Luce et Studio has been around for some 35 years, but founder Jennifer Luce’s endeavor to bring curated art exhibitions into the studio space marks a new chapter for the boutique architectural firm.
March 13 marked the launch of Et Galerie, a new exhibition space that brings pieces from “exceptional” artists into the studio, Luce said.
Though she’s been kicking around the idea for 20 years, Luce and her team officially committed to it in November. They determined their focus would be on displaying design- and craft-based work.
“Luce et,” as the studio is known, is a 2,500-square-foot space at 7776 Ivanhoe Ave. founded by Luce, a La Jolla resident of 30 years and the studio’s principal architect.
She launched Luce et in a beach apartment in La Jolla 35 years ago before moving her office to The Village, then to Rose Canyon, downtown San Diego and back to La Jolla. Luce et often works with arts and culture groups and galleries and helped with the 2021 renovation of the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that year, the current Luce et studio was built on Ivanhoe Avenue. Now it will double as a gallery space.
“Over 35 years, we’ve probably collaborated with a dozen or more international artists, and it came to mind that perhaps opening a gallery within our architectural space would be an intriguing way to show the work of the people we collaborate with,” Luce said.
The first exhibit, “Counter Currents,” features recent works of Claudy Jongstra, an artist and activist based in the Netherlands. It is on view through Thursday, May 15.
More than 20 years ago, Luce met Jongstra at a Los Angeles conference named “Radical Craft.” The two stayed connected, collaborating on projects such as one for the Mingei titled “Truth and Beauty in Black.”
Jongstra is known for her textile artworks, architectural installations and dedication to using regenerative, natural materials. Luce said the breadth of her work intrigued her for many years and that she expects others to have an immediate response to it, too.
“It has a presence and a resonance that’s all-encoming,” Luce said. “The work has an acoustic value to it, so you really feel yourself close to the work. It has a scent to it in a certain way, because it’s all natural fibers. And it has a warmth to it.”
“We also collaborate with so many local craftspeople and artists,” Luce added. “And presenting their work in a very complimentary, open and friendly way is exactly what we want to do.”
Luce intends to host two or three exhibitions per year. themes, she said, will vary from craft-based work and modernism in La Jolla to an array of ceramic works.
To learn more, visit etgalerie.com. ♦
