The Lab

The Lab
Established 1984
Location 2948 16th Street San Francisco, California USA
Website www.thelab.org

The Lab, located in San Francisco's Redstone Building, is a not-for-profit arts organization and performance space founded in 1984.

The Lab "is a catalyst for artistic experimentation. Its projects ignite critical dialogue amongst individuals, organizations, and communities. It supports diverse and underserved artists, providing them with essential resources, time, and space to develop work that takes risks and pushes the boundaries of the non-profit platform. As a site of constant innovation and iteration, The Lab's programming exposes the elements of art making and transforms the creative process in San Francisco and abroad."[1]

Founded in 1984 by Laura Brun, John DiStefano, Tammy Logan, Alan Millar, and Nomi Seidman, five art students from San Francisco State University, The Lab was created as a site for interdisciplinary artistic production. The Lab (originally known as Co-LAB) was first located in a two-story building at 1805 and 1807 Divisadero Street with a black box theater upstairs and a small gallery space downstairs. Early presentations included music shows by radical groups such as Rhythm and Noise, Minimal Man, Husker Du and Z’ev; exhibitions of works by experimental artists Dana Fair, Peter Edlund, and Mark Durant; and performances by luminaries Elbows Akimbo, Mary Trunk and Scott MacLeod, among many others. In 1985, Co-LAB renamed itself as “The LAB” under the auspices of Alan Millar’s The•art•re•grüp, Inc.

In 1995, The Lab relocated to the historic Redstone Building in San Francisco’s Mission District. A hub for political organizing since 1914, the Redstone played a significant role in the General Strike of 1934, during which unions occupying the building successfully advocated for expanded rights for African Americans, women, and Chicano workers and ultimately enabled the enforcement of the 40-hour work week.[2] With a nod to this rich history, in 1995 The Lab partnered with Aaron Noble of the Clarion Alley Mural Project and the Redstone Building's still-active union and non-profit occupants on a series of murals in the building's main atrium, which were dedicated upon completion by Mayor Willie Brown.[3]

Since 1984, The Lab has hosted performances and projects by Cluster, Jack Smith, Nan Goldin, Lynn Hershman Leeson, My Bloody Valentine, David Wojnarowicz, Nayland Blake, Jeanne Finley, Christine Tamblyn, Lutz Bacher, Orlan, Lydia Lunch, Karen Finley, Peter Edlund, Kevin Killian, Sapphire, Negativland, Carl Stone, Koh-i-noor, The Billboard Liberation Front, Survival Research Laboratories, Mike Kelley, Barry McGee, Carrie Mae Weems, Barbara Kruger, Xylor Jane, Bill Orcutt, Malcolm Mooney, Kathleen Hanna, Jello Biafra, Flipper, Fred Frith, Rhys Chatham, Nao Bustamante, Rebeca Bollinger, Bruce Conner, Beth Custer, Paul DeMarinis, Anthony Discenza, Didi Dunphy, Elbows Akimbo, Felipe Dulzaides, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Beth Lisick, Alan Millar, Trevor Paglen, Amy Rathbone, Rex Ray, James Stark, Lise Swenson, and many more.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "The Lab - Mission". The Lab.
  2. ↑ "San Francisco Landmark #238 San Francisco Labor Temple". http://noehill.com. External link in |website= (help)
  3. ↑ "FoundSF - Labor Temple Murals". FoundSF.
  4. ↑ "The Lab - Program Archive". The Lab - Program Archive. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007.

External links

Coordinates: 37°45′54″N 122°25′08″W / 37.765°N 122.419°W / 37.765; -122.419

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