The ALFA Team

Elaine Adams

ALFA’s Director Elaine Adams combines her extensive background in art history, executive administration and finance to provide a unique and personal approach to servicing artists and gallery clients. As the wife of the artist Peter Adams she has been actively involved in various capacities in the art industry. For more than twelve years she has been immersed in the contemporary-traditional fine art scene, and is recognized as one of the country’s most dynamic and influential forces in the growing shift away from conceptual art and back to representational, figurative formats.

Elaine has served on several art committees and cultural boards, including Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s American Art Council, Pacific Asia Museum, Art Center College of Design, The Pasadena Symphony, Rymann-Carroll Foundation, and the American Society of Portrait Artists. Since 1993, as a non-paid administrator, she has held the positions of Executive Director of the California Art Club, est. 1909, as well as Editor-in-Chief of the California Art Club Newsletter. She is also the director of the California Art Club Gallery at The Old Mill in San Marino, and is a published author and lecturer on topics relating to traditional fine art.

In 1997 Elaine and Peter founded the California Art Academy and Museum, a 501(c3) nonprofit learning institution dedicated to classical training in fine art and California’s artistic heritage. In November of that year, Southwest Art Magazine named Elaine one of the country’s “Five Most Notable Women.” Other honors include recipient of the Pasadena Arts Council’s Gold Crown Special Award in 2000 for her contributions in advancing contemporary-traditional art.

Prior to her work in the art world, Elaine studied at the University of Southern California where she received dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and economics. After graduation, she worked as a stockbroker for Crowell, Weedon & Co., the largest independent investment firm in the Western United States. Because of her financial background, many collectors seek her advice and counsel before purchasing contemporary-traditional fine art, as she believes collectors should view their art collections as they would any important asset. Elaine Adams can be reached at elaineadams@earthlink.net

Kristen Glover

Full-time Gallery Assistant, Kristen Glover, began her career in the world of contemporary-traditional fine art began as a teenager assisting in a Pasadena art gallery, and later, working as an assistant staff editor at the historic California Art Club. Kristen attended the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas, specializing in television news. During her senior year she was hired by a local television producer, NBC affiliate, KSNT-TV in Topeka, where she worked as its evening newscast producer. After graduating from University of Kansas, Kristen moved to Lexington, Kentucky to work as a newscast producer at CBS affiliate, WKYT-TV. Her knowledge of observational journalism and love of aesthetics makes Kristen a wonderful gem in the professional fine art gallery field. Kristen’s gracious personality and excellent service is already winning over our clientele!

Kristen Glover can be reached at kristen@americanlegacyfinearts.com

Andrew James

Sales Executive Andrew James brings a rich and varied background in the arts to the ALFA team. His extensive experience in both museum and gallery settings have afforded him the opportunity to work with a wide array of mediums and artistic genres. Over the past six years, Andrew has pursued innovative and progressive methods of art placement in the building of corporate and private collections alike. In recent years, he has been privileged to work with such gifted artists as Peter Adams, Jim Dine, DeLoss McGraw, Robert Dunahay, and Thomas McKinley. He has also been involved in such large-scale exhibits as Chihuly over Los Angeles and California Art Club’s 95th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition. An avid collector himself, he takes a great interest in cultivating the careers of both emerging and established artists.

Andrew James graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree from Pepperdine University in Liberal Arts with a dual emphasis in Composition and Literature.

Andrew James can be reached at andrew@americanlegacyfinearts.com

Farrah J. Chamseddine

Gallery Intern Farrah J. Chamseddine brings a fresh new outlook to developing ALFA’s client and artist relations. Some of her projects include researching and identifying top sources for internet optimization, facilitating with exhibition details, and generally assisting with the gallery’s growth.

As a Fine Arts Major at the University of Southern California, Farrah’s area of study is focused in Digital Photography and Figure Drawing. Some of her most recent photography is being showcased in a group exhibition titled Urban Myths at Hillel Gallery in Los Angeles from November 18 through February 28, 2010. Farrah is President of Students of Fine Arts Association at USC and she is looking forward to graduating with a Bachelors degree in Art May 2010.

Farrah J. Chamseddine can be reached at farrah@americanlegacyfinearts.com

Beverly Chang

Public Relations Director Beverly Chang demonstrated a love of creative and artistic pursuits at a young age. She entered college as a fine arts major, and later integrated her appreciation for art and design into a highly specialized career in promoting art. Today, she provides strategic marketing counsel to arts organizations and creative people who are looking to market their work.

She has spearheaded the marketing effort for a number of art exhibitions and events, including A Community of Angels, the largest public art exhibition ever staged in the City of Los Angeles; the California Art Club’s 94th and 95th Annual Gold Juried Medal Exhibitions; the Chinatown Art Festival; and the first juried art exhibition to be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, Spiritual Spectrum: Paintings and Sculpture by the California Art Club. Beverly was previously affiliated with The Walt Disney Company, where she created and implemented national multi-tiered marketing campaigns for the animation art and other artwork developed at the studio and sold in art galleries around the world.
She holds a master’s degree in business administration, with a dual concentration in marketing and finance, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Southern California. Beverly Chang can be reached at beverly@brcart.com

Susan Martin

Financial Director Susan Martin maintains the gallery’s books and provides detailed financial reports. As president of Martin Consulting in Pasadena, California, she provides professional financial services to small local businesses, as well as prominent organizations and firms including the Rotary Club of Pasadena and the California Art Club, est. 1909. Prior to opening her own office, she was the business and finance manager for a local law firm. Susan holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. Susan Martin can be reached at smorrison@greenheart.com

Trish Glover

Graphic Designer Trish Glover provides the gallery with its own elegant and timeless appeal on all printed materials. As a fine art collector herself, Trish possesses a heightened sense of aesthetics, and applies this to her professional design concepts to create a unique identity for each of her clients. She has provided distinctive designs for various and significant institutions and art establishments, including the University of Southern California, the Vincent Price Gallery, California Art Club, and several Los Angeles fine art galleries. Trish majored in fine art with an emphasis on design at San Diego State University and continued to study graphic design in the graduate program at California State University, Los Angeles. Trish Glover can be reached at plglover@aol.com

Janie Fain

Award-winning interior designer Janie Fain created ALFA’s classically-inspired galleries to showcase the traditional fine art in refined surroundings that radiate the feel of an elegant home. As president of J.F. Interiors Inc. in South Pasadena, California, founded in 1987, Janie has designed inviting interiors for many grand homes throughout southern California – from Newport Beach to Santa Barbara – as well as Hawaii and North Carolina. She has been a featured designer in the Pasadena Showcase House of Design ten times in the last twelve years and also has participated in the Little Company of Mary Showcase House in Palos Verdes, California. Her stunning work for one showcase house was featured on the cover of the Spring 2000 issue of Traditional Homes Decorator Showhouse.

Janie Fain can be reached at jfain@sbcglobal.net

Detective Gimpy Goo

Gallery Guard Detective Gimpy Goo provides ALFA with the finest in first response systems necessary to protect valuable and rare artwork from international art thieves. As an expert sleuth, Gimpy’s natural instincts and observational methods are world renowned.