The Lab SF

Mission

The Lab gives significant funding, time, and space to traditionally underrepresented artists. We seek to transform alongside artistic practices in order to engage meaningfully with visionary communities whose economic and cultural realities have been ignored for too long, to the impoverishment of us all. In this, The Lab is a catalyst for artistic experimentation.

Values

In both its programming and operations, The Lab holds itself accountable to its priorities through transparency and revision. This praxis is essential to how we situate ourselves in relationship to art and the agreements we make to empower creative work in an increasingly bureaucratic and economically-driven society. We learn these practices alongside the Ramaytush Ohlone, the primary caretakers of this land, and other communities who show us more sustainable ways of being in the world.

We believe it is important to constantly question our own organizational model and deeply engage with new artistic practices and modes of thinking around the arts. The Lab embodies the desires of creative, critical, and compassionate individuals. We want audiences to be inspired by the way we work, not just what we produce.

To that end, The Lab is W.A.G.E. Certified. W.A.G.E. Certification is a program initiated and operated by working artists that publicly recognizes nonprofit arts organizations demonstrating a commitment to voluntarily paying artist fees that meet a minimum standard. The Lab proudly adopts the We Have Voice Code of Conduct for the Performing Arts.