Reflecting on what she perceived as the somewhat conventional canvas of the Los Angeles art community at the time, Lauri Firstenberg decided to make some bold strokes. She’d returned to her hometown after five years on the East Coast, where she’d earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a track record
as a curator. Firstenberg determined to open a nonprofit gallery dedicated to up-and-coming artists deserving of public exposure.
She launched her project in 2005, in a custom-furniture and upholstery building in Culver City. Over the next decade, LAXART, with Firstenberg as director and chief curator, hosted hundreds of contemporary-art exhibits and public-art initiatives.
Last year, the opportunity to lease a 1920s recording studio in Hollywood—with high ceilings, exposed pipes and alcoves ideal for displaying art works—presented itself. Firstenberg had L.A.-based artist Daniel Joseph Martinez use the building’s facade as his canvas; on it he wrote, in bold black letters, “I open my eyes to the sun and see nothing.”
Inspired by Martinez’s Deep River, a small artist-run space downtown from 1997 to 2001, Firstenberg embarked on a similar mission: to support artistic and curatorial freedom for artists, be they emerging or established, local or international.
Unlike Deep River, this space isn’t small; in fact, it’s nearly three times larger than Firstenberg’s previous digs.
Since moving in last October, Firstenberg has added several initiatives designed to educate and inspire the community. Twice weekly, Slanguage Studio runs workshops for teenage artists in LAXART’s loft. The gallery maintains strong relationships with organizations such as the Underground Museum, dedicating a room to its installations.
7000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, 323.871.4140. laxart.org