Ana Godinez named art curator at Stay Gallery

DOWNEY – One year ago, Ana Godinez stumbled upon the Barely Even Human exhibit at Stay Gallery. Having been an art major at USC, she was intrigued by the idea of an art gallery existing within Downey.

Being as occupied as she was with work and school, her devotion to art led her to becoming a volunteer.

As Stay Gallery and its parent organization Downey Art Vibe grew, so did her involvement. Godinez is now a part of Downey Art Vibe’s Stay: Engaged, a program that gives high school and college students an opportunity to learn about gallery management, community outreach, and nonprofit development.

Godinez first began by assisting Creative Director Gabriel Enamorado with the installation of art exhibits, and has now taken on the title of Art Curator.

“As the Art Curator, I am responsible for all communication with artists,” she said. “I reach out to local talent for future exhibits through in-person interviews, and I manage and arrange the selected artwork with the artists. Whether it is an individual artist or group of artists, new exhibits open every First Friday at Stay Gallery.”

Godinez, along with other Stay Gallery team members, are currently developing summer art workshops. They will target students of all ages, and will revolve around clay, watercolor, drawing and painting. Of the four, Godinez will be teaching two.

The summer art workshops are one of many projects being delivered through the Stay: Young initiative.

“The Stay: Young initiative combines my passion for art and education, to cater to the local youth in Downey,” Godinez said. “It gives them the chance to experience local art exhibits, field trips, art festivals, internship opportunities, and art education programs. Stay: Young’s partnership with DUSD is the reason why students continue coming back to Stay Gallery.”

“When we built Stay Gallery, it was built for local artists to display their work, for Downey’s youth to be inspired, and for the community as a whole to come together,” added Enamorado. “Ana, and the rest of the Stay team are products of the creativity that this place has fostered.”

Godinez will be exhibiting her own work at Stay Gallery on July 5.