Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauri Firstenberg.
Lauri, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m from Los Angeles. I studied art history at Berkeley and Harvard for graduate school. I was a curator in the nonprofit sector for 25 years and am the founder of LAXART – the leading alternative art space in Los Angeles which I ran for over a decade. Recently, with partners, I opened an art production company and gallery called there-there in Hollywood.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The sprawl of LA often defines the city and driving audiences to a new space in a burgeoning area is the biggest challenge. LA is event driven so we must provide dense programming to keep visitors engaged.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
there-there reflects a new model. As a curator, I work with artists over time and have the opportunity to stage exhibitions and special projects in multiple contexts. For some artists, I work as their US or West Coast producer. Our reach extends beyond the gallery walls.
What were you like growing up?
I was shy. Very quiet. I was a dancer and wanted to be a choreographer.
For various reasons, the desire to be a choreographer transitioned into a curator at Berkeley when I found myself in the most exceptional art history department in the country at the time. I was inspired by four professors that changed my life.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4859 Fountain Avenue LA CA 90029
- Website: there-there.co
- Phone: 323.741.8097
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: thereisnotherethere
- Facebook: thereisnotherethere
Image Credit:
Sharon Suh
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
