ADVICE:
Taking Advantage of
Non-Traditional Art Spaces
by Ross Karlan, Director of Art Muse LA in Miami, 1 April 2023.
Image Credit: Exterior of Pan American Art Projects. direct link.
Museums are probably the first place you might think of when you want to look at art. Many of the world’s top museums are enormous and show an immense variety of art through the ages, as well as some top-notch special exhibitions. However, museums are not the only places to see exceptional art and dynamic exhibitions, especially if you are interested in contemporary art. At Art Muse LA and Art Muse LA in Miami, we are here to help you find spaces that might be considered less “traditional” and off the beaten path to enhance your art-viewing experience.
Image Credit: OCHI is a gallery located in Mid-City Los Angeles. direct link.
1. Galleries
You may think of galleries as places to go when you want to buy art. But you don’t always have to be in the market to make an acquisition if you want to see what galleries are showing. Many contemporary galleries have expertly curated exhibitions throughout the year, highlighting some of the best contemporary artists in the world at all levels of their careers. These spaces are always changing what’s on view. Some galleries stick to specific areas of specialization, too, meaning you can always find a gallery that focuses on something you are particularly interested in. If you are in Los Angeles, check out some of our favorite galleries in the city, including Diane Rosenstein Gallery, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, OCHI, Make Room Los Angeles, and more. In Miami, we always have our eye on Pan American Art Projects, LnS Gallery, Latin Art Core, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Mindy Solomon Gallery, and many others.
Image Credit: The Bendix building in Los Angeles is home to almost a dozen galleries and over 40 artist studios. Degen Pener, “Downtown’s Bendix Building Has Become a Haven for Artists Priced Out of the Arts District,” Los Angeles magazine, 6 February 2018. Photo by Matthew Anderson. direct link.
2. Independent Art Spaces and Studios
In cities with thriving art communities like Los Angeles and Miami, there are a number of independent art spaces and studios that also have exhibitions for emerging artists, as well as artist-run studio spaces. You can often attend these spaces’ shows and public events. Places like Blue Roof Studios and the Bendix building in Los Angeles, and Bakehouse Art Complex, Locust Projects, and Oolite Arts in Miami are just a few examples.
Image Credit: A pop-up exhibition at Superblue Miami by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, a Mexican-Canadian artist, entitled Pulse Topology. On view from 17 November 2022–23 August 2023. direct link.
3. Pop-Up Exhibitions
As contemporary art continues to thrive, some artists, curators, and even collectors have turned to pop-up spaces as an opportunity to highlight exciting work and ideas in the art world. Keep an eye out for these types of shows by following artists on social media, talking to gallerists and collectors, or using art exhibition aggregators and blogs like ForYourArt or Curate LA.
Image Credit: A participant map for the fifth iteration of Other Places art fair (OPaf), which occurs yearly in Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, CA (about 25 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles). OPaf “represent[s] the growing movement of hard-to-define art spaces.” direct link.
4. Art Fairs
Though no longer “non-traditional” in recent years, art fairs are still an amazing way to see art without feeling pressure to buy. If big-name fairs like Art Basel and Frieze are a bit overwhelming, other smaller fairs appear throughout the year that offer different viewing experiences that are full of opportunities to learn about what is currently happening in the art world. ARTnews publishes a list each year of national and international art fairs.
Image Credit: Jun Kaneko (Japanese-born American, b. 1942). Untitled, 2012. Hand-built and glazed ceramic vessel, 69 in. (175.26 cm). Located in the 3rd-level quad of the Westfield Century City mall. direct link.
5. Public Art
Sometimes as we walk the streets of a city or drive around, we don’t notice how much art is around us daily. From murals to public sculptures, most major cities are full of opportunities to enjoy public art, which of course, never has an admission fee. If you want to explore Los Angeles’ West Side, look at our non-profit Art Muse Academy, where we’ve worked for the past two years on Access! Guide, a guide for outdoor sculpture found in West Los Angeles to find public art on UCLA’s campus, Beverly Hills, and Century City.