Bergamot Station displays contemporary art in galleries, all in one space

With over 30 galleries and free parking, a rarity in Los Angeles, Bergamot Station is a haven for the contemporary art world. Located on 2525 Michigan Ave. in Santa Monica, Bergamot is only a 10-minute drive or quick bus ride away from the UCLA campus.

Once a stop for the Red Line trolley running from Los Angeles to Santa Monica Pier, Bergamot Station then housed factory productions before being bought by the city of Santa Monica. The city turned to developer Wayne Blank to find a use for the space, abandoned and desolate.

“I worked on a prior successful project ““ artist studios at Santa Monica Airport ““ and the city invited me to look at this old American Appliance factory, which they purchased from the railroad, to determine if I could think of a creative use for the space,” Blank said.

Bergamot opened in 1994 and has since been a hot spot for catching a glimpse into Los Angeles’ contemporary art scene. Guests may park their cars inside the industrial complex and spend a day looking at the wide variety of galleries.

“In order to make it attractive to the greatest number of visitors, they had to be very eclectic and diverse types of galleries,” Blank said. Each Bergamot gallery has its own unique “style” that contributes to the whole of Bergamot Station. For example, the relatively new Galerie Anaïs, having opened in September 2009, has been following a surrealist theme in its exhibitions.

“You can see the influence (of surrealism) in all of their work. It’s very creative, there’s a lot of imagination, some fantasy. … We’re also going to do a lecture series with Dali, Bellmer, Leonor Fini, all these surrealist artists,” said gallery director Anna Meliksetian.

In a collective gallery space such as Bergamot, a benefit to all galleries is the constant foot traffic. Visitors may be attracted to Bergamot by only one exhibition, but, according to Meliksetian, will still take a peek at what else Bergamot has to offer.

“It’s beneficial to have all the galleries in one space because when people go to see a particular artist, maybe they went particularly to that gallery but they will still stop by (other galleries),” Meliksetian said.

While Galerie Anaïs is still developing a particular brand and style, exhibiting innovative yet practical work, Bergamot old-timer the Santa Monica Museum of Art exhibits all sorts of works with the mission of education. While Bergamot predominately houses galleries and studios, Santa Monica Museum of Art is the only museum in Bergamot which, as a museum, has a completely different mission than a gallery.

“The mission of this institution, is an educational one and it allows us to really take risks. … It’s a site for discovery. It doesn’t mean you have to love everything that’s here, but we like to think that every time you walk through this door for an exhibition, there’s something that allows you to see the world in a different way than you saw it previously,” said Lisa Melandri, deputy director of exhibitions and programming.

Following the educational mission, Santa Monica Museum of Art tailors youth programs to coincide with each of its monthly exhibitions. In terms of Bergamot as a whole, having collective galleries is a way to combat the large distances one must travel in Los Angeles.

“I think having one place where you can go see a museum then see what’s on view in the 30-plus galleries, give you this one-stop shopping. It allows you to really get a sense in what’s going in the contemporary art world. … In a city like this, it can be kind of disenfranchised by its distances where it’s difficult for people to get around but this (Bergamot Station) is an extraordinary, appealing way to see art,” said Melandri.

Developer Wayne Blank has a gallery in Bergamot as well: the Shoshana Wayne Gallery, which has an emphasis on “conceptual art.” According to Wayne, Bergamot’s success was predicted from the beginning.

“I felt it would be a success from the moment it opened because it was created somewhat out of necessity due to the 1997 recession. Over the years, we continue to prosper and grow with visitors from all over the world. People continue to discover Bergamot, and there is more and more,” Blank said.