The Metabolic Studio is a signature project of the Annenberg Foundation led by Lauren Bon, artist and a Director of the Foundation. 

Located in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, the Studio is a multi-disciplinary study of issues related to culture, sustainability, and health. Lauren defines the Metabolic Studio as the intersection of art and philanthropy.

Derived from the Greek word for change, metabolism is the process that maintains life. In continuous cycles of creation and destruction, metabolism transforms nutrients into energy and matter. Working to sustain these cycles, the Metabolic Studio aims to transform resources into energy, actions, and objects that nurture life.

In true metabolic fashion, the Metabolic Studio emerged from Not A Cornfield. Not A Cornfield, an art action that dramatically transformed 32 acres of brownfield just north of downtown Los Angeles to a green field over a single agricultural cycle, through the creation of, among much more, a living sculpture in the form of a field of corn.

There are three distinct arenas within the Metabolic Studio: Farmlab, which is dedicated to the preservation of living things in often-hostile urban environments ; Chora, which supports intangibles that precede creativity; and AMI - the Association of Marginal Institutions.

The Metabolic Studio is where the metabolic process is stoked with the following actions:

Under Spring – Once a social brownfield and now an urban paradise, this underside of the North Spring Street bridge is the space of spontaneous encounters, planned events, and orchestrated madness. Adjacent to the L.A. River and train tracks, Under Spring is tended by the Metabolic Studio.

Public Salon Series – A weekly program of lectures, workshops, film screenings, readings, and performance. The Salon Series connects artists, environmentalists, writers, filmmakers, politicians, planners, activists, and others, and serves a home-cooked buffet lunch. Always free. Fridays at noon in the Spring Street warehouse. http://farmlab.org

Ignite – This multi-use performance space inside the Spring Street warehouse features a state-of-the-art sprung dance floor. It has functioned as a garage warehouse for dance and experimental music collaborations and classes, and also as a cabaret setting for storytelling and revues. http://ignite-s3.blogspot.com

Anabolic Monument – A 10-meter circle of decaying corn bales made from the remainder of the Not A Cornfield corn fodder. Located at the north side of the Los Angeles State Historic Park, this compost monument holds mystery and hosts numerous butterflies, humming birds, and bees in their odyssey toward nectar. It is tended by the Metabolic Studio in association with California State Parks.