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| Final Sunset of the Year Sunset on Pacific Boulevard Looking East from 55th Street, Huntington Park, California, 12-31-07 |
In 2007 I moved in with my girlfriend into a house in Huntington Park, an urban city four miles south of Central Los Angeles. I inherited two dogs with the property. Leigh and I are closer than ever before and very happy with our new domestic situation. I got her carpeting and blinds for Christmas and she was ecstatic.
I started a new job in July at Gallery C. I am curating shows there, my title is: Exhibitions Director. It is a high profile gig to be sure. My big accomplishments there in 2007 were:
-Greenlighted CalAsia, a successful group show curated by Chip Tom featuring the work of Ruth Asawa, Emily Cheng and photographer Arthur Ou
-Curated Recent Paintings, a solo show the artist Kenny Harris
-Curated Onshore Flow a solow show of painter Roland Reiss
On my first day there I let 27 artists go and 13 more followed a week later. We have a team in place now to do some serious art world reshuffling.
I Published 6 issues of Coagula Art Journal after hiring Scarlet Cheng to be the editor of my magazine in June. I published a book of poetry that I had written in 1993.
My podcast, The Mat Gleason 7 was a big hit over at ArtScene Visual Radio.
At the I-5 Gallery in Downtown L.A., I curated New Year in Black and White as well as jurying a fundraiser for the non-profit OPEN CALL Brewery Art show in May. As president of the Non-profit there, I oversaw the Spring and Fall Brewery Artwalk, but that too has a team of good, committed and hard-working people, so I am not taking credit for this massive event actually taking place.
In 2007, I was on teevee a lot – two episodes of YOUR LA and an episode of ART or NOT for Ovation Network. That one got some play.
My baseball blog, Halos Heaven, had its millionth unique visitor. I was chosen by ESPN.com to write the Face of the Franchise as the representative blogger for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Sporting News chose me to participate in a celebrity Strat-O-Matic league in the offseason, with Strat players such as Curt Schilling and Howard Stern producer Gary “Baba-Booey” Dell’albate. The LA Times chose me to write a 5-part editorial on the steroid scandal, debating the issue with New York Sun columnist Tim Marchman. I hosted a weekly fantasy baseball internet radio show on Karma Air.com entitled Karmaball.
I was happy with my poker playing this year although I did not do as much of it as in recent years due to my real-world job obligations.
Travelling: Leigh and I went to Vegas two times, we went to Ventura for two nights and saw Morrissey perform there, and we stayed in Anaheim for two nights for Opening Day.