Upcoming Gallery Project Combines Art & Charity in Support of Local Street Artist in Pasadena

ALC and Ai+ Gallery in Pasadena have collaborated to present an art and sale exhibit featuring local street artist Emery Lambus who suffers from mental illness. – Courtesy photo / ALC

By Alex Cordero

Local street artist Emery Lambus will have the opportunity to display his artwork along with Andy Jin, a UC Berkeley student and founder of Art Love Charity (ALC), and Mark McFadden, an established Irish painter at AI+ Studio, on Sept. 26th in Pasadena at Ai+ Gallery.

ALC and Ai+ Gallery (owned and managed by Joann Li) have collaborated to hold an exhibition and sale for Lambus. The purpose of the gallery project is to raise funds for Lambus, a local street artist who suffers from mental illness and turns to the streets of Old Pasadena to beg for money to pay for his art supplies and food. It is also an opportunity to let everyone in the community learn about Lambus’s story of pain and tolerance, witness his artistic talent and raise funds to help an artist in need in our community.

Through this charity event, Jin will be donating all of his sales proceeds to Lambus to help him get off the streets and into his assisted living one bedroom home, which Emery calls his studio.

Lambus is a self-taught painter from Phoenix. He’s been a street artist for decades and has adapted to life with mental illness by creating his own outlet through painting.

When Lambus was a child he witnessed his mother’s murder by people who opposed his father’s, Alfred C. Lambus, involvement in the U.S. Air Force as a technical sergeant. He has endured social injustice and has participated in civil rights movements, which are often expressed in his works of art.

Despite Lambus’s somber backstory he has been able to find happiness and maintain a healthy state of mind through painting.

Lambus will be the primary artist featured at the upcoming charity project but he will be sharing the spotlight with local Pasadenian and founder of ALC, Andy Jin.

Through ALC, Jin has been recognized for his philanthropic efforts with awards from former Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich and former City of Walnut Mayor Mary Su.

ALC primarily consists of student volunteers who serve communities by helping the needy through art.

Another artist who will be participating in this charity project will be McFadden, an Irish painter who recently added HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco to his list of buyers.

McFadden is an oil painter of literary figures on large canvases using only a palette knife, creating texture to bring an oil painting to life. Some of his pieces include portraits of Sylvia Plath and JD Salinger.

The charity event has also been able to name Pasadena City Mayor Terry Tornek their guest of honor. Mayor Tornek has agreed to attend the art exhibit at Ai+ Gallery on the afternoon of Sept. 26.

With enough participation from our community this project will support a local street artist in need and help him continue to make his living selling his art instead of having to beg on the streets of Pasadena.

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