THE LA ART BOX IS CLOSING! WE NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE

Hello.

My name is Bernie Bernardo, and I’m the Filipina owner of The LA Art Box. I wanted to do something great for the FilAm community and beyond, and now I humbly ask for your help. At this juncture, The LA Art Box will be closing its doors at the end of December; I ask for your kind support today. I was hoping for a last-minute investor or a community benefactor, but sadly, this is not a foreseeable reality.

My space is the first Filipina-owned space on the West Coast on this famous street. I chose Melrose to ensure that our Filipino narratives and all stories from communities of color have representation in greater LA. I was determined to have Filipino narratives seen and put in front of the mainstream audience. Los Angeles has the highest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippines, so from Day 1, our space needed to be in a diverse and known area of LA.

The LAAB's initial funding at the first opening was a successful crowdfunding community campaign; I hope to repeat that success. I've survived a lot and have pivoted quickly and appropriately, but these last few months have not been kind with bridging the gap between primary operating and revenue. And then, as life went on, other unfortunate circumstances occurred. Then just recently, in September, a high-profile contract cancellation that would have generated enough revenue to cover 5-months' worth of rent was unexpectedly canceled. I could have fought the contract terms, but I no longer have the financial means to fight this celebrity estate as a small business owner. Many would say I should have given up already but I did not. These are all experiences and learnings, so I tried to persevere and move forward to no avail.

As the founder and now the sole owner, I have personally invested over 350,000 dollars of my savings over the last two years to stay operational, provide our employees a living wage and supplement the 4-month delay of our gallery opening due to the pandemic. Lending institutions have not been a resource due to the recent challenges with SBA loans for NACIS businesses marked as "entertainment." I have tapped into my assets, savings, and retirement funds to sustain this business. I have faced the reality that I can no longer operate The LA Art Box without further compromising my future. My family and sons inspired this space; I have reached the point that if I continue to do everything to keep The LAAB open, I will compromise how I care for them and care for myself.

I started this GoFundMe to raise funds to cover the gaps between rent, cover my last contracts, operating costs, minimal labor costs, and fulfilling final closing bills, especially to those who helped me as small business owners themselves. Suppose you have ever visited, seen, heard or exhibited at The LA Art Box; in that case, I am hoping your generosity through your GuFundMe donation will help with expenses and ultimately aid with liabilities typical when one closes a business.

Since early 2020, The LA Art Box has redefined what it means to identify as an “art gallery” to become an inclusive community space. Fondly called by many as "The LAAB," the gallery is a multi-faceted community space where storytelling meets purpose, relevancy, inclusivity, creativity and experience. In the two years since The LAAB was established, it quickly became a community building and platform space for Filipino Americans and other Black and brown creatives. The LA Art Box did this by curating and showcasing artists' exhibits, installations, and community forums, hosting PRIDE celebrations, AAPI self-care workshops, a fundraising benefit for The LAAB, The National Forestry Foundation and Mental Health in partnership with private clients and more. I offered the gallery to young artists and organizations at a low-cost rate to allow them to show their work. We also put the gallery as a "donation-only" space for exhibits like Luminarium and FilAm exhibits like Belonging: A Filipino American Arts & Culture Experience to ensure that these exhibits were accessible. All of these may have been too generous. I know that now.

The Filipino American and POC communities need a prominent cultural / art/community space to continue our cultural and artistic narratives. I am very committed to continuing to create a platform where artists and audiences can unite while covering challenging topics about race, gender, trauma and class structures.

The LA Artbox served Artists from communities of color, LGBTQIA+, Women, and last but not exclusively, my Filipino American community. I hope we all continue to #risetogether, if not in this current space and certainly not today, but in due time for someone to continue our storytelling in Los Angeles. Kapwa and Kababayan ALWAYS.

During all these events, benefits and exhibits, I saw the beauty of The LA Art Box and how holding such a space can be a HOME and a place of LEARNING & CELEBRATION for Filipino Americans and others. I saw mothers and grandmothers smile with pride seeing their sons/daughters/grandchildren's work. None of these first moments can ever be replaced. Providing this space for our LA FilAm Community and beyond has been an honor and a privilege.

I want to thank my family and friends for their unconditional support. I am proud. I am humbled. I cried. I made mistakes. I learned. I loved. I cared. I will forever hold in the highest regard that I am Filipina and belong to a loving and rich culture.

Salamat to all ALWAYS.

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