Two local artists, Keith Ballard and Rebecca Ustrell of the collective Claremont Temporary, were invited by L.A. County Fair officials in late January to curate an art exhibit at the Millard Sheets Art Center. With only two months to organize, they assembled "Play Pavilion," a community-driven show featuring 63 artists from the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley, including notable names like Chicano graffiti pioneer Chaz Bojórquez and album cover designer John Van Hamersveld. The exhibit runs through May 31 at the fair, which has the theme "Play Your Way."
This matters because the exhibit brings contemporary art to a broad, non-traditional audience—fairgoers who might not visit a typical gallery or museum. By transforming a 12,000-square-foot gallery into a playful, accessible space, the curators demonstrate how local artists can leverage community partnerships to reach the masses. The show also highlights the grassroots energy of emerging curators who, despite limited experience and resources, successfully staged a large-scale exhibition that could serve as a model for similar collaborations between fairs and local art collectives.