Exhibitions

June 21 to July 25, 2026:

Before & After: Photographic Transformation

Before & After: Photographic Transformation, an exhibition curated by LBCG Board Member Kay Erickson, explores photographic manipulation. Since the discovery of the photographic process in the 1800s, artists have been using a wide variety of processes to alter, enhance, and otherwise manipulate images, often creating surreal, abstract, and otherworldly prints. Techniques included retouching with ink, airbrushing, multiple exposures, and even cutting negatives and piecing them together to create new compositions.

Digital image processing got its start in the 1960s, with Bell Labs, JPL, and MIT leading the research, often attempting to improve wire-photo conversion, and to create detailed topographic maps of the lunar surface with photos taken by satellite.

Today, complex image processing can be done on one’s cel phone with a few free apps. This has opened up the possibility for anyone to tap into photographic creativity that was previously unattainable.

Featured artists will include Samuel Brantley, Richard Burritt, Nick Capito, Dennis Doran, Roderick Hamby, Louise Ivers, Hannah Justesen, Michol Loefler, John Montich, Scout, Jessica Seville, Martha Spelman, Pia Williams, Maureen Vastardis, Lauren Zack, and Sarah Zhang.

The exhibition opens in the Rod Briggs Gallery, located at 2221 E Broadway, on Sunday, June 21st from 1-4 PM, and runs through Saturday, July 25th, 2026. The gallery is open every Friday through Sunday from 1-4 PM during the run of the show.

Special Events:

Workshop:

On Sunday, July 12, from 2-4 PM, we will be hosting a Photo Alteration Workshop, which is free and open to all ages. Participants will explore ways to alter a photograph, including cutting and pasting, adding color, and drawing. Art supplies will be provided, including color markers, magazine photos, black and white printed photos, scissors, glue, and paper. NOTE: Please bring a photo, printed or original, that you would like to alter and take home with you.

NEW: 

Due to the success of the first workshop, a second Workshop has been added on Sunday, July 19, from 2-4 PM. 

Movie Night:

A Special Double Feature
7:30 PM, Friday, July 17, 2026

Masters of Photography – Edward Steichen (1964)

Synopsis: Widely regarded as the most influential photographer of the 20th century, he was born Eduard Jean Steichen in Luxenberg 1879. He worked in every aspect of the art fashion, industrial, nature, combat, portrait and tabletop photography. As the leading curator of the New York Museum of Modern Art he created the famous “Family of Man” photography exposition in 1955. In every branch of photography up to which he laid his hand he became a master. His portraits of Gershwin, Garbo, Eugene O’Neill, Marlene Dietrich, Chaplin and George M Cohan are the definitive images by which we remember those celebrated artists. His photomurals of dams, bridges and huge buildings astonished audiences when they were first shown. In the 1920’s and 30’s he was the best known and most expensive commercial advertising photographer in New York City. A pioneer an aerial photography, during War War Two he was in charge of Naval combat camera crews. At age of 86 he reflected on his long life and and many achievements. “Photography” he said “is both ridiculously easy and impossibly difficult.”

National Geographic: The Photographers (1998)

Meet the photographers who work for National Geographic, capturing the drama and beauty of animals, landscapes, and people around the world. 

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This exhibition is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Arts Council for Long Beach, the Port of Long Beach, and the ongoing support of the Briggs Family Trust.

The LBCG is an established consortium of experienced artists, educators, and art enthusiasts engaged in creating exhibit space and opportunities for local artists through curated exhibits and events. Since 2018, the Rod Briggs Gallery has enabled the Group to consistently and professionally present the depth and diversity of artistic expression in Long Beach and the surrounding communities.

The Rod Briggs Gallery is located at 2221 East Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803. During exhibits, the gallery is open to the public Fridays through Sundays, from 1pm to 4pm. No appointment is required. More information about the group, the gallery, and the show can be found at LongBeachCreativeGroup.org. Follow them at facebook.com/LongBeachCreativeGroup, and on IG @LongBeachCreativeGroup. 

Upcoming Exhibitions

2026

Re-interpreting Rod: Group Exhibition
August 15th to September 19th, 2026

Curated by Cory Bilicko

This project proposes a dynamic, community-centered exhibition and workshop. Rather than presenting artwork as fixed or static, the exhibit positions Briggs’s work as a living foundation for dialogue, experimentation and creative exchange. By inviting contemporary artists to respond to his paintings through their own materials, perspectives and cultural lenses, the exhibit transforms a traditional gallery experience into an active conversation across time, style and community.

The primary goal of this project is to expand access to and engagement with Rod Briggs’s work while simultaneously elevating the voices of local artists. Through reinterpretation, participating artists, including Tracy Allen, Tony Barrera, Cory Bilicko, Aria Bradfield, James Brooks, Kadie Dicarlo, David Early, Susan Hawkins, Nate Jones, Calvin Konen, Jeff McMillan, Jacqueline Nguyễn, Vince Ruez-Abdo, Jamie Russom, Julio Salgado, Anna Schoendorfer, Morgan Stahlkuppe, Emily Tanaka, Bernard Vyzga, and Ivan Zuno will generate new pathways into Briggs’s themes, making them more accessible and resonant to broader and more diverse audiences. Visitors will encounter both the original works and their reinterpretations, encouraging deeper looking, critical thinking and personal connection. This layered experience fosters curiosity and invites audiences to consider how meaning evolves when art is revisited through different lived experiences.

Off the Wall: Open Call (Submit NOW!)
October 3rd to November 14th, 2026

Curated by Walter Focht

Sculpture is the primary focus of this exhibition, featuring 3D works of all kinds. Artists are invited to create free-standing objects, or bring customized pedestals to showcase their work. 

The Newly Moderne #3
December 6th to December 24th, 2026

Beloved local artist, and LBCG co-founder, Donald Tiscareno will be featured, showcasing his vibrant abstract paintings.