Libby Leshgold Gallery

Followed by book launch at READ Books

+ Workshop led by Andrea Fraser in Rennie Hall, 6:00pm (RSVP required)

In collaboration with Fillip and the 2018 Vancouver Art Book Fair, Libby Leshgold Gallery and READ books present a keynote lecture by artist Andrea Fraser followed by a book launch for her latest publication 2016 in Museums, Money, and Politics.


Two years after the 2016 US election, the ramifications are still being felt. It was the most expensive election in US history, with over $6.4 billion raised for presidential and congressional races combined. More than half of this money came from just a few hundred people—many of whom also support cultural institutions and serve on their boards.


In her book 2016 in Museums, Money, and Politics, Los Angeles–based artist Andrea Fraser examines the intersection of electoral politics and private-nonprofit art institutions in the United States at a pivotal historical moment.


Fraser’s keynote lecture for the VABF introduces her research for 2016, presenting a powerful argument that supporting the arts must involve more than giving donations to museums; it must also include defending the values, social structures, and political institutions of an open, tolerant, just, and equitable society.


Organized like a telephone book, this 900-page artist’s book is at once institutional critique and reference work—documenting the reported political contributions made by trustees of more than 125 art museums. Contribution data is laid out alphabetically by name of donor. With this and other data, the book offers a material representation of scale of the interface between cultural philanthropy and campaign finance in America. It also provides an unparalleled resource for exploring the politics of the US museum world.


Following the book launch at READ Books, Fillip will present a workshop led by Andrea Fraser at 6pm in Rennie Hall. Spaces are limited and RSVP required. Please follow this link for more information.


Andrea Fraser is an artist and professor of art at the University of California, Los Angeles. 2016 in Museums, Money, and Politics is co-published by Westreich Wagner Publications, Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art, and MIT Press.