Many thanks go out to the artists, curators, sponsors, and lovers of LACE that turned out for the annual Happening Auction event in May. As the new Executive Director I am gratified by the goodwill and energy out there for LACE’s special mission.
In my career as an artist and arts professional I’ve devoted myself to the support of artists and artistic communities, and bring this ongoing commitment to LACE. LACE continues to serve an essential role in our city’s eco-system by providing a space to experiment, and in the coming years we will continue to shape and develop this mission. Eager to share, I am reaching out to you with some thoughts on upcoming programming.
This year, we are instituting an Emerging Curators Program. A selection panel of three outside experts will review curatorial proposals from Los Angeles-based emerging curators and recommend projects to be produced at LACE. The first submissions for the Emerging Curators Program will be invited this fall with the first exhibition/project to be launched in early 2016. Look out for our Request for Proposal announcement.
In addition to the exhibitions and events in the Gallery, we also invite you to take part in our artist-centered programming that directly addresses the needs of artists. This year, we will host a Creative Capital Professional Development workshop, as one of our upcoming programs that serve artists with practical tools to support their careers.
In my first few months here, LACE was awarded three important grants for 2015-2016 exhibitions:
- Support from the Getty PST L.A./L.A initiative for research on Juan Downey: Radiant Nature in partnership with Ciara Ennis at the Pitzer College Art Galleries and co-curated by Robert Crouch.
- A prestigious Curatorial Fellowship from the Warhol Foundation for independent curator Suzy Halajian to survey recent experimental documentary practices in the Middle East and neighboring countries
- A grant from The Map Fund to stage Taisha Paggett’s We Are The Paper We Are The Trees, a cross-disciplined performance and installation work.
We are honored to receive this support, and excited to develop and present these projects to you. Thank you for being a part of our community and I look forward to seeing you at LACE!
Cheers,
Sarah Russin
