DOWNEY - Last Saturday, Stay Gallery opened its doors to its second photography exhibit for September, "Camera Creeps." More than 425 patrons walked through the doors during the opening on Saturday night. A vibrant, young crowd vibed out with jazzy hip-hop played live by DJ's Miss J Heart & Wolfie. The gallery walls were adorned with over 40 framed photographs and collages, each having their own twisted story and meaning to the members of Camera Creeps, a Southern California camera club established in 2012.

"Our goal isn't to necessarily create something beautiful, rather to share the realities that we see whether they are captivating or disturbing" said Joe Segura, visual artist and member of the Camera Creeps.

Camera Creeps consists of five members each with distinct styles and approaches towards capturing their surroundings. Going away from modern digital photography, members have a strict policy of exclusively shooting with film only. The five members are Paul Carrillo, Jordan Burgundy, Andrew Quesada, Sifry Borrayo and Joe Segura.

Camera Creeps gained much of their notoriety recently through social media. In return, they began offering merchandise branded with their logos and artwork that quickly flew off of their shelves. Much of their merchandise was available for purchase during the opening night.

Although Stay Gallery is still technically under construction, they put the work on pause to host both the "Camera Creeps" exhibit and the previous exhibit, "aproductof".

The "Camera Creeps" exhibit was cut short to continue renovations at the gallery, which include a loft office space, two ADA-approved bathrooms, a bar and retail area, complete LED lighting system, projector and sound system, and resurfaced walls. Stay Gallery celebrates its one year anniversary next month, and is planning a two-night celebration Oct. 10-11.

The Oct. 10 event is geared towards thanking the City of Downey, sponsors, volunteers, staff, artists and everyone who has supported the gallery along the way. If you'd like to be a part of this special night, please email your RSVP plus guests to info@stay-gallery.com

Oct. 11 is the opening of a very exciting exhibit entitled "Bones of Steel," which features industrial sculptures by Cristian Castro. This is a special exhibit for the Stay Gallery team, and urge everyone in the community to come enjoy the evening.

More information on the opening night can be found on their website: www.stay-gallery.com

********** Published: Sept. 26, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 24