Art Share L.A. 2023 year in review

24

430+

9 ARTISTS IN

30 ARTISTS

41,067

4

36K

At Art Share L.A. we prioritize eliminating barriers for emerging and underrepresented artists through our community arts programs.

In 2023, we organized 24 well-received exhibits, platforming 430+ artists; delivered community-centered programs including our Comeback Fest, celebrating the diversity of LA creatives through art, music, poetry, film, dance, and food for 2,200+ attendees; and welcomed people of all ages to 170+ low- and no-cost workshops, pop-ups, and performances including including operas, children’s theater, queer variety acts, poetry readings, and more.

We launched our Ellsworth Artist Residency Program, providing free studio space for underrepresented artists. The residency offers professional development opportunities as well as inclusion in a group exhibition in Art Share L.A.’s main gallery. We also continued our provision of, and advocacy around, affordable artist housing. Art Share L.A. provides 30 units of low-income housing, keeping artists in the Arts District without fear of displacement due to increasing gentrification.

& GOVERNANCE STAFF

Staff

Beth Stryker, Executive Director

Mackenzie Royce, Associate Director

Morgan Barajas, Facilities & Performing Arts Manager

Baha Danesh, Visual Arts Curator & Manager

Ree Magaña, Marketing & Communications Manager

O’Bryan A. Neely, Assistant Event Coordinator

Wayne Hoggatt, Assistant Event Coordinator

Board of Directors

Eddie Navarrette, President

Susan Chivaratanond, Vice President

Mike Kelley, Secretary

Eric Needleman, Treasurer

Matthew Cuban Hernandez

Matthew Himes

Ashaki M. Jackson Ph.D.

S.C. Mero

Alex Poli "Man One"

Art Share has had the privilege to host Los Angeles's next art leaders through the AmeriCorps Public Allies Program, the Center for Business & Management of the Arts (CBMArts) at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) Capstone Consulting Project, and the LA County Department of Arts and Culture’s Arts Internship Program (AIP). Our apprentices and interns have brought fresh perspectives while helping to build our capacity to support artists. Our team has valued serving as mentors to our future leaders in the non-profit arts sector.

Amanda Gomez, Event Production and Community Engagement Assistant

Estefani Hernandez, Exhibitions & Programs Assistant

Yehymmy Hernandez, Events & Programs Assistant

Noreen McGonigle,

Sarah Reyes, Events & Programs Assistant

Janai Valentine, Exhibitions Assistant

Art Share L.A. proudly presented Street Schooled, curated by Man One, on view from December 17, 2022 – January 28, 2023.

Street Schooled is an exhibition highlighting the work of 12 Los Angeles artists: Paul Botello, Fabian Debora, John Zender Estrada, Jesse Fregozo, Wayne Healy, Mary Lai, El Mac, Wenceslao Quiroz, Rebornz, Showzart, Obed Silva, Jacqueline Valenzuela.

The 7 emerging and 5 established LA-based artists’ works are inspired in one way or another by the streets of LA. The emerging artists are sharing the gallery walls with several more established creators by whom they’ve personally been influenced. These more mature masters of their craft have also influenced countless young painters, graffiti artists, and muralists throughout the city over the last few decades. They are respected as street mentors by many. The exhibition aspires to showcase the surfacing talent of these emerging artists while giving flowers to the living maestros that came before them.

ART SHARE L.A. CANCEPTUAL was a large group show with over 100 original pieces of art on a spray can on view. In street art, the spray can is usually the medium but in this new exhibition, ART SHARE L.A. CANCEPTUAL, it’s the CANVAS!

Featuring artists: ALSRN, Armen Ges, ArtsbySosa, Morgan Barajas, Braindeadburnout, Carlos, John Chang, Joanne Chew, Concepción, Baha Danesh, Dan One, Ronald Del Cid, Doly, D M N One, OG DREW, Emerald Echo, Emma Escamilla, Elizabeth Estrada, Fat Baby, Female Faceless, Force129, Fcstilukart, Jonathan “Suer” Godinez, Mike Habs, J. R. Jackson, Jasser, Sara Janti Art, Joe ded, Karolime, King Margot, Doré Kittrell, Farzad Kohan, Konfused, Kneapolitan, Ian Lantz Art, Monica Marks, Ehsaan Mesghali, Mew, Jay Michael Balmes, Ms Yellow, OLDSKOOL33, Francisco Palomares, Jas Parker, Paul Patrick, P behind the art, Patricia Perman, Phenik, Phobik, Brittney Price, Rand, Relmster, Revel2XL, Rosie One, ShowzArt, SICKdotONE, Sight Zilla, Skyler, Amy Smith, Soft Chick, Speker, Snackbabie, Steeke, Stinky Punk, William Taylor, Vox, Vyal One, WCMTL, Zenk, Zermillion

This exhibition took place in our Perimeter Gallery from December 17, 2022 – January 28, 2023 and was a companion show to our Main Gallery exhibition, Street Schooled, both curated by renowned street artist Man One.

The Ellsworth Collection

IN MEMORY OF TERRY ELLSWORTH ON VIEW

FEB 10 - MAR 24

Art Share L.A. was honored to present The Ellsworth Collection in memory of Arts District historian and Art Share L.A.’s longtime Ambassador Terry Ellsworth.

The Ellsworth Collection included works from Shepard Fairey, Emmeric Konrad, and Becca Midwood, among other prominent Los Angeles artists, as well as ephemera from the Downtown Los Angeles arts community’s evolution. His collection tells the region’s story, including the pioneering of the Arts District; the artist community that surrounded him; and his role in Art Share L.A.’s emergence. Visitors can view The Ellsworth Collection in the Main Gallery a space where Terry cultivated and mentored our community of artists, curators, and creatives.

The Ellsworth Collection was on view February 10 – March 24, 2023 in Art Share L.A.’s Main Gallery.

Art Share L.A. proudly presented A Common Thread, an exhibition featuring fiber-based and textile works of art exploring autobiography and social critique, connection and displacement. The artworks in this exhibition were interlinked through themes of history and memory. The exhibition was on view April 1 - June 10, 2023 in Art Share L.A.’s Main Gallery.

Featured artists included: Antoinette Adams, Amabelle Aguiluz, Doris Bittar, A. Laura Brody, Chloe Cusimano, Yasmine Nasser Diaz, Debra Disman, Carmen Mardonez, Carolyn Mason, Michelle Montjoy, Marie-Jose Njoku-Obi, Katie Shanks, and Aneesa Shami Zizzo

Ellsworth Artist Residency Program EXHIBITION

Art Share L.A. showcased artists from our newly inaugurated Ellsworth Artist Residency Program in our Main Gallery. The Ellsworth Artist Residency program is dedicated to creating an accessible studio space for artists and is a dynamic opportunity for emerging artists to work and develop their visual art practice. This exhibition was on view June 24July 29, 2023.

Featured artists: Lorenzo Baker, Marissa Brown, Jesse Fregozo, Kyong Boon Oh, Steven Rahbany, and Jacqueline Valenzuela

In the Perimeter Gallery, Art Share L.A. tenants showcased their work alongside Art Share L.A. volunteers and staff! The Art Share L.A. building is the only 100% affordable housing building in the Arts District. Since 2000, Art Share L.A. has provided 30 affordable housing units, helping to protect local artists against exorbitant rent increases caused by gentrification. We are committed to sustaining affordable housing and an inspiring place to create and build community. Locals Only was on view June 24 - July 29, 2023.

Featured artists: M.M Barajas, Jaja Dario, Scott Kaz, Taylor John Kinahan, Ree Magaña, Nai Ya Maji, Jazmyn Martinez, Snackbabie, Tonitruum, Nico Vino, VOID, Zyi

Art Share L.A. proudly presented Summer Salon 2023 in the Main Gallery.

Summer Salon submissions were solicited through an open call, with over 60 artists selected to represent voices from the community.

Summer Salon ran from August 12 – September 2, 2023, and featured sculpture, paintings, photography, and mixed-media collage.

Featured artists: Achilles, AG”, Androoby, Angelhcrux, AZUL, M.M Barajas, Blaze Bautista, Daryl Bibicoff, Daniel Boza, Bair Brains, Josh Cabello, Joanne Chase-Mattillo, Chavelo Chávez, Courtney Conovan, Jaja Dario, Disha, Monica Malvi Dollison, Karen Duckles, Jackie Farkas, Frankie Fünke, Nikki Gagas, Lisa Amundsen Giannini, Brenda Gonzalez, Julian Portugal Gooden, Vanessa Guerra, Lynn Heinz, Tori Holder, Daniel Gonzalez Humegido, Deborah Lynn Irmas, Simonette David Jackson, Elena Jacobson, Sara Janti, Selena Xin Jin, Kamelyta, Saon Kashem, Scott Kaz, Lois Keller, Shannon Kim, Kudaichi, Faina Kumpan, Maria Cristina Lattes, Janice Lau, Jung ji Lee, John Lonsdale, Rocio Magadan, Ree Magaña, Elana Marie, Jazmyn Martinez, Valerie Mitchell, Mónica Moreno, MVYT, Selena Najar, Connie Nakamura, OLE, Paint & Plants, Rollence Patugan, Mark Peacock, Hunter Blaze Pearson, Ellie Reis, RHYESEYES, Alex Rice, E.L. Rodriguez, Viktoria Romanova, Sylvia Schorn, Duncan Sherwood-Forbes, Somsara, Hirotaka Suzuki, Bad Talents, Ale Teresa, AnnLi Tico, T.R.A., TRISHES, Ahlise Vela, Anais Ecliserio Velez, Oscar Vomit, Matthew Weinberg

Art Share L.A. presented Paper Route, an exhibition focusing on works on paper, including drawings, photographs, illustrated cutouts, and sculptures that explore and manipulate the materiality of paper itself. This exhibition was on view in the Art Share L.A. Main Gallery October 14December 9, 2023.

Featured artists include: Zadie Baker, Arezoo Bharthania, Chehung Chen, Rudy Cole, Chelsea Dean, Nicola Katsikis, Farzad Kohan, Finnley J. Kirkman, Lori Markman, Rosalyn Myles, Somsara Rielly, Leigh Salgado, R. Tucker, Ann Weber, and Essi Zimm

Art Share L.A. presented SOMOS, a new exhibition curated by Fabian Debora, Executive Director of Homeboy Art Academy. This exhibition was on view December 16, 2023 - February 24, 2024 in Art Share L.A.’s Main Gallery.

Homeboy Art Academy strives to extend the mission of providing hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated youth and adults, by securing a space in which the arts can be the central modality to healing and transformation.

“SOMOS (We Are) originates from a declaration within the gang subculture — a call to stand firm with pride and dignity in our representation of communal identities and beliefs. In this exhibition, twelve LA artists reclaim and celebrate the culture as a testament to the anchor provided by our Pintores Maestros. These master artists have tirelessly upheld a cultural movement across generations, fostering a lasting legacy in our communities. We continue to challenge the labels that seek to dictate what art is or how it is created. These art forms reflect more than technique, they represent deeply embedded personal narratives. Art, for us, is a mirror held up to our audience, eradicating the invisibility that has long persisted.” – Curator Fabian Debora

Featured artists included: ARi, Showz Art, Onni Arte, Fabian Debora, Jesse Fregozo, Megumi Nakazawa, Rick Ortega, GIO, Obed Silva, Tonantzin 1901, and Esmeralda Villarreal

Inner Links was a vibrant cultural map that intricately charts the diverse and dynamic creative landscape of Los Angeles County artists. We aim to foster an engaging intercultural dialogue, spotlighting the diversity of modern contemporary artists who tap into the creative pulse within every corner of Los Angeles. This exhibition was on view in Art Share L.A.’s Perimeter Gallery from December 16, 2023 - February 24, 2024.

Featured artists included: Phoebe Clemens, Otha “Vakseen” Davis III, John Galan, Daniela Garcia Hamilton, Sara Janti, Paul Juno, Rebecca Laws, Perseus Lira, Randi Matushevitz, Elizabeth Munzón, Sara No Special Name, Cynthia Ortega, Steven Rahbany, REBORNZ, RERUN, Little Ricky, Nia Simone, Ramón Vargas, Matthew Weinberg, and Zoxer

THE ELLSWORTH ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM

ABOUT THE ELLSWORTH ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM

The Ellsworth Artist Residency program is dedicated to creating an accessible studio space for artists and is a dynamic opportunity for emerging artists to work and develop their visual art practice. The residency includes professional development opportunities including studio visits with curators, critics, scholars and artists as well as inclusion in a group exhibition in Art Share L.A.’s main gallery. A selection committee, consisting of professionals in the field, including curators, scholars, and artists, reviews all the submitted applications.

ABOUT TERRY ELLSWORTH

Terry Ellsworth was a prominent figure in the downtown art community and – for more than a decade – an incomparable Art Share L.A. team member. He saw what the building could become during the Arts District’s revitalization and infused decades of his art experience into the evolution of Art Share L.A. His affability and his commitment to accessible, community-based art anchored the organization through its biggest transitions. As Art Share L.A.’s Ambassador, Terry would often install art shows and walk the building’s hallways sharing stories. He was a magnetic storyteller who held friends’ and patrons’ ears at each event with equal parts history and humor.

The Ellsworth Artist Residency is supported in part by a generous grant from the Eastside Arts Initiative.

Additional support provided by Prince Street Pizza

2023 ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Cohort 1 - Lorenzo Baker, Kyong Boon Oh, Jacqueline Valenzuela

Cohort 2 - Marissa Brown, Jesse Fregozo, Steven Rahbany

Cohort 3 - Pável Acevedo, Sara Janti, Michael Shaw

COHORT 1 THE ELLSWORTH ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Jacqueline Valenzuela

Valenzuela is a multi-media artist whose practice is centered around her personal experiences as a woman within the Chicano world of lowriding. Her art practice reflects the deep roots she has planted in the lowrider community by bridging the gap between fine art and this underrepresented community.

Lorenzo Baker

Lorenzo Baker is a multi-disciplinary artist utilizing parafiction and perifacts to complicate ideas of collective memory. Fluctuating between the indexical and the symbolic, Lorenzo’s art practice takes shape as digital collages, ready made sculptures, site specific multimedia installations and sometimes unsanctioned public activations.

Kyong Boon Oh

Korean-born Kyong Boon Oh received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her BS in Mathematics from Korea University. She was a painter before but her choice of metal wire, a childhood toy that she tried during 13 years of health problems, gave rise to her current art practice of hand-weaving wire. Now she has expanded her mediums to sculpting. She is a founding member of SSGOC (Stone Sculptors Guild of Orange County).

COHORT 2 THE ELLSWORTH ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Marissa Brown

Marissa Brown is a biracial, Black and Portuguese, Multidisciplinary artist. Her primary language comes from movement of the body and translates into works of live performance, film, installation, photography, and publication. She has her BFA in Performance and Choreography from University of California Irvine and MFA from California Institute of the Arts. Her work has been shown extensively in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. Under the name Lone King Projects, she creates and shares intimate moments of expression.

Jesse Fregozo

Jesse Fregozo is a native Angeleno who primarily works as a painter. He vocalizes the struggles of marginalized communities through the representation of identity and culture as a primary focus. Fregozo uses locations around his community as symbols of identity and a cultural lifestyle that has been carried down generation after generation.

Steven Rahbany

Steven Rahbany is a Los Angeles based artist who has been exploring a hand sewn pillow technique for the past few years. With a graphic design background, he blends typography and shapes with sewing to weave nostalgia and present issues. His work has been exhibited in group and solo shows at galleries such as The Houston Contemporary Art Museum, TAG Gallery, Agora Art Gallery in New York, and Photo LA.

THE ELLSWORTH ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM

COHORT 3

Pável Acevedo

Pável Acevedo is a printmaker/muralist originally from Oaxaca, Mexico based in Los Angeles. Pável Acevedo’s artworks are influenced by the traditional Mexican printmaking imagery of Taller Gráfica Popular Mexicana and traditional family folk tales. Pável’s printmaking work has been showcased between the Bay Area of San Francisco and Southern California and other states such as Texas, New Mexico, New York, Mississippi, Washington; and internationally in Belgium, Canada, Mexico and Colombia.

Sara Janti

Born in Tehran, Iran, Sara Janti is a mixed media artist and jewelry designer who currently lives and works in Southern California. Sara has always had a deep connection to creating objects, her recent works tell her stories of life and own experience as an Iranian woman who is living in diaspora. Influenced by the recent movements in Iran and the role of Iranian women leading the movement, by mixing images from old Iranian artifacts and self portraits, she has unveiled a series of works that describe Iranian women who are fighting for their own basic human rights. Her mixed media pieces are a reflection of the current status in what is happening and how it is affecting lives

Michael Shaw

Michael Shaw is a Los Angeles-based artist and activist Shaw is also the creator and host of The Conversation Art Podcast, launched in 2011. His work was most recently included in the exhibitions Sociality at LA Tate gallery in 2023, and It’s My House! at the Porch Gallery in Ojai, CA, in 2022, and has been exhibited throughout the U.S. He is the recipient of a Puffin Foundation Grant and the Rauschenberg Emergency Grant in 2022, the Center for Cultural Innovation’s Quick Grant in 2021, and the New Student Award at Hunter College, where he received his MFA. He has been a member of the LA Tenants Union since 2019, where he advocates for tenant empowerment, helps guide tenants in crisis and attempts to address the more egregious threats that further gentrification

Art Share L.A. has continued to grow our professional development series, Creative Exchange. Creative Exchange is an initiative by Art Share L.A. in collaboration with the Center for Business & Management of the Arts at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) that seeks to connect, support, and highlight LA’s creative community. In recognizing the diversity and passion of our region’s creative sector, the Creative Exchange will encourage discussion and knowledge-sharing between established and emerging artists of all mediums, as well as our cultural organizations, curators, thought leaders, and supporters of the creative community at large.

In each session, artists walk away with tangible skills such as artist statements, installation and framing tips, transitioning into NFTs, contract development, artist taxes, and more.

180+ EVENTS

Located in the heart of the Arts District, our 30,000 sq ft warehouse provides multifunctional creative and unique rental spaces from film screenings to concerts and lectures to workshops. Art Share prioritizes supporting emerging, underrepresented, and artists and event producers committed to building an inclusive artist community.

Art Share L.A. has curated exhibitions as part of the THIS TOWN HAS HEART series in partnership with Tishman Speyer, installed at Maple Plaza in Beverly Hills.

This partnership is part of Art Share L.A.’s Creative Careers Program, connecting artists to fair-waged art jobs and curating exhibitions highlighting emerging and experienced artists.

The Smorgasburg LA Art Fair, curated by Art Share L.A., is a quarterly event featuring artisan vendors, live performances, and live painters!

This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Smorgasburg operates the largest open-air food markets in the country, with locations in New York, Los Angeles, Jersey City, Sao Paulo, and most recently, Miami and Toronto. Smorgasburg L.A. provides a platform for nearly 100 small businesses curated from the next wave of SoCal’s food, beverage and shopping scene.

Art Fair

EMERGING CURATOR PROGRAM

Each month, Art Share L.A. engages an emerging curator or artist to bring together a selection of artists for a themed exhibition at Angel City Brewery. With over 50 exhibitions to date, themes have spanned topics ranging from L.A. street photography to Los Angeles Chicano car culture, from LGTBQ+ pride to water conservation. If these walls could talk, they would thank the hundreds of artists who have participated in this program.

ARTIST CAN SERIES

The Art Share L.A. x Angel City Brewery Artist Can Series supports emerging artists by commissioning their artwork to appear on Angel City cans. These limited-release beers are an amazing way to showcase artwork that reflects the contents inside. . Art Share L.A. periodically conducts Calls for Artists to find the perfect person for the can.