ADMISSION:
Admission is free and open to everyone. Reservations required. RSVP beginning Tuesday, August 18, at 10 a.m.

RSVP

DESCRIPTION:
Celebrate the opening day of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art with an exclusive evening featuring the architect behind one of Los Angeles’ most anticipated cultural landmarks: Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects. Discover how architecture can transcend physical space to create connections between people, cities, and nature. 

What to Expect:
Yansong will give a presentation on his architectural practice, including the vision and design of the Lucas Museum, followed by a roundtable discussion with Mia Lehrer, Tracey Bates, Thom Mayne, and Eric Owen Moss, moderated by Frances Anderton. 

Bio:
Ma Yansong is the founder of MAD and one of the most influential architects working today. Under his creative leadership, MAD has gained international recognition for its fluid, organic architectural language. His practice moves beyond the conventions of modernism and commercial development, emphasizing emotion, spiritual experience, and human connection. His work extends into exhibitions, publishing, product design, and the arts, crossing disciplines and expanding the boundaries of architectural thinking. 

Mia Lehrer, FASLA, is Founder and President of Studio-MLA, the landscape architecture and urban design practice she built to improve the quality of urban life. The daughter of German and Brazilian immigrants, she was raised in El Salvador, where nature was always present and palpable, and she has since spent her career treating design as a form of advocacy for communities, ecosystems, and the public places where both thrive. 

Tracey Bates is the Chief Executive Officer of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. She oversees the museum’s institutional operations, shaping strategic vision, revenue growth, visitor experience, and development to establish the museum as a vital cultural resource for Los Angeles and beyond. She is charged with leading the Lucas Museum into its inaugural year, transforming a years-long vision into a thriving, publicly accessible institution.

Thom Mayne FAIA ‘69 founded Morphosis in 1972 as a collective practice of architecture, urbanism and design, rooted in rigorous research and innovation. Working globally across a broad range of project types and scales, Morphosis is recognized for its innovative and sustainable designs for cultural, civic and academic institutions. 

Eric Owen Moss FAIA is Principal and Lead Designer of Eric Owen Moss Architects. With each new project, EOMA explores new ways to think, to feel, to see, and to understand architecture – to continually ‘Make it New.’ The firm avoids traditional organization strategies, standardized design solutions, and any notion of architecture as simply a repetitive style. Each new design endeavor is positioned within an ongoing search for new and imaginative ways of engaging the world, with the aim of creating spaces where everyone can feel this powerful spirit of discovery.

Frances Anderton is an award winning author who covers Los Angeles design and architecture in print, broadcast media and public events, with a current focus on housing. For many years she hosted DnA: Design and Architecture radio show for KCRW public radio station.

Presented by the USC School of Architecture. Co-sponsored by USC Visions and Voices. 

Photo (Ma Yansong): Li Xiao