PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS COUNCIL LOS ANGELES - PAC LA

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PAC LA is…

…passionate about photography as an art form.

And we’re excited to share our passion with you.

Dedicated

For over a decade, our focus has been to gather and engage experts and curious newcomers in conversation about the ways photography connects and enriches our community.

Independent

From our roots as an advisory council to one of the largest museums in the country, PAC LA is now recognized as a leading independent resource for the entire arts community in Los Angeles and beyond.

Connected

We bring together artists, gallerists, museums, collectors, educators, and individuals to create unique collaborations, programs and experiences.

Active

PAC LA produces a robust calendar of expertly curated public and member events throughout the city, along with online talks and guided travel, on our own and in partnership with other notable arts organizations. We also produce a thought-provoking digital newsletter every month. It’s free, so why not subscribe?

Here for You

PAC LA exists to build, educate, and engage our community, and that means we do this for you. Whether you are a supporting member, a viewer on our YouTube channel, a follower on Instagram, or a first time guest at an event in your neighborhood, we are so glad you found us.

 

  • The Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles creates unique collaborative programming that engages and educates the community in an evolving public conversation about photography and photo-based art.

  • We recognize photography and photo-based art connects us to one another and pushes the boundaries of our understanding.

    As we build upon our knowledge of photography’s complex history, PAC LA fosters a deeper understanding of contemporary artists and their influence on our culture. We engage our diverse community through active learning opportunities – through viewing and discussing classic and contemporary photography, hearing lectures by experts, engaging in an ongoing dialogue with artists and participating in photo-focused travel.

    Giving back is fundamental to the PAC LA culture. Through volunteer work, partnerships, mentoring and grant initiatives we empower the PAC LA community to contribute to a new generation of scholars, artists, students and social activists discovering photography as a powerful means of self-expression. Join us and experience the wide range of photographic activity in the art capital of Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Created in 2022, our strategic plan focuses on ensuring a future of self-sustainability and a growing and diverse PAC LA community.

    The plan is a living and evolving document that has been embraced and is used by our Board to chart and evaluate our progress regularly.

    Learn more and read the plan here.

Explore: Programs | Travel | Membership | Team

EXPERIENCE PAC LA

PAC LA for Everyone

PAC LA PRESENTS: YEAR OF THE WOMAN

In honor of the powerful women who helped to shape PAC LA's first decade, we are launching Year of the Woman, a series of flagship public educational events celebrating notable women in fine art photography. The organization is building an entire year of programming around this central theme and will offer free, in-person events, held quarterly at venues across the city in 2025 and early 2026.

Read more here.

This groundbreaking programming initiative is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Eastman Museum Los Angeles.

 

Empire Falling 8 © Elena Dorfman

UPCOMING EVENT: WHY A PHOTOBOOK?

Our second Year of the Woman event, Why A Photobook? is a dynamic panel discussion featuring photographers Mona Kuhn and Elena Dorfman, Getty Library photography curator Isotta Poggi and photography collector and former PAC LA board member Marjorie Ornston.

The Getty Library is currently hosting What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women 1843–1999. Why A Photobook? will expand the discussion on this popular medium and explore many of the questions that photo artists face today:

  • Why choose to publish vs. exhibit?

  • What themes do I want to uncover, and why?

  • Who and what has been an important influence to help me shape my viewpoint?

  • How much of myself do I want to include in this book?

The panelists look forward to engaging the audience in conversation about photobooks and the role they play in the development of an artist’s career and legacy.

Saturday, May 17 | 1 PM PST

FREE | Sponsored by Eastman Museum Los Angeles

Generously hosted by Los Angeles Modern Auctions | RSVP Here

 

© Arlene Mejorado

UPCOMING ONLINE EVENT: ARTIST CONVERSATION WITH ARLENE MEJORADO

Our Year of the Woman programming continues with a brand new online conversation: PAC LA host Hannah Sloan in dialog with Arlene Mejorado, a lens-based artists from Los Angeles.

Says Mejorado, "My photographic images consider the relationship between memory, landscape, and placemaking. Through a lens-based practice, I contemplate how our inner lives extend into the urban and suburban exterior and how land is a deposit and holder of personal and collective sentiment."

Friday May 30 | 3 PM PST

FREE | Sponsored by the Herb Ritts Foundation

Online via Zoom | RSVP Here

 

Public Event Highlight: Photo Forward

In 2023, PAC LA organized and hosted Photo Forward, a brand new, 100% free Photography Fair at Bergamont Station in Santa Monica. Over the course of a weekend, thousands of visitors experienced the excitement of discovering new work, meeting notable gallerists, and learning from PAC LA presenters on topics ranging from the creation of photo books to starting a photo collection.

PAC LA for Members

Member Opportunities

 
 

© Diane Arbus

Cataclysm: The 1972 Diane Arbus Retrospective Revisited

Join us for a private curator-led walkthrough of this co-presentation organized by David Zwirner Gallery and San Francisco's Fraenkel Gallery. Cataclysm: The 1972 Diane Arbus Retrospective Revisited re-creates the photographer’s posthumous retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.  The 113 images in the show underscore the subversive poignancy of Arbus’s work even today while highlighting the popular and critical upheaval the original exhibition precipitated. This will be the first major survey of the artist’s work in Los Angeles since Diane Arbus: Revelations at LACMA over twenty years ago.

David Zwirner Gallery Director Robert Goff has kindly agreed to guide our members through the exhibit and offer his insights about the photographs and thoughts about the lasting relevance of the original 1972 exhibition.

Saturday, May 10 | 11 AM PST

David Zwirner Gallery | RSVP Here

 

Member Event Highlight: The Lapis Press

In March 2024, PAC LA members were invited to The Lapis Press for a special curatorial walkthrough of the studio–visiting works from newly released editions by Stephen Shore and Daido Moriyama, as well as projects on view by Ed Ruscha, Kehinde Wiley, Matthew Brandt, Analia Saban and others.

PAC LA Online

Since early 2020, PAC LA has presented conversations with artists, curators, collectors and experts from all corners of the photography and lens-based art world. Visit our YouTube Channel to enjoy our full archive.

Production of new PAC LA online talks and our free public archive is made possible by the generous financial support of the Herb Ritts Foundation.

Recent Conversations

Events
WATCH: Artist Conversation with Kelli Connell
Mar 13
WATCH: Artist Conversation with Kelli Connell
WATCH: A Picture a Minute - 2024
Oct 18
WATCH: A Picture a Minute - 2024
WATCH: Artist Conversation with Matías Sauter-Morera
Aug 29
WATCH: Artist Conversation with Matías Sauter-Morera

PAC LA Online Hightlight: A Conversation with John Simmons

Our June 2023 artist talk and discussion with acclaimed photographer and cinematographer John Simmons. The artist presented works from his archive of early photographs and from his current practice, and shared his background and stories of his multi-disciplinary career as a documentarian of social and visual culture, as well as his passion for working within the mediums of photography and film.

Questions/Ideas about PAC LA Events? | Email us!

 

THE REWARDS OF MEMBERSHIP

 
 

PAC LA Membership connects you directly to the heart of the photographic arts community here in Los Angeles.

Through expertly curated experiences, our members…

Explore and Discover

PAC LA members have unparalleled access to artists, museums, galleries, and private collections, all year long, all over Los Angeles. And beyond.

Learn and Discuss

Our private group visits are hosted by leading curators, academics, and often, the photographers themselves. We create comfortable opportunities for members to ask questions, share impressions and exchange ideas with the experts, and each other.

Connect with Each Other

Not only do our members share a curiosity and enthusiasm for fine art photography, they are also warm, welcoming and fun to spend time with. Join this vibrant community and you’ll find yourself among friends.

Support PAC LA

Membership contributions are the primary source of funding for PAC LA. Your dues allow us to serve the Los Angeles arts community as an independent council, produce outstanding programming for members and the public, and to support the health and growth of this vital ecosystem through our work.

Want to do even more with us? Become a Sponsor member!

All membership fees are 100% tax deductible.

Join or Renew today!

Member Programs include:

Artist Studio Visits & Conversations

Meet photographers where they work, or join them for a guided tour through a new installation. Get direct insight into the creative process and their personal stories.

Past Highlights: Ken Gonzalez-Day | Matthew Brandt | Zanele Muholi| Torbjorn Rodland & James Turrel | | Todd Gray | Judy Dater

Curator-Led Museum & Gallery Walkthroughs

Dive into curator-led walkthroughs at major museums including: The Getty, The Hammer, The Autry, LACMA, The Huntington, The Norton Simon Museum, and more.

Past Highlights: Mapplethorpe at LACMA | Kamoinge Workshop at the Getty | Shirin Neshat at The Broad | La Raza at the Autry

Insider Access to Private Collections and Shows

Be welcomed into private homes and spaces to see photographs that are not normally available to the public. You will also enjoy VIP treatment at photo events around the world.

Past Highlights: Stanford Libraries Collection | Salon event with Tom Gitterman | Collection Visit with Paula Ely & Cesar Rueda | VIP Passes to AIPAD, Photo London and Zona Maco

Immersive Travel

The PAC LA Travel Program offers members extraordinary photography-focused travel opportunities in the US and internationally.
Past Highlights: Japan, Chicago, Mexico City, Paris, New York, Toronto, Carmel, Kansas City, Tucson, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco | Coming soon: London!

See upcoming PAC LA Events here.

Have a membership question? | membership@paclosangeles.com

PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS COUNCIL LOS ANGELES | 1920 Hillhurst Avenue #238 Los Angeles, California 90027