At the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 President’s Awards, Nucleus Gallery was honored with the “Best in Marketing” title. Nucleus Gallery is one of LA’s only art galleries devoted to showcasing illustration, animation, and entertainment artworks. With its storefront in Alhambra, Nucleus Gallery is a neighborhood gem and excels in its digital marketing efforts. We spoke with Ben Zhu, founder of Nucleus Gallery, to hear more about his story.
AA: Tell me about Nucleus Gallery.
Ben: Nucleus is an art gallery / bookstore that focuses on illustration, animation and entertainment arts. I started Nucleus because there were little to no art galleries devoted to this field of art. This is partially because illustration, video games, and animation is my passion and what I went to school for and did professionally. There are so many amazing commercial artists creating the books, films and games we love that deserve as much if not more recognition as traditional “fine artists” in galleries.
AA: Why did you choose to open Nucleus in Alhambra?
Ben: I was living in Alhambra and commuting daily to the west side for my job as a background artist for Call of Duty 1 on PlayStation. Once I finished the game and decided to begin my entrepreneurial journey, I looked around for vacant storefronts. I would drive past Main St. often and felt it had a nice charm and lively atmosphere.
AA: How did you get into the art industry?
Ben: I have loved art, comics, animation and games my whole life. My college friends are artists who worked in the industry and it seemed fitting to have a place to showcase their talent and to have a space to foster that community.
AA: What sets Nucleus Gallery apart from other art galleries?
Ben: We focus on the artists behind the culture. We champion the blue collar artist, those that are not usually put in a glamorous light of the fine art world. What sets us apart is the careful curation of art, events, and products.
AA: What else would you like people to know about Nucleus?
Ben:
- We have at least 2 art shows a month so there is always something new to see.
- We do costumed drawing workshops weekly on Tuesday nights 7 – 10pm
- We have original art by artists from around the world. We sometimes offer installment payments and discounts and try to make art collecting affordable.
- Many of the prints and books in our shop are exclusive to our shop only.
