Friday, October 16, 2026
“There are very few fine art fairs in Long Beach,” Stuart Friedman, events coordinator for the West End Arts Visual Arts Guild, said. “There are lots of crafts fairs over the summer, boardwalk fairs, but there’s really nothing like this.”
More than 20 local and regional artists presented their work at the fifth annual Long Beach Fine Art Expo, held in the Allegria Hotel’s grand ballroom on Oct. 4. The space was filled with paintings, photography, drawings, pastel work and digital art. The Allegria has hosted the gathering biannually, each May and October, for the past five years.
The expo, coordinated by the West End Arts Visual Arts Guild and the Long Beach Art League of New York, gives area artists an opportunity to showcase their work and, hopefully, sell it to appreciative art enthusiasts. The organizations also work throughout the year to share the work of local artists at boardwalk festivals, artist booths at the weekly Arts In The Plaza and other area presentations.
“We have monthly shows at the library — we rotate through monthly or bimonthly,” Stefani Jarrett, of the Long Beach Art League, said. “We also do figure drawing once a month at the Fresh Beet on the boardwalk, like a live model posing. And we do a nude model.”
The work on display at the expo ranged from local seascapes and Long Island landmarks to portraits and still lifes. The paintings of 91-year-old Bob Bozek, who was named “Oceanside’s Rembrandt” by Oceanside High School after he graduated in 1953, featured area lighthouses as well as an array of sunflowers. In his six decades as an artist, Bozek said, he has discovered the types of work that do, and do not, typically sell at similar expos.
“You can’t bring abstract art here,” he said. “People aren’t going to want it. They have to go home, look at the wall. It’s got to match furniture and such. I’ve sold 200 paintings. I sold 15 abstracts in total.”
Nicole Pellegrino, of Long Beach, a photographer and painter, was taking part in her second expo, after her initial appearance in May. “It’s been great. All the artists are wonderful,” Pellegrino said, standing in front of her work, which featured scenes of crashing waves and sea grass. “Everyone coming in has been so nice and generous. It’s been a successful day. It’s all a win, getting to share the love of Long Beach nature.”
