Oh yes, the Monster Cats art show is making its debut, Long Beach. Cool Cat Collective, the city’s sole space dedicated to all things furry’n’feline, opened the show on Friday the 13th and plan on running it through Halloween, per owners Jena and Matt Carr.
Wait—a Monster Cats art show and it’s in a place entirely dedicated to kitties? Yes.
A toilet paper-wrapped mummy cat. A space-floating alien cat. And a donut-eating vampire kitty. And a glowing cat-shaped dungeon. These are just a few iterations of the works at Cool Cat Collective’s inaugural Monster Cats show.
“I asked some of my favorite artists in the world to contribute to the show and I’ve been absolutely blown away by the wildly creative pieces that they produced,” Matt said. “We have a bunch of local illustrators in the show along with a few cat-centric artists from across the country.”
The lineup is rather awesome:
- Heidi Moreno (Los Angeles)
- Nellie Lê (Los Angeles)
- Danial Ryan (St. Petersburg, Florida)
- Ari Bean Things (Los Angeles)
- Rachel (Rae) Dukes (Los Angeles)
- Matthew Crumpton (Los Angeles)
- HISS (Queens, New York)
- Goyangii (San Francisco)
- Kellie Burch (New Philadelphia, Ohio)
Tallahassee, Florida-based artist Carly Berry is featuring a woodcut work and contributing a risograph print of “Lucky Cat.” If you’re unfamiliar with risograph, it is when one color is printed at a time and then layered on each other.
The story behind Cool Cat Collective and what it is.
Cool Cat Collective opened earlier this year across the street from MVPs and O’Connell’s. The whole point? Well, cats, of course. The newest addition to 4th Street’s growing business district as it sprawls beyond the confines of Retro Row, Cool Cat Collective is part humanitarian effort, part art space, part retail business that seeks to bring in All Things Kitty.
“The Collective is the compilation of our interests and love and what we’re hoping to bring more of into the world,” Jena said. “Seeing the extent of the crisis, especially in Los Angeles County, we were inspired to do something to help. But in our own funky way, bringing our experience and talent to combine fundraising with small business.”
And, well, that means everything cat-themed. Everything: Comic books—but with cats. Art prints—but with cats. Books. Ceramics. Home decor. Greeting cards. Art supplies. Clothing. Stickers. There are desktop and turntable scratchers. Pins. Candles.
Will there be more exhibits like the Monster Cats art show? Yes and yes.
Oh yes: As with the wonderful artist Nick Vargas, who was the first artist to be featured at the space, Cool Cat Collective will continue to create new shows surrounding cats. Up next, with a full profile coming soon on it? The Childless Cat Lady Art Work Shows (CCLAWS), a collaboration with local artist Stephanie Han and Page Against the Machine, the 4th Street bookstore across the street from Cool Cat.
Cool Cat Collective is located at 2741 E. 4th St. The Monster Cats art show will run through Oct. 31.
