The Arts District is getting a new actual arts venue, and it's a heavy-hitting one. A vacant, seven-building compound covered in "vibrant, raucous painted expressions of local street culture" (i.e., graffiti) has been long-term-leased to renowned international gallery owners Hauser & Wirth, who plan to make it into a "multi-disciplinary" arts space. The venue will be under the name Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, as they've brought in former MOCA chief curator Paul Schimmel as a partner on the project. This deal is literally big: the complex covers 100,000 square feet, and includes a neo-classical bank building and an old, five-story flour mill, according to the release. The new venue will function mostly as a space for "museum-quality" exhibits and public programs, but will also have studios for artist residencies, a restaurant, and bookstore.
The remodeled space will also take advantage of the property's 20,000-square-foot courtyard (now covered, soon to be open-air) that will be used for events and possibly a giant spider sculpture, Schimmel told the LA Times. The gallery's signed a 10-year lease for the space, so they're planning on letting it "evolve, organically, over many years."
The complex is located in an established part of the District, on the same happening stretch of Third Street as eateries Wurstkuche and Eat Drink Americano and designy shop Poketo. The space will open, unrenovated and still graffiti-covered, for a three-month pop-up in January 2015, then close for a complete overhaul, opening to the public (with free admission) about a year after that.
· Paul Schimmel and Hauser & Wirth pick downtown spot for arts complex [LAT]
Loading comments...