[photo credit: South Pasadena Arts Council]
The exhibition, “Unleashed,” is the centerpiece of the South Pasadena Arts Council’s first monthlong Women’s History Month programming series, called “Artistry Unveiled.” The closing marks the end of a month of workshops, poetry readings, and creative gatherings — all organized by the volunteer-run nonprofit known as SPARC.
Anna Berlly, the artist, works in oils and acrylics. Her paintings explore the human figure through movement, color, and raw brushwork. She cites Joan Mitchell, Tracey Emin, Willem de Kooning, and Cy Twombly as influences, according to the SPARC website. In her artist statement, Berlly describes painting as rebellion and release — an act of dismantling and rebuilding.
“My process: I’m almost violent when I paint; there’s a lot of energy, there’s a lot of movement and also many different layers in there,” Berlly said in an interview with the South Pasadena Review. “For me, it’s sort of like destroying something and building it back up again.”
The exhibition features more than 20 acrylic-on-canvas paintings, according to the South Pasadena Review. Berlly said she started painting after retiring from her television career. “It started as something that was just for me; it was therapy, really,” she told the paper.
Berlly lives with her husband and son in Pasadena, where she has converted her garage into a studio, the South Pasadena Review reported. She paints to Broadway musicals.
Sandy Kitto, president of SPARC’s board of directors and curator of “Unleashed,” said she first encountered Berlly’s work in 2024. “I see the different emotions in her work. I felt like people could connect with it emotionally,” Kitto told the South Pasadena Review. “It was really her work that inspired me to put this show together.”
The monthlong “Artistry Unveiled” series — which included a workshop on overcoming fear-based creative blocks, a poetry gathering spotlighting women poets, and a floral arranging session tied to mindfulness — represents new territory for SPARC. “This is the first time we’ve ever done programming for an entire month,” Kitto told the South Pasadena Review. “Our goal is to shine the light on artists in and around our community.”
SPARC, the South Pasadena Arts Council, was founded in 2009 and operates two spaces in South Pasadena: the SPARC Centre Gallery at 1000 Fremont Avenue, Suite 120, and a gallery at the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce at 1121 Mission Street. The “Unleashed” exhibition is on view at the SPARC Centre Gallery through March 31, according to the South Pasadena Review.
The closing celebration takes place Saturday, March 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the SPARC Centre Gallery, 1000 Fremont Avenue, Suite 120, South Pasadena. Entrance is at the back of the building, off the parking lot. Tickets are a $10 suggested donation, available through Eventbrite. Sophie Reynolds, a singer-songwriter from Pasadena who blends pop and folk sounds, will perform. For more information, visit sopasartscouncil.org or email info@sopasartscouncil.org.
“If I never have another exhibition again, I will still be in my garage painting,” Berlly told the South Pasadena Review. “I encourage artists to just create and make art even when it might seem like nothing is happening.”
CLOSING: “UNLEASHED” BY ANNA BERLLY (SPARC) Date & Time: Saturday, March 28, 2026 (evening closing celebration). Venue: SPARC Gallery @ South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, 1121 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030. Phone Number: (626) 676-4195 (curator Blue Trimarchi for private visits). Website: https://www.sopasartscouncil.org/
