
The old “Electra” or SDG&E “Station #B” building located across the street from the Santa Fe Depot at the intersection of Broadway and Kettner, which was out of operation for the past 20 some years, has been resuscitated and revitalized by Bosa Development Corporation, which has transformed the building into residential units while retaining the original Spanish revitalization/art deco exterior. In a very generous move, Bosa donated space on the bottom floor to San Diego State University (SDSU) so it could open a downtown art gallery. The SDSU Gallery opened April 9 with a show titled “Divergence.” It features the work of three of SDSU’s most prominent art department alumni — John Baldessari, Deborah Butterfield and Andre Zittel. John Baldessari, considered to be a conceptual artist, earned his BA from SDSU in 1953 and an MA in 1957. He has taught at UCSD, Cal Arts, and UCLA. Two of his works are on display in the gallery: a photographic self portrait titled “Wrong (Version #2),” and a colorized, reworked photographic collage called “Two Fish.” Deborah Butterfield, who attended SDSU from 1966 to 1968, is known for her exclusive concentration on the artistic representation of horses in metal and wood. She is a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and also Montana State, Bozeman. She has one large piece in the gallery titled “Conure.” It is a slightly larger-than-life, blue, yellow and red horse made from found metal. It is the highlight of the whole exhibit. Andre Zittel earned her BA from SDSU in 1988 and is a professor at USC. She is a leading figure in the art and design field. Zittel has three pieces on display: a work of brown and black yarn art woven into a geometric form and framed, and two unusual, somewhat difficult to understand modernist furniture installations composed of carpet, wood and shelves, with objects such as baby food jars, coffee pot, cups and radio. Francesca Baglietto, an exchange student from Italy, reflected on the new gallery and said that she thought the space was, “intimate and uncluttered, giving you the opportunity to focus on each piece and connect with it.” The current exhibit will run for almost year. Curator Catherine Gleason (MA in Art History, UC Riverside) said, “This will give the gallery plenty of time to settle in, appreciate the location, become familiar with the downtown environment and get to know our potential audiences.”