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“Introducing mainstream art to the Korean community”
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[Juliet Lee, CEO of AJL ART Gallery]
OC responds to 'Korean Art Gallery'
Opened in Buena Park in May.
First Child Fund Donation
Ideas such as Rana Beach Artist Exhibition
“We will develop it into a space that introduces mainstream art to the Korean community.”
This is the gallery management direction announced by CEO Juliet Lee, who established AJL Art Gallery in Buena Park Plaza last month. Representative Lee emphasized the geographical advantages of Orange County. “Look at Laguna Beach, where the annual art festival is held. It is a city where famous artists live, and when an art festival is held, artists from all over the state flock to it. However, it is difficult to find Koreans living in Orange County.”
She met CEO Lee at the gallery and heard her story, saying that she wants to introduce the works of mainstream artists to Koreans whenever the opportunity arises.
CEO Lee is a former flight attendant of Korean Air. She immigrated to Hawaii in 1976 after she married businessman Daniel Lee. She ran a gift shop and electronics store, and also ran a real estate development business with her husband. I settled in OC in 2014.
Representative Lee created the gallery in one of the two buildings in the Buena Park Plaza that she purchased in 2008. It is approximately 2,800 square feet in size, including exhibition halls and offices.
Representative Lee, who said that she decided to open a gallery in December of last year, said, “She has never done art, but she liked appreciating paintings. She saw an exhibition in LA and was so impressed with her that she plucked up the courage to open a gallery,” she explains.
She went through trial and error when converting an office that was being remodeled into a gallery. CEO Lee said, “There were a lot of things to be concerned about, including the lighting, but we tackled them one by one. I felt very rewarded,” he said. Coordinator Kelly Lee was hired to help run the gallery and prepare for the exhibition.
There are almost no Korean-run galleries in OC. Because it is difficult to make a profit, even if a gallery is created, it cannot last long. CEO Lee said, “The building is mine, so I don’t worry about rent. Several Korean artists said they were happy to have a Korean gallery in OC. I hope it will help them too.”
CEO Lee emphasized that he wants his gallery to serve as a cradle of art. He said, “Rather than focusing on renting an exhibition space, I want to help talented artists grow. We also try to organize exhibitions carefully. We are planning an invitational exhibition of Laguna Beach’s famous artists and an exhibition of works by Impressionist painters.”
Representative Lee is also active in Korean group activities. Currently, he serves as the president of the Southern California Korean Airline Cabin Crew Association (KASA) and is a member of the OC branch of the Global Children's Foundation.
At the first exhibition commemorating the opening of the gallery on the 10th of last month, CEO Lee presented works by artists Kang Hyun-ae, Eric Gerdau, and Fred Stoder, who are active in OC and neighboring areas. The gallery's share of the proceeds from the exhibition, which ended earlier this month, was delivered to the OC branch of the Global Children's Foundation.
