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You are here: Home / LACE / 2010-2014 / Margie Livingston: Twenty Gallons

Margie Livingston: Twenty Gallons

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Los Angeles, CA (1 June 2011) – LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) is proud to announce this year’s Wall Work commission by Seattle based artist Margie Livingston entitled Twenty Gallons to debut 16 June 2011 and designed to activate LACE’s monumental archway and greet our visitors for the coming year. Using acrylic paint as both a surface and structural material, Livingston will cover the 15-foot tall archway in LACE’s front gallery with a series of panels constructed entirely from, as her title suggests, twenty gallons of acrylic paint.

Originally trained as an abstract painter, Livingston’s early work approached the subject of landscape through the lens of geometric abstraction, exploring the intersection of the architectural grid and organic forms within the conventions of the two-dimensional picture plane. In her recent work, she has inverted the relationship between content and material, with the canvas having been abandoned entirely in favor of exploiting paint for its sculptural properties, yet still maintaining a reference to abstract expressionism that is both witty and sincere.

Livingston deliberately conflates an expressionist, processed based approach of abstract painting and the structured, reductive approach of minimalism to create self-described “paint-objects.” The artist states, “As I work, my goal is to keep the process open so that accident and discovery can combine with invention to make works that surprise me. In hopes of making work that is not merely personal but also cognizant of history and relevant to our time.”

Each year, LACE commissions a new Wall Work for its front gallery. Past projects have featured artists Nick Lowe, Ami Tallman and Jason Yates.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Margie Livingston was born in Vancouver, Washington. She received her M.F.A. in painting from the University of Washington in 1999. Her awards include a residency at the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute in Shenzhen, China, in 2008; a Fulbright Scholarship in 2001; the Arts Innovator Award in 2010, the Neddy Fellowship in Painting in 2009, and the Betty Bowen Memorial Award in 2006. In January, she had her first solo show at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles. She is represented by Luis De Jesus in Culver City and Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle. Livingston’s work resides in the permanent collections of the Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, the Seattle Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, the City of Seattle, King County, the Whatcom Museum, and the Henry Art Gallery. She lives and works in Seattle.

Filed Under: 2010-2014, Exhibition, Installation, LACE Tagged With: abstract expressionism, acrylic paint, Exhibition, female artist, LA, LACE, landscape, Margie Livingston: Twenty Gallons, paint for its sculptural properties, relationship between content and material

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LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions)

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We're excited to work with two new Getty Marrow Un We're excited to work with two new Getty Marrow Undergraduate Interns this summer! 

💫 Becca Choe, LACE's Curatorial Intern, is a student at Pomona College studying Art and Politics. She is interested in exploring themes of immigration, home, industrialization, and South Korean political movements with her work as both a student and artist.

💫 Jada Wong, LACE's Communications and Media Intern, is an illustrator, printmaker, and educator who creates whimsical characters and stories to make sense of the world around her. Jada merges her love for the absurd and humor with themes of identity, community, and social justice in her work. 

Join us in welcoming them to the LACE team!
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us at “T We’re grateful to everyone who joined us at “This Home, Forever,” curated by 2025 LACE Emerging Curator Nahui Garcia. The two-day event featured performances by: @0ll668 @perras.bravas @lapovertydepartment  @michelelorusso @pacoimatechno @jakioeoeo

These performances took place during a fraught weekend for Los Angeles, with sirens and helicopters heard across downtown Los Angeles. On Sunday, @perras.bravas performed “Borderland Feelings,” a piece that seeks to shed light on and gather testimonies about the experiences, emotions, and demands that emerge when crossing the border. Participants were invited to share their border-crossing experiences by writing or illustrating them on a butterfly. These butterflies were later read aloud during the performance and placed on a body, symbolizing how the border becomes a scar that marks those who cross it.

This performance, along with the rest of the program, felt especially significant on that day. LACE remains committed to presenting socially-engaged projects and was founded as an experimental artistic space for freedom of expression and art that is socially and politically engaging. 

We’re glad to have shared space with LACE friends, collaborators, and colleagues, as well as new friends. 

Photos by Angel Origgi. (@angeloriggi)
Please join us in welcoming two new members to the Please join us in welcoming two new members to the LACE team! 

 🌟 LACE’s new Communications + Event Coordinator, Ida Tongkumvong is a Los Angeles-based arts administrator and marketing professional with a passion for expanding access to the arts and fostering inclusivity within creative spaces. She holds a B.A. in Communications from UCLA. Her previous roles with Sounding Point, the LA Phil, and CAP UCLA deepened her commitment to broadening arts access through strategic partnerships, inclusive programming, and dynamic storytelling. With a keen interest in public art and community-based initiatives, Ida brings a thoughtful and collaborative approach to audience development and creative event planning within L.A.’s contemporary arts landscape. Outside of work, you’ll often find her at a flea market or estate sale, always on the hunt for a one-of-a-kind find.

 🌟 LACE’s new Production + Operations Coordinator, Johnny Young began making his mark on the Los Angeles arts scene as Gallery and Programming Manager for the Juicy Beats Artist Exchange Lounge in 2000. He has worked with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), where he played a key role in production and management for their First Fridays program; he was also selected for the prestigious Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP) at The Broad, a competitive initiative aimed at training the next generation of museum and gallery professionals from underrepresented communities. Johnny brings a sharp eye for detail, a commitment to equity in the arts, and a dedication to amplifying voices that challenge the boundaries of convention.
Did you get your tickets for “This Home, Forever Did you get your tickets for “This Home, Forever” happening this weekend? “This Home, Forever” is a stage, a forum, and a dynamic workshop nurtured by a group of artists and activists devoted to and inspired by Los Angeles. Learn more and get your tickets at the link in our bio. 

Held on the rooftop of the historic Bendix Building, performances will be presented with a 180 degree view of downtown Los Angeles. See performances by: @0ll668, @perras.bravas, @lapovertydepartment, @michelelorusso, @pacoimatechno, @jakioeoeo. 

Behind-the-scenes photos by @andreuuua  @selene__preciado and @abwyman
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