Los Angeles Announces its 2023 Charitable Partner of the Year: The House of AWT Project
The gallery will partner with The House of AWT Project to provide essential funds to the organization’s longtime goal of achieving non-profit designation
Since opening its doors in 2016, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles has become both a destination and active partner in the life of Downtown LA. The gallery has supported and collaborated with numerous local cultural, educational and non-profit organizations to make lasting contributions to the city it calls home.
This past year, Hauser & Wirth partnered with seven local nonprofits, including PILAglobal, Las Fotos Project, and The Garden School Foundation, in addition to its longtime partnership with Cal State LA through the Community Impact Media program that has supported diversity in filmmaking and resulted in the creation of over 20 documentaries on local nonprofits.
Expanding upon this commitment, and further deepening its relationship with the array of diverse communities that make Los Angeles a world cultural capital, Hauser & Wirth is proud to announce The House of AWT Project (Artists Working Together) as its 2023 Charitable Partner of the Year.
The partnership with The House of AWT developed out of a groundbreaking fundraising event—an Exhibition Vogue Ball presented as part of The Performance Project by Hauser & Wirth this past February—and will provide The House of AWT Project with an initial grant of $10,000. These funds are essential to the organization’s longtime goal of achieving non-profit designation.
Achieving non-profit status will enable The House of AWT Project to be able to independently raise unrestricted funds for future initiatives, events and programming, and to fully digitize the Ovahness Ball archive, a 14-year (2006 – 2019) archival collection of the longest-running House/Ballroom Ball on the West Coast to date.
Hauser & Wirth will provide ongoing counsel and support to The House of AWT Project as it pursues its mission to empower at-risk Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults through the facilitation of programs and learning opportunities that give the organization’s constituents greater access to opportunities for meaningful employment in creative arts fields.
Stacen Berg, Partner and Executive Director of Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, says, ‘One of the most rewarding aspects of our work at Hauser & Wirth is our commitment to and engagement with the community. It is an honor as well as a priority to share resources in order to effect positive change within our city. We saw The House of AWT Project’s vision come to life firsthand in the brilliant ‘It’s All About Thee AAWWWTTTT!!! Ball,’ and through this partnership we are proud to be a part of their ongoing work and to support their mission and legacy.’
‘So, if anyone would have told me that I would eventually figure out a way to inspire and teach other kids like me to use their artistic talents to sustain a healthy and sustainable life, it would’ve been far beyond anything I could have ever dreamed.’—Sean/Milan™, Founder of The House of AWT Project
In a statement, Sean/Milan™, Founder of The House of AWT Project, says, ‘For a Black and Brown Non-Binary LGBTQIA+ kid who grew up off Crenshaw and Adams in the late 70s and early 80s, art was something your teacher gave you to do when she had to grade papers. And HIV, well, that was an acronym not yet created, or at least publicized. So, if anyone would have told me that I would eventually figure out a way to inspire and teach other kids like me to use their artistic talents to sustain a healthy and sustainable life, it would’ve been far beyond anything I could have ever dreamed.
If they would’ve said you’re going to be known globally throughout the ‘HIV Prevention Community’ and ‘Art World’ someday for this very concept and work, I would have laughed. ‘Cause ain’t no kid like me ever gonna do that!’ Well, I did!!! And I am incredibly amazed by how many others have supported my work in the process. To say how excited I am about this partnership between The House of AWT Project and Hauser & Wirth would be an understatement right now, compared to the partnership’s results. This ain’t my first time at the rodeo, and I know how all this goes...up, up, up!!! And for that I am truly grateful.’
About The House of AWT Project (Artists Working Together) With the generous support of the arts community, its institutions and world-renowned artists, The House of AWT Project produces original community performance events and projects that give visibility to the art of Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ teens and young adults. These projects and events have included dance works, audio/video production, street art, music production and fashion.
About The Performance Project Encompassing music, dance, film and readings, The Performance Project showcases performing arts visionaries, both local and global, with a special focus on greater visibility for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices. Conceived on the occasion of Hauser & Wirth’s 30th anniversary, this initiative further foregrounds the performing arts in a dedicated space at the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District location, reaffirming the gallery’s longstanding commitment to path-breaking creative expression.
All images: It’s All About Thee AAWWWTTTT!!! Ball Exhibition Vogue Ball presented by House of AWT Project, curated by the Iconic Sean/Milan™, The Performance Project at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles, 15 February 2023. Photo: Mario de Lopez
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