LOS ANGELES – The Broad today announced that its outdoor plaza has been named for its longtime leading partner, East West Bank. The plaza, where East West Bank-supported programs such as Family Weekend Workshops, Summer Happenings and Soul of a Nation Celebration: A Special Musical Performance Curated By Quincy Jones have taken place, has been named the East West Bank Plaza at The Broad.
“We have been honored to partner with East West Bank on innovative programs that have showcased the art in the Broad collection and deepened visitors’ engagement with the art on view. Our two institutions share a commitment to serving our communities, and with their support, we have been able to expand our arts education programs and family offerings as part of our mission to make contemporary art accessible to as many people as possible,” said Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad.
“East West Bank has been proud to support The Broad’s arts education programs that increase access to contemporary art for a wide and diverse audience,” said Emily Wang, senior vice president, director of marketing and community development at East West Bank. “The East West Bank Plaza at The Broad is a welcoming space that engages the community and provides a unique platform for the public to experience the museum’s programming.”
The 24,000-square-foot plaza adjacent to the museum is an inviting green space featuring Barouni olive trees, which are more than 100 years old, and was designed by MacArthur “genius” grant winners Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Walter Hood Design Studio. In addition to providing a vibrant outdoor space for the public to enjoy, the plaza will also serve as an entryway to downtown Los Angeles’ arts and culture corridor along Grand Avenue when a new station opens behind The Broad in 2022 as part of the Metro’s regional connector project extending the Metro Gold Line Little Tokyo/Arts District Station to the Seventh Street/Metro Center Station.
East West Bank is also the Exclusive Presenting Sponsor of The Broad’s fifth anniversary year of exhibitions, installations and events. The Broad, which attracted more than 917,000 visitors in 2019 (its highest calendar year attendance ever), is dedicating its first and third-floor galleries to showcasing the Broad collection for much of 2020 to celebrate the museum’s fifth anniversary.
This unique, rotating program includes deep dives into the work of icons of American postwar art and 1960s pop, key artists of the 1980s New York and Los Angeles art scenes, and important figures of the 1990s to the present day. Artists highlighted during The Broad’s fifth anniversary year include John Baldessari, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mike Kelley, Barbara Kruger, Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Ed Ruscha, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol and Christopher Wool.
In addition, with East West Bank’s support, The Broad will be presenting major artist conversations and other events that explore the rich history of the Broad collection and museum founders Eli and Edythe Broad’s sustained commitment over 50 years to collecting artists in depth. Events will include The Broad’s signature series, The Un-Private Collection, which will feature Ed Ruscha on April 11 and Takashi Murakami in September, as well as additional events in the fall which will highlight collectors who are seeking to change the narrative in the visual arts through the acquisition of works by artists who have been excluded from museums or gallery exhibitions, or through collecting with the intention of launching a public museum.
In September, The Broad will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a public celebration (details to be announced later this spring) and a special anniversary edition of Family Weekend Workshops, which offers free art-focused activities for families, that will take place on the East West Bank Plaza at The Broad on Sept. 26-27.
Learn more about The Broad’s fifth anniversary slate of free exhibitions, in-depth installations and events—exclusively presented by East West Bank—at www.thebroad.org.