Lawndale Art Center

Lawndale Art Center
Lawndale Art Center facade
Founder(s)James Surls
Established1979
FocusContemporary art works (all media) by local artists
Address4912 Main Street
Location
Houston, Texas
Websitelawndaleartcenter.org
Location marked as LAC
LAC
LAC
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Location within Houston Museum District

Lawndale Art Center is a non-profit space for the exhibition of contemporary works of art in all media, based in Houston, Texas, USA, focused on exhibiting work by Houston area artists.

Lawndale Art Center was founded in 1979 by artist James Surls in an abandoned 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) warehouse as part of the University of Houston, providing studio spaces for graduate students in painting and sculpture. Surls, then Professor of Art, created an exhibition area within Lawndale's 15,000 square feet (1,400 m2) of space; the exhibitions there soon expanded to include shows by other artists of the community.

Lawndale Art Center became independent with non-profit status in 1989, and since 1992 has been located in a 1930s Art Deco building designed by Joseph Finger within Houston’s Museum District. The galleries exhibit close to 500 artists annually in changing exhibitions.

Over twenty exhibitions, informal talks and special events are offered yearly including annual events such as Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead,[1][2] Design Fair,[3][4] and The Big Show.[5][6]

Lawndale is governed by a board of directors representing the community. At least one-third are artists. Exhibitions, special events and benefits are carried out with the assistance of volunteers, interns and in-kind contributors.

In September 2021, the institute announced its newly appointed Executive Director, Anna Walker.[7]

  1. ^ Day of the Dead Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, Lawndale Art Center, USA.
  2. ^ Flores Alvarez, Olivia "Slideshow: Day of the Dead at Lawndale and Manos Magicas", Houston Press Blogs, October 27, 2010, accessed February 16, 2010.
  3. ^ Design Fair, Lawndale Art Center, USA.
  4. ^ Fosdick, Kathryn "Lawndale Art Center: Design Fair 2010 ", Rice Design Alliance, April 22, 2010, accessed February 16, 2010.
  5. ^ The Big Show Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, Lawndale Art Center, USA.
  6. ^ Thomson, Steven "Jurying The Big Show at Lawndale Art Center", Culture Map Houston, July 6, 2010, accessed February 16, 2010.
  7. ^ "Lawndale Art Center's New Executive Director Looks Toward the Future". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-20.