The Advocate & Gochis Galleries are the home of visual arts at the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center. Since their founding in 1998, the Galleries have developed a reputation for collaborative and progressive work that has reached far beyond the LGBTQ community by examining a broad range of themes that explore the relationship between art, identity, and culture.

In addition to presenting the work of established artists, the Galleries also have a commitment to Los Angeles’s best emerging artists. Through these exhibits, we assist artists in expanding their contacts, sharing their creative spirits, and reaching new audiences.

The Galleries’ first curator, Cirilo Domine, established collaborative relationships with a wide diversity of community groups and mounted innovative solo and group shows.

Art historian Marc Arranaga, curator from 1999-2003, deepened ties with the thriving Los Angeles arts community, from private studios to major museums. He also created an acclaimed academic lecture series to engage the LGBTQ community with emerging scholarship in the fields of art history and cultural studies.

Allison Moon, curator from 2006-2010, brought scores of well-known and emerging artists to the Galleries, with a special emphasis on diverse expressions of queer identity and culture.

Taking over in 2011, curator Katie Pomerantz brought an emphasis on political activism and awareness through the lens of the LGBTQ community with interactive exhibits that pushed the boundaries of the traditional art world.

Christopher Atkins assumed the curator’s position in 2017, highlighting diversity within the queer community with a special focus on well-known and emerging Los Angeles-area African American artists.

The Gochis Gallery is named in honor of the late Emily Lillian Gochis, an activist and benefactor of LGBTQ causes, most notably the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Every artwork we display is a tribute to her commitment to the LGBTQ community.