What is SALA?
Society of Art and Living Archives (SALA) is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and education organization founded in Los Angeles in 2020 by artist, curator, and art historian Alberto Cuadros. Previously operating as SALA: Society of Art Los Angeles, the organization built a solid track record of place-making by transforming vacant commercial properties into museum-quality, site-specific exhibitions and experimental programming that engages artists, galleries, and audiences. Since attaining nonprofit status in 2022, SALA has hosted over a dozen exhibitions, collaborated with 194 artists, and partnered with 16 commercial galleries.
One of the most valuable assets SALA brings to this project is its following. In fewer than a dozen events, SALA has steadily and organically grown a high-end, cult-like network of artists, curators, gallerists, museum directors, collectors, scholars, critics, writers, and cultural leaders—these ‘followers’ regularly attend events. Now in San Francisco, anticipating the next chapter, this very rare and invaluable network reflects the trust and authority SALA could only have earned through genuinely thoughtful programming.
With a focus on California art history, SALA’s research centers on important artists and movements active in San Francisco. This focus has brought the organization to the Bay Area in 2025, where SALA: Society of Art and Living Archives now presents museum-quality exhibitions of iconic and overlooked Bay Area artists including Tom Marioni, Robert Bechtle, Eleanor Coppola, Roman Coppola, and many more.
We’re now looking to expand in Northern California, advancing our mission to activate overlooked histories, connect communities, and create more immersive, forward-thinking, site-specific experiences.
Stay in the loop and follow along here: