The smell of pizza, burgers, and chow mein wafted down from the second-floor food court. A T-Mobile phone representative asked patrons what type of phones they had, or whether their phone carriers offered a comparable price for 4G service. Teenage couples meandered around the main floor sharing Frappuccino’s from the Starbuck’s café as they move from shop to shop, arguing over which one of them loved the other more. Everything was as would be expected in a mall like the Montclair Plaza in Montclair, Calif. Yet tucked into the far right corner of this mall was something unexpected: an art gallery, and not just a single gallery, but three, spread out on the upper floor amongst mall stores like Victoria’s Secret and Nordstrom.

The main gallery is called the Gallery SOHO and it is run by the Pomona Valley Art Association, PVAA, an entirely volunteer supported non-profit organization. From the outside, the long rectangular space showcases each art display, their sizes and topics varying along its walls, with light cascading from above to bring attention to each individual display.

Once inside, patrons are greeted by a PVAA member who can answer any questions or ring up any of the art pieces, as all of the art that is showcased is for sale. From paintings of mermaids, to art pieces incorporating metal work onto the canvas, to realistic landscapes, what could be seen from the outside becomes even clearer once inside: the topics and styles of each display is incredibly diverse.

According to the PVAA’s official website, the diversity of their artists is somewhat representative of the organization itself. The PVAA originally began when a group of painters who had been coming together in Washington Park, Pomona, held their first exhibition in the Pomona City Library in 1948. Over 60 years later, the representatives of the PVAA are proud to say that they have stayed true to their founders’ intentions, and are still, “dedicated to the stimulation of creative interest, education, and the enjoyment of art in all its various forms.”

Unfortunately, due to the location of their previous gallery, the PVAA representatives found that they just weren’t getting the kind of viewer turnout that their artists deserved.

PVAA Membership Chairman Linda Hauser, said “We called it “the basement,” because it was literally an underground space below a building in Pomona. It was by no means ideal, but it was extremely difficult to find another space that we could afford.”

It was by chance that Hauser, and PVAA president Jerius Williams, found the space in Montclair Plaza. The two had been looking for a space to hold their Annual Open Juried Art Show in May, knowing that they could gather more foot traffic if they could just find a better space for people to view it in.
“We knew we had the art covered,” said Williams. “We had faith that our artists had created beautiful pieces that people would connect with. We just needed to find a better space than ‘the basement’ that could draw more people in.”

Hauser and Williams stumbled upon an available space in the mall, and hoping that the mall’s management would rather rent the space to them for a month than have it stay empty, they set up a meeting. The mall’s management was thrilled to rent them the space, not just for the month they needed, but permanently, and the PVAA held their grand opening by the end of February.

Hauser said that moving their gallery into the Plaza was a challenge but one that has turned out to be more than worth it. “The success of our new gallery, and the success in our member’s sales has become 100 percent better after moving. The foot traffic alone, it’s just been incredible.”

Now, the event that had originally brought them to their new space, the PVAA’s Annual Open Juried Art Show is currently taking place. The event, which is having a better turnout than any of the years before, called for acquiring two more spaces, to showcase all of the entries.

For many of the artists however, the event, as with any other time they display their art, is about more than the money. Artist Linda Williamson said, “It’s more about validation of your work. There are people here who price their art higher than they know people will ever pay for their work, because they value it that much. They know that it’s not going to sell, but they still want people to see it. All that work, and most times it just sits in the closet? No, they need for others to see it, to feel that their burst of creativity isn’t just going to go unnoticed. That’s what it’s about.”

The showroom doors for the Annual Open Juried Art Show closed on Sunday, May 24, and some of the artists who participated were awarded various cash prizes for their winning submissions, but the main gallery, Gallery SOHO will remain open to the public during its normal hours.

For any additional information about the SOHO Art Gallery, and the PVAA, here are the links to their site, and Facebook Page.