Born in Chicago, Kevin and his family were the first from a long line of Staniecs to leave the windy city. Upon arrival in Orange County, his mother struck a deal with his father: If the boys were to be pushed into sports, they would be pushed equally into the arts. Kevin remembers with a laugh, “After baseball or basketball practice, my brother and I would be putting on dance shoes.” This may not have fared well with the other guys, but Kevin had a great excuse. “Being a talented guy surrounded by girls is kind of an intoxicating thing.”
His parent”s deal had quite an impact. Kevin was learning about working with a team while developing a lasting love affair with the arts. These elements would later be instrumental in the formation of the ISM Community, an active participant in all things art & culture in Southern California.
The Closet Poet
These elements worked side by side until middle school, when, as Kevin puts it, “You didn”t tell people you were artsy or you”d get punched in the face.” It was easier to develop his jock persona and begin writing privately. It wasn”t until late in high school that Kevin noticed how girls reacted to writers like Kerouac. ” I suddenly realized you could be a rock star… through writing.”
Art is Cool
When Kevin got to Chapman University, everything flipped. “College made art cool again.” He saw Good Will Hunting and realized the depth of possibilities, even for young writers and artists. High from this realization, he furiously cranked out his first short script and entered it into a contest. He took first prize and was awarded $5,000 to direct the film in 16mm. “I had no idea how to make a movie. I hadn”t even shot anything on video.” He was thrown into the water with a crew of thirty to make the first of the 8 films he made during college. He kept busy, writing 3 feature scripts, and a handful of books and other products.
A Suffix is Born
When college was over, the resources were gone. Lucky for Kevin, the network of artists he had assembled was still around. He plugged away at a new book, a romance titled Solipsism. While a friend designed the book, Kevin learned by watching over his shoulder. In the end, the book would never be printed, but the suffix would remain. “We decided to start a company.”
Supporting the Arts
Surrounded by talent, the new company decided to document it. They immediately produced two compilation albums of SoCal bands. The parties they threw were filmed events, with cameras in the hands of actors and musicians in a partially scripted, partially improvised interaction celebrating multiple points of view. The resulting footage became a film, and the film got into festivals.
When Kevin realized how serious things were becoming, he added his partner, Joshua Levenshus. “Josh and I are the yin & yang. He”s completely business and I”m completely crazy.”
Putting It All On Paper
During this time, ISM was producing a small, free, glossy zine full of poetry and art. “They seemed to be gone in five minutes everywhere we put them.” Striving to open the doors for writers and artists all over LA, they handed out 500 postcards requesting content. Soon, they were receiving submissions from the east coast. The quarterly ISM: Magazine was born.
What”s the Theme?
Their first few art events were not as popular as their music events. They had some good artists, but something was missing. That”s when a friend came to them with a pile of discarded doors and an idea. ‘The Door Show” was their first art project. They gave 15 artists 15 doors and let them do their thing. Attendance rocketed from thirty to three-hundred. From then on, they”ve been on a project high.
ISM: It”s A Gallery, Too.
After several events in rented or borrowed spaces, the ISM crew set out to find a permanent gallery. As a non-profit, they received their first sizable donation: a load of gallery lighting. They searched all over Long Beach for a place to hang them, but the locations they could afford were all wrong.
Over dinner with curator/publisher Greg Escalante, Kevin mentioned the slew of lights with no home. Greg had no reaction. A half hour after dinner, Kevin”s phone rang. Greg had an idea and another dinner was set for the following night. Greg introduced ISM to Koo”s Art Center, a thriving Long Beach art spot with a big, empty room. The ISM Gallery was born. “The perfect place fell into our lap, right in the arts district.”
Enlisting gallery director Suzanne Walsh, the ISM: Gallery opened its doors in January of ’08, with the “Hello, My Name Is:” show. With packed houses ever since, the ISM: Gallery is fast becoming one of LA”s best showcases for art and photography. And what about the theme? “If we don”t have a good theme, we”re not doing a show.”