange, which is scheduled to open in late 2011 on Long Beach Boulevard at 3rd Street in Downtown Long Beach.(Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)