Rock Rose Gallery

Painting class. First time I’ve done since I was a kid. A ton of fun. And was a great environment.

I had the privilege of visiting the gallery and found it very impressive, peaceful and full of amazing art. The owner has has a great eye for art, giving soul and overall concern for the community and the greater good for all humanity. Would definitely visit again…

Amazing venue! Had a blast hanging in Highland Park. Great Art show by Rosaics’ Rose Portillo, saxophonist Tracy Caldwell and Poetess Zoe Blaq. Rosamaria is the consummate host!

Rosamaria, the owner, who also happens to run «rock rose productions» has a big heart and a lot of enthusiams for the neighborhood, local artists, and the fight against HIV/​AIDs. (For anyone whose been to her place, this is obvious, as their is a giant sign out front to tell you so).
I was there for a mixer recently, where we had an opportunity to see the latest project, which asked local artists to work in mediums out of their normal comfort zone. It was fascinating to see the results, which as you might imagine were quite interesting. I would encourage anyone who has the chance to check out Rock Rose, especially during the local second saturdays put on by the Arroyo Arts Collective. Yes, its not in the «best» neighborhood, but its not nearly as bad as some of the other Unilocalers would have you believe!

I don’t know what the gallery looks like most of the time, but I was here on Friday for The Niapele Project’s World Refugee Day 2008, and was very impressed.
Let me warn all you OCers that the drive to the gallery was a little disconcerting. I know my husband was wondering what kind sketchy neighborhood I was dragging him into for yet another « Unilocal thing.» Once we found Rock Rose Gallery though, we could tell we were with the right crowd. The tiny place was packed with what seemed like a genuinely cool bunch of people. The artist whose photographs were being shown even introduced himself at the door. Inside, we found a down to earth crowd drinking free rum with izze juice mixers and a table of apps. You could tell that these people were passionate about their cause and a lot of trouble had been taken to get the message across and to make the place look great.
I liked that there were lots of things to look at: refugee-​made art, jewelry and clothing, the photography exhibit, live music and even a documentary. Sitting outside on the patio sipping our drinks and listening to the beats made us feel like we were at a house party. Good vibes all around and a big thanks to Jenny W. for posting this event — thank you!