We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Houghton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Lapis Room has deep meaning behind the name. Notably, Lapis Lazuli holds significant relevance in art history as the precious stone was revered by many ancient cultures. Lapis was reserved to adorn the holiest of deities, and considered to be a royal stone because of its metaphysical properties. My interest in the stone actually begins with the fact that it is very difficult to extract the true ultramarine pigment from the stone itself. When it is crushed up the various aggregates in the geological formations can actually turn the powder to brown or muddy gray. It is the pigment that is truly precious because there are no other natural ways to derive ultramarine blue in nature.

Now, fast forward from ancient times to France in the 1950s, artist Yves Klein became obsessed with finding a synthetic formula to create the perfect deep blue hue. He achieved it and used the pigment prolifically in his artwork. In 2018, I had the chance to meet with his widow, Rotraut during my tenure at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. At that time, we were prospecting her artwork for a large-scale show at the Garden, which debuted this year (2023). She shared the depths of her relationship with Klein; which was passionate and sadly very brief, as he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1962. It is thought that the synthetic pigment that Klein created was so carcinogenic that it actually took his life, consequently from ingesting the toxic fumes during large-scale installations and other artistic conquests. He was said to have lived at a blazing pace, but left the world with the gift of Yves Klein Blue; a seemingly small but profound impression on our human existence, especially for the visual arts. The story is a testament to the artist’s offering, which to me is extremely special, and I believe that as a community, the arts become a protective amulet that helps to combat our ever-complicated and messed up world.

Lapis Room is my offering to our human experience. It’s meant to be a collective reprieve, a gift, a treasure, an escape, a colorful portal away from the complexities of this earth. It’s meant to be a vibrant, deep-blue experience to help take you away from the muddy grays.

Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Laura Houghton and I am the owner and director of Lapis Room, a dynamic contemporary art center located in Old Town Albuquerque. I grew up in Ruidoso, a small mountain town in Southern New Mexico. I moved to Arizona later in life and received my BFA in Photography at Arizona State University. I have had a multifaceted professional career, primarily in the non profit sector. I have worked in dynamic roles supporting a variety of programs in youth mentorship and conservation, but the fulcrum of my passion has always been the arts. My specialty is art curation, exhibition design, large-scale multimedia attractions, events and outreach programs. I have a great admiration for the American Southwest and Mexico and I am most fulfilled when advocating for artists of this area.

Lapis Room is nestled in Old Town Albuquerque near the Bosque, a beautiful riparian cottonwood forest, right where historic Route 66 meets the Rio Grande. My husband, Alex and I had the opportunity to move to Albuquerque for his work and Lapis Room came to be by some major star alignment, and then after that, lots of blood, sweat, tears and hilarious hard work through a 6 month long design and renovation project. It was well worth it and becomes more fruitful with each passing day. The Gallery itself is a unique and vibrant attraction dedicated to supporting local and regional artists. We represent a diverse selection of creatives that are truly representative of Southwest contemporary culture, we strive to honor both the thriving contemporary art scene and also the rich cultural heritage of the area. We have been open a little under two years, but have proven to be an essential and much-needed marquee for contemporary artists who are underrepresented in the larger Santa Fe art market. We also host a myriad of exciting community-focused events that celebrate the visual, performing and culinary arts of New Mexico.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Our business is a highly personal one. Alchemizing a sale between artist and art patron can be magical and emotive. Our Deputy Director, Meg once referred to art sales more to the likeness of ‘matchmaking’ rather than sales. That is spot on. It’s entirely about cultivating relationships. We are active on all social channels and email marketing seems to be one of our most effective marketing tools, but truly, reaching out to our immediate network, regularly and thoughtfully is the special sauce. It takes a lot of bandwidth, but it’s effective and so rewarding.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Humans aren’t machines. You have to factor in human error and allow for growth in your operations. My greatest advice in team management is to play to people’s natural strengths. You will set yourself and others up for failure if you expect outcomes that are unachievable. Balance and joy in the work place come from sense of purpose, with clear and achievable metrics. If you have the ability to form a team organically and shift structures to find the team’s skillset, that is ideal. Then giving clear expectations, and taking time to reflect and make improvements. Also, make it fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lapisroom.com
• Instagram: lapisroom
• Facebook: lapisroomabq
• Linkedin: Lapis Room

Image Credits
Portrait of Laura in front of commissioned mural by Jodie Herrera : Credit Tira Howard Photo of Latin Grammy Award Winning Musician Shae Fiol in front of artwork by Reyes Padilla with pink lighting Credit: Fabian Esquivel Photo of two artists, Kevin Pierce and Luis Contreras conversing at an event Credit: Fabian Esquivel Photo of Alex and Laura in front of the Heart of Old Town sign Credit: Frankie Gomez