The Laksmi Project
The Laksmi Project connects you with opportunities to create, cultivate, and sustain regenerative resources to thrive.
Up Next!
Our Chicago Home: Impact of Latinx Artists
2026 LP. Salon
Please join The Laksmi Project for the annual LP. Salon, featuring LP. Friend, Yvette Mayorga. Yvette Mayorga will be in conversation with film photographer and artist, Jairo Granados-Cardenas at Pilsen restaurant Cerdito Muerto, as they examine the importance of Latinx art and artists in Chicago.
The panel will be moderated by Andrea Alvarez, Curator at Buffalo AKG, with an introduction by Ionit Behar, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. This event is part of Chicago Exhibition Week, thank you to GERTIE for the inclusion of this program.
This event is now on a waitlist. To express interest in joining click below.
Mirja Spooner Haffner // Curator of Connection
📸 Chloe Hamilton
Meet Your Host
Mirja Catherine Laksmi Spooner Haffner is a development leader, host, and founder of The Laksmi Project. Mirja works as a connector to cultivate relationships, engagements, and opportunities that contribute to a more abundant world. Her work lives at the intersection of community connection, strategic development, and financial engagement.
Mirja spent her career working in the arts in New York City and was the Director of Development at the Neue Galerie New York. Additionally, she worked in development at the Art Institute of Chicago raising capital funds for the Modern Wing. Mirja is a board member of The Renaissance Society, and Hyde Park Art Center. She is the Board Chair of the ChiArts Foundation, the philanthropic partner to Chicago's only public arts high school, The Chicago High School for the Arts. Mirja holds a BA in American Studies from Barnard College/Columbia University.
Mirja is currently the Director of Development at Brushwood Center, a health and nature non-profit in Lake County, IL. In 2022, Mirja started The Laksmi Project. The LP. works with organizations and individuals to create and sustain enriching connections that optimize their assets, and exceed their goals.