A presentation during Jeff Higashi’s Design for Health and Wellbeing class held at ArtCenter DTLA. Photo by Juan Posada.
ArtCenter has agreed to utilize The Main Museum space, along Gallery Row at 114 W. 4 th Street in the city’s Old Bank District, for $1 a year for the next 10 years. The space will be renamed ArtCenter DTLA.
Among the first activities planned for ArtCenter’s new downtown location is an exhibit of artwork from MFA candidates in the College’s Graduate Art program. The “Going Clear” exhibition opens May 16 and continues through June 23. ArtCenter will offer workshops as part of the school’s public extension program and lectures centered around diversity, equity and inclusion. The College also intends to participate in the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk on the 2nd Thursday of each month when local galleries and art studios open their doors to the public.
“Our recent partnership with The Main provided us an opportunity to work with an incredible community of artists and activists, thinkers and makers in the Downtown area,” said ArtCenter Provost Karen Hofmann.
“As ArtCenter educational experiences continue to evolve, it’s imperative that we engage with the local community, and this new space sets us up to do just that.”
The site formerly housed The Main Museum, which opened in 2016 as an institution focused on Los Angeles art and artists. In May 2018, the College announced a programmatic partnership with The Main, through which ArtCenter used the location for a variety of purposes, including pop-up studio classrooms, public lectures, and as a home base for a number of public-facing projects. Simultaneously, under the guidance of museum director Allison Agsten and deputy director Alex Capriotti, The Main continued to run a residency program, gallery exhibitions and office hours for emerging artists.
Museum staff stepped down at the end of 2018 and the museum officially ceased operations. However, the partnership sparked conversations about the space between ArtCenter and museum co-founders Gilmore and Perrone.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to Allison and Alex for introducing us to The Main and its wonderful, vibrant community,” Buchman added. “We’re proud to pick up on the great work they started, even as we add our own dimension of professional and student work, incorporate a focus on design, and provide new educational opportunities for the public.”
Tom Gilmore and Jerri Perrone are partners in Gilmore Associates and co-founders of The Main Museum. Gilmore Associates will continue to own the 11,500 square-foot building which includes a 3,500 square-foot gallery on the ground floor and a second 2,750 square-foot gallery on the mezzanine, as well as artist studios and administrative offices.
“We’re grateful to Tom and Jerri for their generosity in providing us with this new downtown space,” Buchman said. “We plan to serve as a resource to the L.A. art community by presenting exhibitions and programs integrating the mission of the former Main Museum with the mission of ArtCenter.”
