Jeremy Schott of Long Beach, CA, didn’t want to drive to Los Angeles to get his fill of eccentric and esoteric art and baubles. Capitalizing on the nonconformist culture of Long Beach and his own passion for unconventional art, he opened curiosity shop Dark Art Emporium downtown last year.
The shop offers a variety of offbeat art including paintings, sketches, photographs, sculptures, and oddities, but the Dark Art Emporium also serves the scene as a venue for classes (taxidermy is trendy in the Los Angeles area), artist showcases, and performances.
Schott maintains that shops and galleries like Dark Art Emporium are vital to creating community and expanding on traditional notions of fine art.
“If you like weird shit, this is the place to come,” Schott says. “I’m always going to have a rotating selection of crazy art and crazy oddities — I’m always getting new stuff, so it’s always something new and different. If you need anything from a bobcat skull to some weird art or a human skeleton, this is the place to get it.”
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Guide to Long Beach