Overview
Overview
Mission Statement | History | Board of Trustees | Executive Staff | Corporate Governance
Since its inception in 1965, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has been devoted to collecting works of art that span both history and geography, mirroring Los Angeles’s rich cultural heritage and uniquely diverse population. Today LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of over 135,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of art history from new and unexpected points of view. A museum of international stature as well as a vital cultural center for Southern California, LACMA shares its vast collection with the Greater Los Angeles County and beyond through exhibitions, public programs, and research facilities that attract over 1.5 million visitors annually, in addition to serving millions more through community partnerships, school outreach programs, and creative digital initiatives. LACMA’s main campus is located halfway between the ocean and downtown, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum and the future home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Dedicated to serving all of Los Angeles, LACMA collaborates with a range of curators, educators, and artists on exhibitions and programs at various sites throughout the County.
Mission Statement
To serve the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition, and interpretation of significant works of art from a broad range of cultures and historical periods, and through the translation of these collections into meaningful educational, aesthetic, intellectual, and cultural experiences for the widest array of audiences.
History
LACMA has its roots in the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, established in 1910 in Exposition Park. In 1961, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was established as a separate, art-focused institution. In 1965, the fledgling institution opened to the public in its new Wilshire Boulevard location, with the permanent collection in the Ahmanson Building, special exhibitions in the Hammer Building, and the 600-seat Bing Theater for public programs.
Over several decades, the campus and the collection have grown considerably. The Anderson Building (renamed the Art of the Americas building in 2007) opened in 1986 to house modern and contemporary art. In 1988, Bruce Goff's innovative Pavilion for Japanese Art opened at the east end of campus. In 1994, the museum acquired the May Company department store building at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax, now known as LACMA West.
Most recently, the Transformation project revitalized the western half of the campus with a collection of buildings designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. These include the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, a three-story 60,000 square foot space for the exhibition of postwar art that opened in 2008. In fall of 2010, the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion opened to the public, providing the largest purpose-built, naturally lit, open-plan museum space in the world, with a rotating selection of major exhibitions. Ray's restaurant and Stark Bar opened in 2011, invigorating the central BP Pavilion near Chris Burden's iconic Urban Light.
The LACMA campus continues to evolve in order to present an encyclopedic collection of art, special exhibitions, and music, film and educational programs.
Michael Govan, CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director
Melissa Bomes Senior Vice President of Development and Audience Strategy
Jane Burrell, Senior Vice President of Education and Public Programs
Fred Goldstein, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Zoe Kahr, Deputy Director, Exhibitions & Planning
Diana Magaloni, Director of the Program for Art of the Ancient Americas
Ann Rowland, Chief Financial Officer
Nancy Thomas, Senior Deputy Director for Art Administration and Collections
Diana Vesga, Chief Operating Officer
Per the Los Angeles County Code and various operating agreements, Museum Associates, a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized under the laws of the state of California, manages, operates, and maintains the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Museum Associates, dba Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is governed by a Board of Trustees which sets policy and determines the museum’s strategic direction. Museum Associates is an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is classified as a public charity under section 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to Museum Associates (LACMA or Los Angeles County Museum of Art) are deductible under Section 170 of the Code, to the extent permitted under applicable law.
Various documents relating to LACMA’s corporate governance are included below:
Goals
Organizing Documents
Articles of Incorporation (PDF)
Bylaws (PDF)
IRS Determination Letter 2007 (PDF)
Financial Information
As an exempt organization, LACMA must file form 990 tax return with the IRS each year. The 990 information return provides financial as well as operational information about our programs and activities. The Statement of Functional Expenses (Part IX) of the return shows that 84% of our spending was devoted to program services for fiscal year 2016. Through Schedule O of the return, LACMA provides answers to various IRS questions about how we operate, our policies and procedures, and explanations of the changes in revenues and expenses from the previous year. For fiscal year 2016, Part I of the 990 shows a deficit of $25,651,856. In Schedule O, we explain that the Museum’s cash flows were actually considerably better than this since the number reflects $12,964,789 of bond interest and fees which were more than covered by cash payments on outstanding gift pledges recognized as revenue in other years, and $8,675,718 of depreciation expense and bond amortization costs, which are non-cash accounting charges. It also reflects $7,740,969 of architectural and other consultant expenses for the planning stage of a new museum facility, for which funds had been provided to the museum but not recognized as revenue in this fiscal year. Adjusting for these items, line 19 would show a surplus of $3,311,048.
Audited Financial Statements
FY 2017
Museum Associates (PDF)
Museum Associates and County of Los Angeles (PDF)
FY 2016
Museum Associates (PDF)
Museum Associates and County of Los Angeles (PDF)
FY 2015
Museum Associates (PDF)
Museum Associates and County of Los Angeles (PDF)
Economic Impact Report
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, Economic Impact Report, The Transformation of LACMA: An Economic Impact Analysis, January, 2014.
Policies
Whistleblower Policy (PDF)
Conflict of Interest Policy (PDF)
Policy on Review of Executive Compensation (PDF)
Board Policy on Diversity (PDF)
