#Mayor_of_Instagram opening at Gary Leonard's gallery

Photo: Eric Garcetti.

Photographer Gary Leonard, our weekly contributor, has his own gallery in the hot downtown neighborhood around the Ace Hotel and the Orpheum. On Saturday at the Take My Picture Gallery, a show opens of Instagram photos by Mayor Eric Garcetti. There are about 100 photos selected by Garcetti. The show, curated by Gary's son David Leonard, runs through Oct. 31. The opening is tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Garcetti is expected to attend.

Sales benefit Photo Friends, the nonprofit that supports the photography collection at the Los Angeles Public Library, and Homeless Healthcare Los Angeles. The gallery is at 109 W. Ninth St.

From the Downtown News:

Garcetti’s Instagram account has about 800 posts, with images snapped all over Los Angeles, from Downtown to Venice Beach and everywhere in between. Garcetti said in an email that he finds himself in unique places that many Angelenos don’t have access to, and Instagram allows him to bring people with him on those journeys.

“I think it’s a great tool to engage residents of all ages, and fully embrace it as a way to maintain an open dialogue with folks throughout Los Angeles and beyond,” he said. “It’s also about finding images that move my eye and provide a glimpse into what is happening in our dynamic city at any given moment.”

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The exhibit includes a short video in which Garcetti talks about photography, Instagram, and the future of social media and how it can be used as a platform to discuss issues with voters. The images are displayed in four-by-four photo squares, in line with Instagram’s style.

“Social media and the Internet have allowed a two-way street that’s unique to our time,” David Leonard said. “We can all have a dialogue with our leaders now. It’s not just a one-way conversation anymore.”