A student in the Education Lab presentation ‘Traces of Us’. Photo: Mario de Lopez
Education Lab Returns to Downtown Los Angeles: ‘Traces of Us’
A place for interaction, coinciding with the exhibition, ‘Thomas J Price. Beyond Measure’
This summer, Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles celebrates the opening of our Education Lab, a global partnership between our learning team and middle schools: Brete Harte Preparatory and Luther Burbank. Open to the public from Wednesday 25 May 2023 – Sunday 20 August 2023.
Inspired by Thomas J Price, the Education Lab features an installation of art pieces by 30 students aged between 11-14, each exploring the ways in which statues and monuments can be used to represent themselves and commemorate something important in their lives. Using Price’s work as a catalyst for creative expression, the students have reflected on themes of value, identity and representation within contemporary social structures, as well as who we choose to celebrate within society and why.
A student in the Education Lab presentation ‘Traces of Us’. Photo: Mario de Lopez
Students in the Education Lab presentation ‘Traces of Us’. Photo: Mario de Lopez
‘At the heart of my work is a belief in recognizing the worth of every person. This project has given young people the power to think about how they want to show success and explore what truly matters to them. By doing this, they are breaking down old ways of thinking and embracing the joy of just being themselves.’—Thomas J Price
Installation view, ‘Education Lab: Traces of Us,’ Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles, 2023. Photo: Mario de Lopez
Installation view, ‘Education Lab: Traces of Us,’ Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles, 2023. Photo: Mario de Lopez
‘Take Part’, an active drawing space and engagement program taking place for the duration of the exhibition encourages visitors to engage with themes of Price’s exhibition. Guests are invited to draw their silhouette within the space, using light, shadow, lines, and scale. Through the activity it is Price’s intention to connect visitors to the room through its physical and material history as they become part of the space. This expression of presence in absence and the act of accumulation is demonstrated in Price’s early performance, ‘Licked’ (2001), in which he physically licked the walls of an exhibition space over a period of 3 days. The work constituted a breakthrough and has continued to shape Price's broader practice and thinking to this day.
Thomas J Price with students from Brete Harte Preparatory and Luther Burban. Photo: Mario de Lopez
Students from Brete Harte Preparatory and Luther Burban exploring the exhibition ‘Thomas J Price. Beyond Measure’. Photo: Mario de Lopez
‘By reaching out to schools and academic communities our learning program creates new opportunities for those who may not have considered a career in the arts, or in this case, young people who have never visited an art gallery before.’—Debbie Hillyerd, Senior Director Learning
The Education Lab is part of Hauser & Wirth’s commitment to inclusive learning programs that instigate a dialogue between art, artists and diverse audiences. Located at our galleries in Downtown Los Angeles, Menorca and Somerset, as well as the Chillida Leku museum, each Education Lab is a collaboration with a local community group, school, or university. The interactive spaces take their starting point from one of our international artists, facilitating a platform for discovery, discussion and additional resources.
-- The Education Lab at Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles Downtown accompanies Thomas J Price’s exhibition ‘Beyond Measure’ on view until 20 August 2023. His first solo exhibition in the US draws visitor’s attention to the nuances of conditioned behaviors and psychological frameworks, interrogating how we collectively occupy space. It is a celebration of the strength of everyday individuals focusing on the universal human qualities that unite us and provide an opportunity to arrive at a shared moment of connection. Plan your visit.
