Laura Zucker

Laura Zucker
Born (1950-11-07) November 7, 1950 (age 75)
New York City, U.S.
EducationBarnard College (B.A. English); Yale School of Drama (attended, no degree)
OccupationArts administrator · Consultant · Educator
OrganizationsLos Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture; Ventura Arts Council; Claremont Graduate University (Center for Business & Management of the Arts)
SpouseAllan Miller (m. 1976–present)

Laura Zucker (born 1950) is an American arts administrator, consultant, and educator. She served as executive director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission from 1992 to 2017 and later directed the Center for Business & Management of the Arts at Claremont Graduate University.

Early life and education

Laura Zucker was born in 1950 to film producer Nathan Zucker and Helen Zucker in New York City and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Barnard College, and later attended the Yale School of Drama in 1972.

Career

In the early to mid 1970s, Zucker was an actor, director, and acting coach in New York City. She moved to Los Angeles in 1974, where she continued to direct and coach.

Zucker was co-founder and producing director of the Back Alley Theatre for 10 years from 1979-1989. During that time, she served as chair of the Associated Theatres of Los Angeles (ATLAS), and participated in negotiations over the Los Angeles County Equity Waiver Plan. In 1991 she was appointed executive director of the Ventura Arts Council.

Zucker was the executive director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission from 1992 to 2017. As executive director, she administered the county’s arts grant programs and participated in the development of county cultural policy. During her tenure, the commission developed arts-education programs involving 81 public school districts, a strategic plan for cultural equity and inclusion, and the California Cultural Tourism Initiative. Zucker oversaw the $80 million renovation of the Ford Theatres and the development of a paid undergraduate arts internship program with the Getty Trust.

Zucker served as executive producer of the county’s "Holiday Celebration" and was involved with programming at the Ford Theatres and the county’s free concert series. Following her tenure at the Arts Commission, she continued her work in the arts sector as an independent consultant and as a senior associate with AEA Consulting.

Zucker also was the Director of the Center for Business & Management of the Arts at Claremont Graduate University, where she taught courses on arts organization dynamics and cultural policy.

Board memberships and honors

Zucker has served on various boards including the Music Man Foundation, Grantmakers in the Arts, the Association of Arts Administration Educators, ARTS Inc., and the Southern California Chapter of the International Women’s Forum. She was a founding board member of Arts for LA, which established the Laura Zucker Fellowship for Policy and Research in 2017. She was also a member of the Los Angeles Coalition for Jobs and the Economy.

Zucker received the Selina Roberts Ottum Award from Americans for the Arts in 2017.

Personal life

Zucker has been married to actor and director Allan Miller since 1976. She lives in Sherman Oaks, California.

References

  1. ↑ "Nathan Zucker, 74, Film Producer, Dies". The New York Times. 25 June 1989. p. 26. ProQuest 110362013. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Morris, Steven Leigh (August 8, 2017). "I Was Thrown Down a Staircase by Meryl Streep: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Laura Zucker". This Stage Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  3. ↑ Stein, Mark A. (10 September 1981). "'The Fox' Wins Raves After 24 Years for Actor-Author". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 152911419. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  4. ↑ Arkatov, Janice (17 April 1986). "For Directing Pair, It's 'The Greeks' to Them". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 154593228. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  5. ↑ Shirley, Don (June 22, 1989). "The Bard on Boards at Santa Monica Pier; Progress Report on Equity-ATLAS Talks". Los Angeles Times. p. 7. ProQuest 280775707.
  6. ↑ Shirley, Don (January 26, 1989). "Actors' Equity, ATLAS Reach a Truce on 99-Seat Theater Plan". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. ProQuest 1149887340.
  7. ↑ Shirley, Don (April 5, 1990). "New Equity Chief on Mid-Sized Theaters". Los Angeles Times. p. 5. ProQuest 281060271.
  8. ↑ Drake, Sylvie (December 1, 1988). "Theater Owners Poised to Reject 99-Seat Plan". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. ProQuest 909216065.
  9. ↑ Reynolds, Christopher (29 August 1991). "Arts Advocate: The New Director of the Ventura Arts Council Brings Extensive Experience to the Post". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 1639619990. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Gagnier, Robert (December 19, 2013). "Laura Zucker: The Force Behind the 54th Annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration". HuffPost. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  11. ↑ Haithman, Diane (14 January 2004). "L.A. Arts Funds Dip this Year: Despite a $300,000 Cut for 2003-04, L.A. County Commission Expects to Help 264 Local Organizations". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 2173656155. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  12. ↑ Therolf, Garrett (July 2, 2014). "Arts Official Given County Boost: Supervisors Raise Government's Share of Salary, Despite Calls of 'Pension Spiking'". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 2703790241. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  13. ↑ Haithman, Diane (December 9, 2004). "County Moves to Expand Art Projects at Public Sites". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  14. ↑ Timberg, Scott (22 February 2005). "Courting the Cultural Tourist: Laura Zucker's New Group is Studying Ways to Cast L.A. as an Arts Lover's Destination". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 2186033992. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  15. ↑ Vilaysack, Som (Spring 2022). "Does Laura Zucker Owe Meryl Streep a Thank You? Or Do We?". The Flame: Claremont Graduate University Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  16. ↑ "From Actor to Advocate: Laura Zucker Brings a Passion for the Arts to Her New Role". Los Angeles Business Journal. August 23, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Zucker Named Director of the Center for Business & Management of the Arts". Claremont Graduate University News. July 15, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Laura Zucker Fellowship: For Policy and Research". Arts for LA. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  19. ↑ "Laura Zucker: 2017 Honoree - Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership". Americans for the Arts. 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  20. ↑ Strauss, Alix (12 August 2018). "Age Difference Didn't Matter Then, Or Now". The New York Times. ProQuest 2610779206. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  21. ↑ Price-Robinson, Kathy (May 3, 1998). "Keeping the Magic: Spurred by the Northridge Quake and a Need for More Space, a Couple Changes the Substance, but Not the Style, of their House". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 2101994737. Retrieved 2025-03-17.