Our Team

Peter Mays Executive Director 

Peter Mays is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Art Association (LAAA) and its premiere La Cienega exhibition space Gallery 825. Mays believes LAAA is now poised to launch the next phase of the 94-year-old organization's expansion and commitment to Los Angeles' emerging artists. Since joining LAAA in June 2005, Peter has implemented cultural exchanges with Switzerland (Basel), Korea, Germany and China, initiated collaborative programming with institutions like Harvard, MoCA and Otis, as well as with artists Tim Hawkinson, Lita Albuquerque and renown physicist Lisa Randall, secured the very best curators to jury LAAA exhibitions, increased LAAA's career development programs and direct services by 30% and created LAAA's public art program which was selected as one of the top public art works completed in 2010 by Americans for the Arts. In 2018 Mays was the recipient of the City of West Hollywood’s first ever curatorial grant for LAAA’s public art presentation of James Peterson’s Cacti. Beyond his commitments at LAAA, Mays has curated exhibitions throughout Southern California for various arts, educational and civic agencies. Mays was the recipient of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Economics: Art and Business Partnership award and a past recipient of the Art to Life award sponsored by Art & Living Magazine, Sotheby's International Realty and A&I for his work on behalf of emerging artists and emerging artists communities. As past chairperson of the West Hollywood Arts and Culture Commission’s Art on the Outside public art effort, Peter led the city's nationally regarded outdoor public art programming which has been praised in Art Forum, Vanity Fair and the New York Times. Peter helped to launch the region-wide LA Arts Month effort from 2009-2011 where he served on Planning Committee and the Program Committee. He also served on LAUSD's National Study Group which was charged with informing the nation's second largest district as it planned the next 10 years of K-12 Arts Education. Peter has co-chaired the Education Committee for the Board of Directors for the MOCA Contemporaries, served on the Board of the Fellows of Contemporary Art and was an active member the Executive Arts Leaders Forum.

Board of Directors

Midge Lynn  President
Midge Lynn s an award winning artist, illustrator and educator.  She received her B.A. from California State University, Northridge and her M.F.A. at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.  Midge’s work has been exhibited internationally in galleries and at the French Consulate in Beverly Hills.  She has served on the Board Directors of LAAA/Gallery 825 for 14 years. 

Laura Beatty Secretary

Brad Howe   Board of Directors

Lonnie Lardner   Board of Directors

Peter Mays Executive Director
Peter Mays is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Art Association (LAAA) and its premiere La Cienega exhibition space Gallery 825. Since joining LAAA in June 2005, Peter has implemented cultural exchanges with Korea, Germany and China, initiated collaborative installations with Tim Hawkinson and Lita Albuquerque, secured the very best curators to jury LAAA exhibitions, increased LAAA's career development programs and direct services by 30% and created LAAA's public art program. Beyond his commitments at LAAA, Mays has curated exhibitions throughout Southern California for various arts, educational and civic agencies. Mays was recently honored at the LA Art Show with the Art to Life award sponsored by Art & Living Magazine, Sotheby's International Realty and A&I for his work on behalf of emerging artists and emerging artists communities. As chairperson of the West Hollywood Arts and Culture Commission's Art on the Outside public art effort, Peter led the city's nationally regarded outdoor public art programming which has been praised in Art Forum and the New York Times. Peter helped to launch the region-wide LA Arts Month effort in 2009 and 2010 where he serves on Planning Committee and co-chairs the Program Committee. He also serves on LAUSD's National Study Group which is charged with informing the nation's second largest district as it plans the next 10 years of K-12 Arts Education. Peter has co-chaired the Education Committee for the Board of Directors for the MOCA Contemporaries and he remains an active member of many other arts leadership groups including the Fellows of Contemporary Art and the Executive Arts Leaders Forum.  peter@laaa.org

Advisory Board

Kim Abeles, Lisa Adams, Steve Adams, Lita Albuquerque, Janine Arbelaez, Laura Beatty, Robert Brander, Leonardo Bravo, Niccolo Brooker, Carolyn Campbell, Andi Campognone, Joan Carl, York Chang, Michael Collins, Jessica Darraby, Andrea Fiuczynski, Peggy Fogelman, Elaine Glaser, Mark Steven Greenfield, Lonnie Lardner, Sophia Lee, Michael Magloff, Charlie Manzo, Jeff Marinelli, Kim Martindale, Cris McCall, Michael C. McMillen, Klaus Moeller, Jim Morphesis, Sandra Nichols, James Panozzo, Roland Reiss, Bennett Roberts, Frank Romero, David Schrager, Catherine Seward, Renee Sikand, Nancy Silverman-Miles, Cambra Sklarz, Thaddeus Hunter Smith, Silvia Sonnenschmidt, Agapi Stassinopoulos, Louis Stern, Dennis Stevens, Simmy Swinder, Jocelyn Tetel, Mette Tommerup, Thomas Volkmann, Jae Yang