Office of the President
A Message from President Karen R. Lawrence
January 14, 2025
I want to thank you for the kindness you have shown to us at The Huntington during this tragic wildfire emergency. Your outpouring of support—through messages, check-ins, and contributions to our Huntington Disaster Relief Fund—has been deeply moving. Your support will enable us to focus on our highest priority: aiding staff most profoundly affected by this disaster. Your compassion reminds us once again of the strength of our extraordinary community.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Huntington staff celebrating The Huntington's Centennial in August 2019.
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.
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.
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.
