Los Angeles is gearing up for an all out celebration and support of all things photography. Everyone on the left coast is eagerly awaiting the opening of the Annenberg Space for Photography on March 27th, with it’s inaugual show, “L8S ANG3LES”. The title refers to the 8 photographers in the exhibition, and 3 photographers that will have work digitally projected.

“The inaugural show will spotlight Los Angeles photographers who work in various fields, including fine art photography, documentary projects, architecture, fashion and celebrity portraiture. Images by John Baldessari, Catherine Opie, Greg Gorman, Douglas Kirkland, Tim Street-Porter, Julius Shulman, Lauren Greenfield and Carolyn Cole, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Times photographer, will be shown in the traditional gallery. Lawrence K. Ho, Genaro Molina and Kirk McKoy are the Times staffers to be featured in the projection space.”

What excites me about the line-up of exhibitions is that the Annenberg Space will feature work from all areas of photography: fine art, photo journalism, sports photography, and more. They will not be purchasing any work, but want their mission “”to improve the well-being of the community through the exchange of ideas and new ways of thinking.”

“For me, it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream,” said Wallis Annenberg, who lives in Los Angeles and oversees, with her stepmother, Leonore Annenberg, and children, Lauren Bon and Charles and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, the foundation created by her late father, media magnate Walter H. Annenberg. “This will elevate photography to a new level and take it out of the academic realm of museums with all their politics and trustees. Photography is one of the most accessible art forms, and this will be an accessible space. We see it as a service to the community, where people can view the world through a different lens and think about making positive change.”