Grants Awarded
Located in Santa Monica, 18th Street Arts Center is a hub for artistic innovation that actively nurtures and promotes the work of contemporary artists from around the globe, from all disciplines at various career stages. It is particularly well-known for its artist residency program.
The PAA grant will support an exhibition of new work by Los Angeles artist Jenny Yurshansky from July through October 2023. Yurshansky will create new work in various media that explores how pain is buried in the body and how trauma is passed onto future generations.
visit website »Located in Pomona, AMOCA is one of the few museums in the country dedicated solely to ceramic art and the only one of its kind on the West Coast. The museum champions the art, history, creation, and technology of ceramics through exhibitions, collections, outreach, and studio programming.
The PAA provided funding for the exhibition Making in Between: LGBTQA Identities in Clay that will run May to October 2023. This will be the second major exhibition in the Making in Between series which brings together works by artists doing intersectional work and exploring common themes of identity, culture, and community.
visit website »Angel’s Gate Cultural Center provides space for artists to work and also engages the community through arts education, exhibitions of contemporary art, and cultural events. It strives to provide a year-round schedule of gallery exhibitions and community classes. In addition, the Center provides professional work-studio space for 52 artists, including musicians, ceramists, painters, sculptors, writers, photographers, printmakers and jewelers.
The PAA grant will support three exhibitions scheduled for 2023: first, Notions of Place, opening in April 2023, will examine what it means to inhabit a complexity of different spaces that may be physical realities or imagined environments of home; second, LA-based artist duo Beck+Col will curate a performance art series and exhibition in summer/fall 2023; and lastly, Fragments of Nature, here, eight contemporary artists will explore the dichotomy of how nature is conceptually perceived in art versus the experience of the natural environment framed by the urban landscape and it opens in summer of 2023.
visit website »Pasadena’s Armory Center for the Arts is a leader for contemporary art exhibitions and community-based arts education. The Armory believes that an understanding and appreciation of the arts is essential for a well-rounded human experience and a healthy community. At the core of our mission is a deep commitment to social justice through arts education.
In support of the exhibition Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology which documents contemporary indigenous artists’ responses to the impacts of nuclear testing, nuclear accidents, and uranium mining on Native peoples and the environment. Originating at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, the exhibition will be on view from January through June of 2023.
visit website »Established in 1930, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter’s visionary approach to education is based on the college’s conservatory-like method of teaching and learning; a desire for rich, intercultural and transdisciplinary dialogue; and a mandate to provide students innovative learning and making spaces.
The PAA is funding the exhibition Advance of the Rear Guard: Out of the Mainstream in 1960’s California which will be on display sometime from Fall 2023 to Spring 2024. This ambitious exhibition will present approximately 100 works from 33 artists associated with the Ceeje Gallery, a groundbreaking but underrecognized contemporary art venue in mid-1960’s Los Angeles.
visit website »Arts at Blue Roof was founded in 2020 by LA-based artist Galia Linn and supports and builds relationships with contemporary artists to provide accessible arts programming and meaningful arts experiences for diverse audiences.
PAA funding will support its Room of One’s Own artists’ residency which celebrates and invests in three women artists per year. The artists are selected through an open call process which prioritizes artists from ABR’s immediate community in LA’s 9th District.
visit website »The Benton Art Museum at Pomona College serves as museum and gallery, overseeing the college’s permanent art collections and mounting a variety of temporary contemporary exhibitions during the academic year. The museum originates innovative art experiences that foster creative and critical thinking.
The PAA grant will support the exhibition Tracing the Edge: Los Angeles Abstraction 1950-2023 with a scheduled run from August to December 2023. This exhibition will complement and run concurrently with the Benton’s major survey of Los Angeles painter June Harwood, contextualizing and expanding on our understanding of Harwood’s legacy in Southern California’s abstract painting tradition.
visit website »The Kleefeld Contemporary at the College of the Arts at Cal State Long Beach University is a community of people who examine, critique and create contemporary art and culture. Its gallery hosts rotating exhibitions of work by both students and international artists. Following a significant two-year expansion and renovation project, the museum recently reopened to the public in February 2022.
PAA funds will support the Photo Portfolio Project, a pilot program that allows the public to view photographic works in the Kleefeld’s new prints and drawing study center. The project will highlight the portfolios of three photographers (a minimum of 10 works each) essentially presenting small, solo exhibitions that otherwise would not be available for public viewing. The portfolios will be accessible from June through April of 2024
visit website »Clockshop is a multidisciplinary arts organization that works to expand the dialogue around cultural production, politics, and urban space by commissioning new projects by contemporary visual artists and writers, and by partnering with diverse cultural institutions. The organization was founded in 2004 by artist and filmmaker Julia Meltzer to create opportunities for artists working in public space.
In support of the underpinning, a visual art commission by Rodrigo Valenzuela which will serve as both a sculptural installation and also a usable stage for public programming at the Los Angeles State Historic Park opening December 2023. The work will be a platform to explore systemic inequities around public land and private property ownership while imagining housing as a human right.
visit website »Coaxial Arts Foundation is a multi-disciplinary media arts organization devoted to the support of media, sound and performance art. Coaxial provides residencies, studio space, technical support and public exhibition space for live events to showcase underground artists whose works are often not exhibited in galleries, as ephemeral art is not conducive to the gallery sales system. Coaxial activates a community of experimental media, sound and performance artists through commissions, events, workshops, live TV tapings, and exhibitions through the Foundation’s downtown Los Angeles studio space.
Funds will support artists residencies in 2023 for media artists Samantha CC and Josh Cloud. During the week-long residency, each artist will create and present new multimedia work.
visit website »Founded as a museum in 1973, Craft Contemporary reveals the potential of craft to educate, captivate, provoke, and empower. With a focus on contemporary art made from craft media and processes, Craft Contemporary presents dynamic exhibitions by established and emerging artists and designers who are often underrepresented in larger art institutions. Craft Contemporary cultivates an environment for people in Los Angeles to deepen their relationship to art, creativity, and one another.
In support of the third Clay Biennial titled Wayfinding which will be on view at the museum from May to September 2023. This group exhibition will feature approximately 15 contemporary artists who use clay to map and compose a record of their emotional and physical relationship to the land.
visit website »The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University was dedicated in September 1992, and since then, has showcased modern and contemporary art by internationally recognized artists, with a focus on art made in California. Under the current director, it is redirecting its focus to the work of women artists.
PAA will provide funding for the exhibition Hildur Asgeirsdottir Jonsson: Infinite Space, Sublime Horizons which will be on view from August to December 2023. This is Jonsson’s first solo museum show in nearly a decade and will feature recent works by the artist who creates large-scale paintings on a loom, in a practice that blurs the boundaries between painting and weaving, fine art and craft.
visit website »Located in Pasadena, Fulcrum Arts empowers artists to invent, inspire and provoke, and also provides resources and opportunities for artists, collectives and independent arts organizations to advance their visions and contribute to a vibrant, challenging and inclusive community.
The PAA grant will support Procession, an experimental performance art project and festival led by artists Debra Scacco and Joel Garcia in 2023. This large-scale civic action and experimental collaborative public performance will trace the geographic and cultural memory of Los Angeles along previous courses of the LA River with an emphasis on strong indigenous voices.
visit website »The Getty Research Institute is dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts and their various histories through its expertise, active collecting program, public programs, institutional collaborations, exhibitions, publications, digital services, and residential scholars programs. Its Research Library and Special Collections of rare materials and digital resources serve an international community of scholars and the interested public. The Institute’s activities and scholarly resources guide and sustain each other and together provide a unique environment for research, critical inquiry, and scholarly exchange.
PAA funding will support the exhibition Barbara T. Smith: The Way To Be on view from February to July 2023 which examines the first fifty years of the artist’s life, marked by dramatic upheavals in her personal life, as well as the development of her most pioneering works, such as her Xerox pieces and early performances.
visit website »The Hammer Museum at UCLA believes in the promise of art and ideas to illuminate our lives and build a more just world. It champions the art and artists who challenge us to see the world in a new light, to experience the unexpected, to ignite our imaginations, and inspire change. A vibrant intellectual and creative nexus, the Hammer is fueled by dynamic exhibitions and programs—including lectures, symposia, film series, readings, and musical performances—that spark meaningful encounters with art and ideas.
In support of Made in L.A. 2023 which will be on view September through December 2023. This will be the sixth iteration of the Hammer’s signature exhibition which represents the heart and soul of its mission – giving a platform for young and emerging artists in Los Angeles. The 2023 version will focus on Latinx and indigenous artists, setting it apart from previous iterations.
visit website »The Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (ICA-LA) is a non-collecting museum considered an epicenter of artistic experimentation and incubator of new ideas. Founded in 1984, the current ICA-LA builds upon a distinguished history of exhibitions, education, and public programs.
PAA will provide support for the exhibition Barbara T. Smith, the first major museum survey of the foundational Los Angeles performance artist. On view from September 2023 to January 2024, this historical survey will offer a focused view and contemporary interpretation of Smith’s singular contributions to art over the past five decades.
visit website »JOAN is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit art space for exhibitions, performances, screenings, and discursive events. Founded in 2015 by three female curators, and inspired by the history of feminist performance spaces, JOAN supports experimental practices that exist outside of commercial contexts and aims to enrich the communities it serves with free, public programming that is intellectually stimulating and that has creative, cultural, and educational value.
The PAA grant will support a solo exhibition of new work by interdisciplinary artist Johanna Hedva scheduled for late 2023. It will consist of a constellation of sculptural objects, works on paper, sound works, video, and photographs orbiting around the central theme that considers how objects and materials can act as conduits for personal and collective histories.
visit website »LA Freewaves is a Los Angeles nonprofit that produces free, site-specific public art to engage artists and audiences on current social issues. It produces art online and in the streets with our intersectional network of artists, staff, and curators, challenging society’s ideas about race and gender. LA Freewaves began in 1989 as a multicultural video art festival on TV and in venues throughout SoCal. Since then, it has grown to host performance art events, IG Live dialogues, and one of the largest digital video art archives.
Funds will support HEAL HEAR HERE, a one-day event on May 6, 2023 at the Los Angeles State Historic Park featuring more than 25 artworks and performances. It will explore healing art methodologies by a broad community of arts organizations collaboratively creating a central event to help Los Angeles heal from the years of the pandemic, racial injustice, and economic disruption.
visit website »The Mission of the LA River Public Art Project is to transform Paayme Paxaayt (aka the Los Angeles River) into a shared space intrinsically linked to public art. Founded in 2014, it combines advocacy, public policy, and the arts to re-present the river we share, believing that dynamic public art is the ideal platform for focusing public attention on the Los Angeles River and can right the environmental wrongs that have befallen the river and reclaim it for creative and community-led projects.
The PAA grant will fund El Meandro 51/52, a 2023 series of monthly, artist-led walks along all 51 miles of the LA River where participants will explore and encounter live performances, temporary art installations, and existing works of art.
visit website »Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) both champions and challenges the art of our time by fostering artists who innovate, explore and risk. By moving within and beyond its four walls, LACE seeks to provide opportunities for diverse audiences to engage deeply with contemporary art. Uniquely positioned among commercial galleries and major art establishments in the heart of Hollywood, LACE has nurtured not only several generations of young artists, but also emerging art forms such as performance art, video art, digital art, and installations.
In support of the exhibition Of Seeds, Soil and Stars: Regenerative Actions In
Transformational Times curated by Joy A. Anderson and Robin Garcia which will feature artists who use soil and natural elements as a medium to open up conversations around land, memory, history, and indigeneity. The exhibition is scheduled for late 2023 and is part of LACE’s Emerging Curators program.
LACMA is the largest encyclopedic museum in the western United States with a collection that includes more than 139,000 objects from ancient times to the present from all corners of the globe. LACMA’s mission is to serve the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition, and interpretation of significant works of art from a broad range of cultures and historical periods.
The PAA grant will help fund the group exhibition Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond on view from April through September 2023. This exhibition will bring together 75 works by 42 contemporary women artists highlighting their visions as they explore more expansive definitions of gender and cultural identity that bring to question persistent stereotypes about women in Islamic lands.
visit website »The MAK Center for Art and Architecture is a contemporary, experimental, multi-disciplinary center for art and architecture headquartered in three significant architectural works by the Austrian-American architect R.M. Schindler. Offering a year-round schedule of exhibitions and events, the MAK Center presents programming that challenges conventional notions of architectural space and relationships between the creative arts.
PAA funds will support Seeking Zohn, an exhibition of newly-commissioned photographic works that visually explore the public buildings designed by Austrian-Mexican architect Alejandro Zohn in Guadalajara. Both Mexican and Austrian artists will interpret his structures through photography attempting to capture the present day vitality of his buildings. The exhibition will be on view April through July 2023.
visit website »Materials & Applications (M&A) is a Los Angeles-based non-profit cultural organization dedicated to building a public culture of experimental architecture. With a focus on architectural ideas and processes, M&A curates critical exhibitions and commissions new work by under-recognized architects, designers, and artists. Since 2002, M&A has produced more than 20 temporary site-specific installations and over 100 programs presenting new ideas in art, architecture, and design.
To support the installation Black – Still by artist collective enFOLD in the courtyard of the Craft Contemporary open from May to October 2023. This installation and its complementary programs explore narratives of wellness and cultural expression with specific attention to marginalized communities and is the second in a series commissioned by M&A and hosted by the Craft Contemporary.
visit website »The mission of The Galleries at PCC is to present high-caliber exhibitions of local contemporary visual artists and to provide an opportunity for students to view and discuss challenging works, interact with artists and arts professionals, and have their art exhibited to professional standards.
In support of two Artist-in-Residence exhibitions in the Boone Family Art Gallery on the PCC Campus. The Shizu Salamando exhibition, Memento, is of recent works by the artist centering on six new paintings that expand on an ongoing series of portraiture within the Asian and Chicanx communities and will be on view spring 2023. My Wellbeing is a Collective Art, is an exhibition of complex sculptural installations exploring the individual and collective understanding of wellbeing by artist Shirley Tse and will be on view late 2023.
visit website »Founded in Eagle Rock by a group of Los Angeles artists, X-TRA has been produced quarterly since 1997 by the Project X Foundation for Art and Criticism. Now found on newsstands and bookstores around the country, in addition to its online presence, X-TRA is a contemporary art journal that presents expansive features, historical essays, interviews, substantive reviews and more. It is also Los Angeles’s longest running critical art journal.
To fund the 2023-24 project Artists’ Voices: From Thinking, to Practice, to Community which will support publishing of artists’ commentaries and projects in both X-TRA’s print and online editions. Additionally, it will provide fees for artist contributors and support production costs for both publishing the journal and special events related to it.
visit website »Founded in 1983, the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College presents exhibitions spanning a wide range of art. Whether historical or contemporary, exhibitions enrich the teaching of art and humanities at Scripps as well as the cultural community of Claremont and environs. Since 1996, the Williamson Gallery has invited guest curators to organize the annual ceramics exhibition.
The PAA grant will help fund publication of the color-illustrated catalog for the Scripps Ceramic Annual which will be held from January to April in 2024. The exhibition is titled The idea of feeling brown and will explore Jose Esteban Munoz’ theories of browness in a novel way by assembling artists who use ceramics and clay to make affective work that conveys situated understanding, historical consciousness, and emotion.
visit website »Since 1973, Self Help Graphics & Art fosters the creation and advancement of new artworks by artists of color through collaborative printmaking. SHG views the collaboration with artists as an exchange, where artists have the opportunity to create quality prints at no cost to them and share their perspectives and diverse narratives with a wide community. Located in East Los Angeles, SHG represents a critical part of Los Angeles’s art history and culture through our service to this community.
To support the production, exhibition and public programming for Quetzal Flores’ The Re-Membering Generation: 1990’s LA Chicana/o/x Music and specifically, the creation of a series of prints based on collaborations between visual artists and musicians. The exhibition will open late summer 2023 and is part of Self-Help Graphics & Art’s 50th Anniversary season.
visit website »Based in San Marino, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens shares its world-renowned collections to support scholarship, foster learning, inspire creativity, and offer transformative experiences for diverse audiences.
In support of the exhibition Njideka Akunyili Crosby on view from February to June 2023 as part of a series highlighting contemporary female artists of color. Akunyili Crosby’s portraits will be installed in conversation with the 18th-century British portraits for which The Huntington is best known, fostering a dialogue about the rendering of status and personality, formality versus intimacy, and cultural legacy.
visit website »The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) was founded in 1979 by artists, philanthropists, and civic leaders with the mission of building the defining museum of contemporary art. By providing a dynamic, interactive forum, the museum is able to introduce contemporary art to a large audience. MOCA serves over 300,000 visitors annually at two unique locations that make contemporary art readily accessible to the diverse communities of Los Angeles.
In support of an exhibition in the MOCA Focus series entitled Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio on view from October 2023 through February 2024 at The Geffen Contemporary. The exhibition will include new and recent sculptures by the Los Angeles-based artist along with specially-commissioned works. It is part of the MOCA Focus series which celebrates artists working in Southern California with their first one-person museum show and monographic catalog.
visit website »The mission of the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College is to serve as a unique educational resource for the diverse audiences of the college and the community through the exhibition, interpretation, collection, and preservation of works in all media of the visual arts. VPAM provides an environment to encounter a range of aesthetic expressions that illuminate the depth and diversity of artwork produced by people of the world, both contemporary and past.
In support of the exhibition Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art on view from October 2023 to February 2024. This will be the first museum retrospective dedicated to queer, Chicanx artist Teddy Sandoval and will bring together serially produced works by the artist including prints, photocopies, mail art, and ceramics along with works by other artists who share conceptual and aesthetic affinities with Sandoval.
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