- Location:
- Los Angeles, CA
- Grant Cycle:
- 2023
- Amount:
- $8,000
- Type of Grant:
- General Operating Support
- Disciplines:
- Multimedia, Social Practice, Visual Arts
The mission of Art Share L.A. is to create equitable access to and inclusive opportunities for artists in the LA community. We work to eliminate the complex systems of privilege and power embedded in the art world which limit many BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ+, low-income, and other historically marginalized communities from finding success in the creative economy.
HOUSING: Providing 30 affordable lofts for low-income residents, relieving working artists of their fear of displacement
CREATIVE ECONOMY: Connecting artists to paid opportunities, from selling their artwork to public art commissions, and presenting free professional development programs
ART SHARING: Providing our 30,000 sq. ft building as a platform for artists to share their work, our barrier-eliminating programming supports both visual and performing artists
ABOUT ART SHARE L.A.
Established in 1998, Art Share L.A. is a 501(c)3 that owns and operates a 30,000 square foot mixed-use building in the heart of the Arts District. Art Share L.A. creates equitable access and opportunity for emerging artists by providing a creative environment for them to live, work, develop, perform, and exhibit.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, our programming shifted in 2020 to meet the newest challenges facing our community of creatives. During lockdown, Art Share launched Let’s Paint the Town, employing artists to create 70 public murals across LA, underscoring that artists are ESSENTIAL to the health and safety of our communities. Art Share innovated to offer new means of digital connection. We hosted a virtual gallery and exhibitions through social media. Art Share updated our facilities to enable podcast recording and live-streaming from our theater. We offered regular online concerts and performances online. Our 2021 Comeback Fest welcomed over 2000 to the streets and spaces of Art Share, presenting 136 artists.
Our building continues to act as an access point to the arts, and the community we serve is as culturally diverse as the city in which we reside. We remain the only affordable cultural infrastructure in the downtown Arts District that prices 100% of our exhibition, performance, studio, and classroom spaces to be affordable to low-income and emerging artists, and offers 100% of our housing units to low-income tenants.
Our free to low-cost programming provides creative opportunities for emerging, underrepresented and low-income artists, and spans the Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Affordable Housing, and Training Programs.
CREATING PATHWAYS FOR CREATIVE CAREERS
Our creative career program connects artists to paying opportunities from curation to off-site exhibitions, and from leading workshops to creating murals.
NURTURING ARTISTS’ PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Art Share L.A.’s Creative Exchange program seeks to connect, support, and highlight LA’s creative community through a free professional development series targeting emerging and underrepresented artists.
PROVIDING AFFORDABLE SPACES TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTED
Art Share prioritizes supporting emerging, underrepresented creatives and is committed to building an inclusive artist community.
UPLIFTING EMERGING AND UNDERREPRESENTED ARTISTS
We are known for presenting work that amplifies the voices of artists who have not been heard and our public programs engage audiences through talks and workshops that are free and open to all.
Art Share’s Theater Program showcases emerging artists presenting socially-conscious and innovative performances. We are committed to providing accessibility to the arts in our local community.
FIGHTING FOR AFFORDABLE ARTIST HOUSING AND RELIEF
Art Share’s 30 affordable live/work lofts provides low-income housing, keeping artists in the Arts District without fear of displacement.