Lauri Firstenberg received her Ph.D. in History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University in 2005. In 2005, she also founded LA><ART—Los Angeles' leading independent non-profit contemporary art space supporting and presenting experimental exhibitions, public art initiatives, and publications with emerging and mid-career local, national, and international artists.  

Exhibitions Firstenberg has curated at LA><ART include Daniel Martinez: How I Fell In Love With My Dirty Bomb, Ruben Ochoa: Extracted, Mark Bradford: Niagara, Adria Julia: A Means of Passing the Time, Michael Queenland: Museum of Romantic Life, Kori Newkirk: RANK, Walead Beshty: Passages, Kamrooz Aram: Generation After Generation, Revolution After Revelation, and Glenn Kaino: Safe|Vanish amongst others. She co-curated with Anton Vidokle Image Bank for Everyday Revolutionary Life at the Gallery at REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/Calarts Theatre) in 2006; Isaac Julien: True North and Amir Zaki: Spring Through Winter at The MAK Center in 2005; and in 2008 she curated the 2008 California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA. Firstenberg also co-organized, with Glenn Phillips, the Pacific Standard Time Performance and Public Art Festival in 2011-12.

Firstenberg was formerly the Assistant Director/Curator of the MAK Center for Art and Architecture and the Schindler House in Los Angeles, CA and Curator of Artists Space, New York. She has contributed to a host of publications on contemporary art and has previously taught at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and at USC's Gayle Garner Roski School of Fine Arts. Her current curatorial project is Made in L.A. 2012, the debut exhibition of the first biennial for the city of Los Angeles, organized by the Hammer Museum with LA><ART and opening June 2012. She is working with a team of five curators representing both institutions.