Two people sit in chairs on a stage in front of an audience.

Office of the President

Welcome

Feb. 2024 - Realizing a Dream Fulfilled

President Karen Lawrence
President Karen Lawrence

For more than 20 years, the issue of providing housing for The Huntington’s research fellows has been an ongoing topic of conversation: While we have been able to offer scholars prestigious long- and short-term fellowships, we have not been able to offer them places to stay. And that, it turns out, has kept some of them from accepting fellowships.

As rental costs continue to soar in the Los Angeles area, prospective fellows—especially junior faculty and those with fewer resources—often find themselves carefully considering the high costs of renting a place here, while simultaneously paying rent or a mortgage at home, before saying yes.

Enter philanthropist and longtime Huntington supporter Charlie Munger, who last fall provided a gift of $40 million to fund the building of the Scholars Grove, a residential community with nearly three dozen residences along the northern border of the Huntington property. The transformative gift will, in two years, provide temporary housing for visiting fellows at affordable rental rates.

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The Huntington’s Magnolia pacifica tarahumara is the only mature specimen we know of in North America.

Since receiving the gift, Huntington staff has been working with a team of architects and engineers to study the 3-acre site and imagine what could be. One central consideration? The trees in that area. Our Botanical staff has been carefully investigating the best strategies to protect them and, importantly, how to integrate them properly into the site. One of those trees is a magnificent Magnolia pacifica tarahumara that is the only mature specimen we know of in North America (the plant is native to Mexico). Another particularly important tree is our dazzling cassia excelsa, a species native to Central and South America that’s proven nearly impossible to propagate—and our phenomenally talented staff has tried. Nearby are several historic oaks, including a rare Engelmann, one of my favorite trees—pictured here in The Real Dirt, a publication of the Garden Club of America. And just to the south of the site is our research grove of avocado, including one of our historic specimens that was planted during Henry E. Huntington’s time. In all, there are 150 trees that the project design and implementation will carefully accommodate. One might then wonder if this is the right site. In fact, The Huntington is home to many thousands of specimen trees, so we must always consider the trees’ well-being since every project is in close proximity to them. The Chinese Garden is a case in point: Each oak was well protected and cared for before, during, and after construction. Moreover, in addition to being an important feature in all our construction projects, our trees are critically important landscape elements, serving as habitats in their own right and providing much-needed shade, an essential cooling element.

In many ways, this is a story about sustainability. It is about the safekeeping of our trees during a construction project and ensuring that our Botanical staff has proper access for managing and studying the collection. But it’s also about the importance of sustaining a community. When a scholar is awarded a fellowship, they join a cohort of fellows that regularly come together as a group, listening and responding to one another’s projects, providing advice, and otherwise hatching and nurturing new friendships. Former fellows often talk about how their research projects changed dramatically because of comments and questions they received from other fellows, including those outside of their fields, and acknowledge the fruits of these conversations in their publications. And while The Huntington has always been a place for researchers to gather, our new Scholars Grove dramatically enhances the opportunities for friendships and productive exchanges. The social center of the project—the Wendy Munger Commons building—will include a communal kitchen, community room, media room, and meeting space for fellows and their families to come together. (Wendy is Charlie Munger’s daughter and a Huntington Trustee emerita.)

Once completed, in about two years’ time, Scholars Grove—long a dream deferred—marks the achievement of a significant goal in our five-year strategic plan. It’s an absolutely thrilling moment for our research program, humanities scholarship, and The Huntington more generally.

Karen R. Lawrence, President


Two people sit in chairs on a stage. A large projection screen reads “Carol T. Christ in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence.”

In addition to stressing the relevance of the humanities for students of both sciences and arts, Christ emphasized the importance of pursuing courses of study for love of the subject. Photo by Linnea Stephan. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Highlights from Why It Matters: Carol T. Christ in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence

The importance of empathy and the power of language were recurring themes in a wide-ranging conversation between Carol Christ, chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and Huntington President Karen Lawrence. Topics addressed included the Pac-12 collegiate athletic conference, the impact of digital technology on education, and free speech. Watch the full recorded program or read “Why It Matters: A Conversation with Carol T. Christ.”

Two people sit in chairs on a stage in front of a large screen.

In addition to revisiting the past five years of her tenure, Lawrence also spoke of promising future projects. Photo by Linnea Stephan. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Highlights from Founders’ Day 2024: Foundations and Futures

On Feb. 22, 2024, Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence sat down with Lori Bettison-Varga, president of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, for a conversation that looked back at The Huntington’s past five years under Lawrence’s leadership and forward at the institution’s strategic aspirations. Watch the full recorded program or read “The Huntington’s Foundations and Futures.”

Three people sit in chairs on a stage in front of a full audience.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Highlights from the 2023 Haaga Program: Ramesh Srinivasan and Todd Presner on Generative AI

On Nov. 20, 2023, digital democracy advocate Ramesh Srinivasan and digital humanities scholar Todd Presner joined Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence in a conversation about the rise of generative AI, focusing on the ethical implications of its aggregation of data at an unprecedented scale. Watch the full recorded program.

Two people in conversation on a stage.

The tone of the evening was lively and compelling. Photo by Linnea Stephan.

Highlights from Why It Matters: Hilton Als in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence

On Sept. 28, Hilton Als joined Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence for a lively conversation about his career, the relationship between visual and textual forms, and the endless inspiration found in The Huntington’s collections as part of the “Why It Matters” series.

An audience watches two people have a conversation on a stage, where a large graphic says, “Why It Matters.”

Ford Foundation President Darren Walker and Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence engaged in a compelling examination of the relationship among the arts, humanities, and philanthropy. | Photo by Sarah M. Golonka.

Highlights from Why It Matters: Darren Walker in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence

On May 31, 2023, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker joined Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence in a conversation about the shifting landscape of charitable giving, the role of art in the pursuit of social justice, and the importance of hope to civic engagement.  

guest speakers on stage

Highlights from Stories We Tell: Founders’ Day At The Huntington 2023

In honor of Founders’ Day 2023, The Huntington and The Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West presented a mix of serious and quirky stories—inspired by Eve Babitz’s archive, The Huntington’s Montezuma cypress, portraits by Laura Aguilar, the Horatio Nelson Rust collection, and glass plate photographs of 1890s and 1900s Chinatown—demonstrating the broad range of The Huntington’s collections and the rich history of the institution’s location in the San Gabriel Valley.

Billie Tsien and Erin Chase

The Soul of a Building: In the Archives with Billie Tsien

Architect Billie Tsien joins Erin Chase, assistant curator of architecture at The Huntington, for a behind-the-scenes visit to see some of the architectural materials in the library archives. This video was produced as part of the Why It Matters program, sponsored by the Office of the President.

Karen R. Lawrence and Billie Tsien in conversation on a stage.

Karen R. Lawrence, president of The Huntington, in conversation with architect Billie Tsien during the “Why It Matters” event in Rothenberg Hall on Nov. 7, 2022. Photo by Sarah M. Golonka.

Why It Matters: Billie Tsien in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence

Nov. 7, 2022 - Architect and educator Billie Tsien joins Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence to discuss how the built environment shapes individual and communal experiences, the interplay between design and purpose, and how architecture can empower future generations. Read Making a Better World through Architecture, or watch the recorded event.

Huntington president Karen R. Lawrence in front of Octavia E. Butler image

Octavia E. Butler inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame

Hear President Karen R. Lawrence speak about Butler's literary collection at The Huntington in this clip from the recorded ceremony. Additional inductees honored this year include Judy Chicago, Rebecca Halstead, Joy Harjo, Emily Howland, Katherine Johnson, Indra Nooyi, and Michelle Obama. View the full program.

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President Karen Lawrence Joins U22 The Centenary Ulysses Podcast

In the first episode of U22 The Centenary Ulysses Podcast, we talk about how Ulysses begins. We’re joined by Karen Lawrence, President of the Huntington Library, John Higgins of the University of Cape Town, and Jamie Salomon, leader of the Bloomsday Ulysses Reading Group for the Montreal Literary Festival. We hear their thoughts on everything from style to playing amateur archeologists.

The Huntington Senior Staff

President Karen Lawrence (center) with The Huntington's senior leadership team. (L-R): Susan Turner-Lowe, Heather Hart, Janet Alberti, Sandra Brooke Gordon, Randy Shulman, Nicole Cavender, Elee Wood, Thomas Polansky, Christina Nielsen, Misty Bennett, Susan Juster.

President Karen Lawrence (far right) with participants in Octavia Butler’s Parables: A Music Talk with Toshi Reagon. (L-R): Sophie Kim, Phil Allen, Shelley De Leon, Juliette Jones, Toshi Reagon, Claudia L. Peña, Melodie Yashar, and Tamisha A. Tyler.

President Karen Lawrence (far right) with participants in Octavia Butler's Parables: A Music Talk with Toshi Reagon. (L-R): Sophie Kim, Phil Allen, Shelley De Leon, Juliette Jones, Toshi Reagon, Claudia L. Peña, Melodie Yashar, and Tamisha A. Tyler.

Huntington staff celebrating The Huntington’s Centennial in August 2019

Huntington staff celebrating The Huntington's Centennial in August 2019.

A group of people in business attire stand near plants under a glass dome.

The Huntington's Board of Trustees: (L-R) Gregory A. Pieschala (Chair), Mei-Lee Ney, Simon K.C. Li, Scott Jordan, Christine W. Bender, Mario Molina, M.D., and Allen E. Shay. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with President Karen Lawrence in conversation about the importance of libraries and archives.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with President Karen Lawrence in conversation about the importance of libraries and archives.

The Huntington's 2020 Rose Parade® Float on the theme of "Cultivating Curiosity," winner of the Golden State Award

The Huntington's 2020 Rose Parade® Float on the theme of "Cultivating Curiosity," winner of the Golden State Award.

President Karen Lawrence and Dr. Peter Lawrence with Chinese Cultural Consul Wang and Consul Gu and performers at The Huntington's 2019 Chinese New Year Festival

President Karen Lawrence and Dr. Peter Lawrence with Chinese Cultural Consul Wang and Consul Gu and performers at The Huntington's 2019 Chinese New Year Festival.

	Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and Huntington Governor Robert C. Davidson Jr. with President Karen Lawrence in conversation about why museums and collecting institutions matter.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III and Huntington Governor Robert C. Davidson Jr. with President Karen Lawrence in conversation about why museums and collecting institutions matter.

Architect Billie Tsien with President Karen Lawrence in conversation about architecture and community

​​​​​Architect Billie Tsien with President Karen Lawrence in conversation about architecture and community.

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