LAXART

LAXART
Name	LAXART
Formation	1995
Founders	Tom Patchett, John Doe
Type	Nonprofit art space
Location	Los Angeles, California

LAXART is a nonprofit contemporary art organization and exhibition space based in Los Angeles, California, known for commissioning experimental projects, site-specific installations, and public programs. It operates at the intersection of contemporary art practice and civic life, presenting exhibitions, performances, publications, and educational initiatives that engage artists, curators, collectors, and institutions. Its activities connect local and international networks through collaborations, residencies, and partnerships with museums, galleries, festivals, and academic programs.

History

Founded in 1995, the organization emerged amid the growth of the Los Angeles contemporary art scene alongside institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), and the Hammer Museum. Early years involved collaborations with galleries in the Fairfax District, Chinatown, and the Arts District before establishing exhibition spaces near Downtown Los Angeles and West Hollywood. Over time it engaged with international biennales like the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and the Whitney Biennial, while intersecting with institutions including the Getty Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Key moments include partnerships with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the California Institute of the Arts, UCLA Hammer Projects, and collaborations with curators from the Walker Art Center, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Neue Nationalgalerie.

Mission and Programs

The organization’s mission emphasizes supporting contemporary artists through commissioning, curatorial experimentation, and public engagement. Programs have included artist commissions, monographic exhibitions, multimedia projects, public art, panel discussions, and education initiatives in partnership with universities such as the University of Southern California and Otis College of Art and Design. It collaborates with foundations like the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Getty Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as corporate partners and private collectors. Initiatives often involve cross-disciplinary exchange with film festivals such as the Los Angeles Film Festival, music institutions like the LA Phil, and performance venues including REDCAT and the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.

Notable Exhibitions and Projects

Notable projects have linked the organization to prominent exhibitions and events featuring artists whose careers intersect with the Venice Biennale, the Carnegie International, and the Istanbul Biennial. Exhibitions have included site-responsive works related to public sites in Hollywood, Venice Beach, and Boyle Heights, and collaborations with collectors and institutions such as the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the Hammer Projects series, and the Getty Research Institute. Projects have referenced archival investigations similar to those of the Getty Research Institute, curatorial practices aligned with the Institute of Contemporary Art, London, and experimentations akin to those staged at the Serpentine Galleries, the New Museum, and the Palais de Tokyo.

Artists and Collaborations

The organization has worked with a wide range of artists, curators, and cultural producers connected to movements and practices represented by figures and institutions such as Marina Abramović, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Chris Burden, John Baldessari, Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, Ed Ruscha, James Turrell, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Mark Bradford, Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Takashi Murakami, Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Tino Sehgal, Rashid Johnson, Catherine Opie, Kara Walker, Sarah Lucas, Nan Goldin, Bruce Nauman, Julie Mehretu, Do Ho Suh, Theaster Gates, Rashid Johnson, Kiki Smith, and Robert Irwin. Collaborations have extended to curators and institutions including Hans Ulrich Obrist, Thelma Golden, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Okwui Enwezor, Philippe Vergne, Ann Goldstein, and Massimiliano Gioni.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organization operates with a board of directors, an executive director or artistic director, curatorial staff, project managers, and development personnel. Funding streams typically include grants from foundations, public funding from municipal arts agencies, corporate sponsorships, individual donors, membership programs, benefit events, and in-kind support from galleries and universities. Major philanthropic supporters in the broader Los Angeles ecosystem include the Getty Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, the Broad Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, alongside national funders like the Mellon Foundation and Carnegie Corporation.

Facilities and Locations

Exhibition spaces have shifted across Los Angeles neighborhoods, including locations proximate to Hollywood, Chinatown, the Arts District, Silver Lake, and West Hollywood, often utilizing converted industrial spaces, warehouses, and storefronts akin to venues used by the MAK Center, LACE, and Night Gallery. Projects have taken place in public arenas such as Pershing Square, Grand Park, and along the Los Angeles River, engaging public space similarly to initiatives by the Public Art Fund, Creative Time, and the Department of Cultural Affairs of Los Angeles.

Critical Reception and Impact

Critical reception has appeared in publications and platforms such as Artforum, Art in America, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Frieze, Flash Art, ArtReview, Hyperallergic, Artnews, Artnet News, and local arts coverage in Curbed LA. Its impact is discussed in relation to the trajectories of contemporary art institutions in Los Angeles, including debates involving cultural policy, arts philanthropy, urban development, and the role of nonprofit arts organizations in city ecosystems alongside the likes of MOCA, Hammer Museum, and the Getty. The organization’s projects have contributed to dialogues on site-specificity, curatorial practice, and artist-led initiatives within national and international networks of museums, biennales, festivals, galleries, and academic centers.

Category:Arts organizations based in California