Johnston Marklee . photos: Louis Heilbronn © UCLA
The UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios, designed by Johnston Marklee and Associates, has officially opened its doors. The facility is dedicated to supporting emerging artists and strengthening Los Angeles’s position as a world arts capital. In July 2016, the School of the Arts and Architecture received a generous $20 million lead gift from alumna and renowned art dealer Margo Leavin in support of the project. And now, the major restoration and expansion creates a new building to support its graduate program as the fall quarter begins.
Clusters of intimate, private studio spaces abut communal, shared facilities and critique spaces. The design considers the nature of artistic practice today and anticipates change by creating a building that can evolve in the future with new technologies and working methods, and the complex was designed for LEED Gold certification with sustainable materials throughout.
The restoration was largely funded by a $20 million gift in 2016 from Margo Leavin, the largest ever made by an alumna to the arts within the University of California system.
Some official pictures can be found here: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14330-ucla-margo-leavin-graduate-art-studios-by-johnston-marklee
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