Who's Who in El Cerrito: Pam Fingado

Name: Pam Fingado

Age: 60

Occupation: Owner of Fingado Art Gallery

You said you've been in the area for about three years at this shop, roughly. What made you decide to move into your own space on Stockton? I had been on the Arts and Culture commission for about nine years. I had been at Sawtooth gallery in Berkeley, and I wanted -- one of my lifelong dreams -- was to have my own art gallery. So Kathleen Glenn next door said there's a space open, and I went to take a look. And I said, "Oh, it's too small," and then I thought, well, maybe not. And she encouraged me to start. The idea was that it was going be my own gallery with my own art work, but I wanted to encourage other artists, so that's how I started.

Are many of your artists from El Cerrito? Most of them are. I specifically try to get El Cerrito artists. Sometimes I get Albany and Berkeley artists, but the majority of them are from El Cerrito.

What have you noticed about El Cerrito artists in general? You know, there's artists everywhere, first of all. When I first started on the commission for the city I was surprised at all the artists that are kind of hiding out, and I think I've met most of them since I opened the gallery. But there are a lot of artists, there's a lot of groups, there's a lot of creative people that live right here in our home town. 

Do you have showings in this space often? I have showings — I have a new exhibit every six weeks. I'm starting something new now. I have one every month until the end of the year, but usually it's every six weeks I have a new show.

What do you like about the community of El Cerrito? I like the community because it's small. I know a lot of people; they've been supportive of the gallery.  It's just a very family-friendly community.