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Some Initial Responses to the Need for National Individual Artists Fellowships
MANY IN THE NYC ARTS COMMUNITY STILL STRUGGLING EIGHT MONTHS AFTER 911NEW YORK CITY, NY -- The devastating impact of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center have left artists and arts organizations still struggling despite the many foundations who have generously stepped in to help.Many organizations have suffered disruption and financial losses including losses in contributed income from events; many artists have lost work, equipment, personal belongings, work time and/or the ability to get back to work; some artists lost living or working space. Throughout the City, lingering psychological effects inhibit recovery. The New York Arts Recovery Fund deadline for submission of applications was April 30. Almost 800 applications were received. Nearly 600 of the applications for relief were received from individual artists or small artist businesses and nearly 200 were from non-profit arts organizations. Based at the New York Foundation for the Arts, (NYFA) the New York Arts Recovery Fund was created to help the arts community recover from the aftermath of September 11 by providing grants, information, advocacy and outreach. To-date approximately $1.7 Million has been awarded to about 60 artists/small artist businesses and 60 non-profit arts organizations. Of these, about 8 were awarded on an emergency basis to those who were facing either eviction, loss of services, or bankruptcy. "However, insofar as government relief and several other programs go, it is clear, from what we have been hearing, that there remain significant problems and a failure to adequately help the many who are in need," Amy Schwartzman Brightbill, the Information Officer for the New York Arts Recovery Fund, emphasized. In addition to The New York Foundation for the Arts which is spearheading its development and serves as its fiscal and administrative hub, the other partners who are serving as a steering committee for the Fund include the American Music Center, Alliance of Resident Theaters/New York, (ART/NY) New York City Arts Coalition, Nonprofit Finance Fund, Arts & Business Council, Asian American Arts Alliance, Association of Hispanic Arts, and Harlem Arts Alliance. "ELIGIBILITY, EVEN USING THE DIRECT RESULT STANDARD, COULD BE INTERPRETED MORE LIBERALLY ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WHAT'S HAPPENING" - Amy Schwartzman Brightbill According to THE NEW YORK TIMES, a Senate committee has asked the General Accounting Office to investigate The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response to the disaster -- including a review of the agency's criteria for determining eligibility for its programs and the amount of money the government expects to spend on the recovery effort. "The FEMA distribution rate for mortgage and rental assistance has been extremely low because they are requiring that people's economic hardship and inability to pay their rent or mortgage be a 'direct result' of the attacks. And they've interpreted that to mean that the the applicant had to have worked or lived down by the world trade center or had at least 25% of her business based there," Amy Schwartzman Brightbill explained. "These criteria don't always work well for artists, whose income isn't always comparable from month to month, whose jobs may be based throughout the city and who often don't have formal contracts for the jobs they do." For instance, a photographer had clients who worked in the devastated area, but produced annual events elsewhere. Because they lost their jobs, they decided not to stage these events, and the photographer lost the income related to them. FEMA determined that his loss of income -- which resulted in his not being able to pay his rent -- was not a direct result of the attacks, and he was denied assistance. The Arts Recovery Fund helped him on an emergency basis. "Eligibility, even using the direct result standard, could be interpreted more liberally on a case by case basis, but that doesn't seem to be what's happening," Amy Schwartzman Brightbill, who is the former Executive Director of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, noted. "The same problem also exists with the Disaster Unemployment Insurance program, which used the same standard and, accordingly, denied a slew of self-employed artists." For instance, the New YOrk Arts recovery Fund helped someone in the fashion industry whose case is still on appeal. Even though her partner was injured while escaping from the WTC and left the country soon thereafter; even though FASHION WEEK was cancelled and she lost various client appointments; and even though she was able to pay her bills pre-9/11 and couldn't post 9/11, the Department of Labor determined that her loss of income was related to a general downturn in the economy and was not a direct result of the attacks. "Congress needs to act because huge numbers of people who weren't down at the WTC have lost their economic base," Amy Schwartzman Brightbill emphasized. Norma Munn, Chair of the New York City Arts Coalition, also observes that "Government relief efforts have consistently been inadequate for the non-profits generally, and non-profits arts groups have gotten little. It is the same story as small businesses with whom we have a lot in common. Too much of the recovery effort is geared to large business or simply does not address the issues arts groups faced." She thinks that individual artists were probably hit harder than arts groups. "They lost arts education jobs, they lost part time jobs through the economy and they lost arts income," she states. "Artists often don't have regular annual earnings. They don't always make a living making their art. This has exacerbated their difficulties with some government agencies, who haven't always been able to understand the life of an artist in NYC, " observes Amy Schwartzman Brightbill. However, although, many are still in need and assistance has not always been forthcoming, she also noted that many FEMA workers, particularly those locally- based, have been very helpful and truly want to see the artists helped. She has been heartened by a few success stories. For instance, a filmmaker had a big project related to WTC and set down there. After 911, the project fell apart because the script made no sense. Her source of income was gone, and she needed to move further uptown because her child was traumatized. She gave FEMA copies of both leases to prove her pre and post 9/11 residences and a letter from psychologist to prove her need to move. Nevertheless, her application was denied. But after hearing these facts, Amy Schwartzman Brightbill spoke with her contact in FEMA. And -- with her help and the filmmaker's persistence -- it now looks as if the application will go through. Among those the New York Arts Recovery Fund has helped on an emergency basis are a musician who sold all of his equipment in order to live and then had no equipment to perform with and a teaching artist who lost all her work post 9/11 and was facing having her phone service shut off -- the one way she could still reach out to find and get work. Amy Schwartzman Brightbill urges those in the arts community who have been denied help from FEMA, the department of labor, or any other source, to contact her. Rather than calling, artists should send her an email with all the details. ( asbrightbill@nyfa.org ) She cautions that people should give her some time to respond. JOB RETRAINING FUNDING POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE In the near future, the New York Arts Recovery Fund will be sending out surveys to artists to find out if they need job retraining in the areas of teaching, social work, and some construction-related trades as well as to arts organizations to see if they have laid workers off. The surveys will be emailed where the arts recovery fund has email addresses. In other instances, a hard copy will be mailed. "Please look for them and for the link that will appear on the NYFA website to a website where the surveys can be completed online," advises Amy Schwartzman Brightbill. Those who respond will be eligible for the Consortium for Worker Education's (CWE) job retraining program for New York City artists whose economic base has been impacted by the disaster. Additionally, there is the possibility that CWE will be providing, with NYFA's help, partial wage subsidies for 13 weeks to non-profit arts organizations that laid workers off or cut back their pay or hours as a result of 9/11. Artists in need of job training are urged to visit the NYFA web site for continuing updates. "IT IS GRIM OUT THERE FOR THOSE WHO REALLY EXPERIENCED THOSE LOSSES AND I DON'T SEE ANY SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT ANY TIME SOON." - Norma Munn Information about the impact of the September 11 attacks on the arts community is still being gathered, and the extent of those who will continue to need aid is still difficult to ascertain. According to Norma Munn, the $23 Million that the New York City Arts Coalition citywide survey showed lost in the first three weeks was probably a low number, and none of the ensuing data has answered all her questions. "The estimates I received on the survey I did showed that by mid-November, arts groups were estimating an additional $71 Million in lost income, grants, etc. between Oct. 01 and Mar 30, 2002. I thought that number was unreliable at first; I now think it was probably pretty close -- But it did not include lost income for Individual Artists, which is impossible for me to estimate." Although Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has recently completed a survey of the effects of 911, Executive Director Ben Cameron noted that it is still difficult to determine the extent of the problem and there is a need for more information. "'Do you expect to close the fiscal year with a surplus, balanced or a deficit?' We didn't ask that, and therefore it's hard to tell what the final implications of the numbers are. The 57% who are experiencing shortfalls in attendance, for example, might be a different group than the 30% who are experiencing shortfalls in government giving. It feels dire out there, but again we can't be certain about how individually organizations are doing," he pointed out. The consensus is that uncompensated losses from the disaster are still substantial. "In short, we lost far more than we have been able to make up with extra funds from Mellon, Carnegie, Warhol, Lucille Lort Foundation and many others. Maybe as much as $60-70 Million more. It is grim out there for those who really experienced those losses and I don't see any substantial improvement any time soon," Norma Munn emphasizes "We are very disappointed in the response of the government and aid agencies in allowing the deaths of so many small businesses downtown. We are talking to our elected representatives and to our friends at the NYC Partnership and Chamber of Commerce," said Kevin Cunningham, Executive Artistic Director of 3-legged Dog, which produces new, original works in theater, performance, media and hybrid forms. Describing in CERFNEWS the devastation she found on a visit to the studios of sculptor and jeweler Lillian Ball -- about eight blocks from Ground Zero -- Craft Emergency Fund Executive Director Cornelia Carey quotes Ball as saying that "Few people around the country understand how many artists live and work in downtown New YOrk City. It wasn't just the financial district that was destroyed. We're doing all we can to make our art and stay in business right now." "THE DECISION TO CONTINUE PRODUCTION OF KAMPUCHEA/LOISAIDA WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I'VE EVER MADE. THE ACT OF CREATING ART DOWN IN THE ZONE HAD AN INCREDIBLE SOOTHING HEALING EFFECT ON EVERY ONE IN THE PRODUCTION DESPITE THE HARSHNESS OF THE SUBJECT MATTER" -- Kevin Cunningham 3-legged Dog "I was able to move back approximately one week after the massacre. It was frightening to be back. It was a ghost-town...lots of empty apartments and shops. A lot of damage to the streets and buildings. There was a barricade outside my window where they hosed off vehicles coming from ground zero for dna. It was very depressing and scary. I couldn't sleep without medication. I couldn't open my windows because of the smell. There is still only one grocer open and I still get nightmares," said painter Wendy Cook who from her apartment in the shadows of the WTC, witnessed the explosion and bodies falling from the tower and went back several days later to help rescue 17 neighborhood pets. She reports that she received funding and help from various sources which helped her replace food, clothing, and linens. In addition, she received reimbursement for air-purifiers and a required hepa-vac to clean her apartment. But she startles easily from loud noises and planes and sometimes has difficulty staying focused. "I still have nightmares," she repeated. "At least six of 3-legged Dog staff have had to seek professional counselling for PTSD," (post traumatic stress disorder), said 3-legged Dog Executive Artistic Director Kevin Cunningham. "I had to carry my 5 year old son out of the area, and he was forced into overcrowded conditions at PS 3. Just last month his school PS 150 was re-opened. Michael Kuntz the CFO of our software company was in the office and evacuated amid falling debris to his house on Water Street where police were loading a van with commandeered tools and hardware from the store in the first floor. Michael began helping them load the van. When they were finished they turned to him and said 'Get in.' and took him straight back to Ground Zero. He worked there picking up bodies, setting up the central triage area and ferrying supplies down form mid town for the next 52 hours." Painter/printmaker Myrna Burks, whose studio is at 75 Warren Street one block South of Chambers, is not able to paint in her studio yet. "It has been cleaned, but the psychological impact is still there for me," she said. "I can only spend about an hour or two hours at a time doing other things. She received air-filters from Red Cross and one month's rent. "But, I was unable to get into the space for three months. Financially and emotionally I still feel the impact," she told Arts Wire CURRENT. However, in the midst of continuing hardship, the New York city art world has expressed the City's strong survival with continuing exhibitions and performances. "While we cannot go back to what no longer remains, we are committed to not only enduring but becoming an even greater part of the cultural life of our great city. We are re-establishing our past programs, with additional activities that address the needs of the downtown community," Liz Thompson, Executive Director of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) writes in a message on LMCC's web site. "We are in the process of setting up a downtown performance series in partnership with other financial district organizations that will restore the essence of Evening Stars - On Stage at the Twin Towers, and we will present Eos Orchestra in partnership with the Regent Hotel free to area residents and workers this winter. And we are working with the Alliance for Downtown New York and a new group called Wall Street Rising to create cultural events and promote downtown cultural groups in tandem with downtown retailers and restaurants." Although their former space at 30 W. Broadway is uninhabitable -- the entire south side of the 16 story building was sheered off by the collapse of WTC 7 -- 3-Legged Dog has been doing their shows at 9 Desbrosses Street. They just opened their third production since September 11. "The productions we have done are KAMPUCHEA/LOISAIDA by me, (November 1-14) WONTON DESTRUCTION by Jill Szuchmacher, (April 11-21) and currently we are showing QUIVER by Sophie Haviland. (May 8-18). So we have done one work by each of the three legs of 3 legged dog," Cunningham noted. "We expect our new building to be fully operational by January 2003 but watch for a September 11th opening anyway." He added that the decision to continue production of KAMPUCHEA/LOISAIDA was one of the best decisions he has ever made. "The act of creating art down in the zone had an incredible soothing healing effect on every one in the production despite the harshness of the subject matter. Rehearsal became a respite for everyone and the company became much closer knit and our work and goals came into much sharper focus." Currently in temporary quarters at 306 W 37th Street, 3-Legged Dog -- which in addition to the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council was one of the cultural organizations whose facility was completely destroyed -- received aid in various forms from organizations including Venture Reporter, The Chapin Loan Fund of ART/NY the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Mellon, Phillip Morris and the Alliance for Downtown NY. Kevin Cunningham praised the effectiveness of ART/NY, an advocacy organization for New York City's not-for-profit theatre community, saying that "Ginny Louloudes, Mark Rossier and Mary Harpster from ART NY have helped us to recover about 80% of our loss. They have been absolutely astonishing." However, 3-legged Dog's subsidiary software company has only recovered about 20%. "....THE GENERAL TOTAL APLOMB AND STEELY NERVES MANY ARTISTS (AND NEW YORKERS IN GENERAL) MANAGED TO MUSTER" - Douglas Kelley "What amazed me was the general total aplomb and steely nerves many artists (and New Yorkers in general) managed to muster. I have always secretly thought that you have to be a little out of it in order be able to deal with something like this, and delayed post traumatic stress disorder issues aside, in this case NY artists appointed themselves magnificently. They were volunteering all over the place," said artist Douglas Kelley, who dealt with the immediate tragedy by collecting survivor stories. Kelley, host of THE DKS, (a Manhattan TV show and a list about art and receptions) organized galleries to stay open on Saturday night Sept 29, providing a catalyst for continuing art events, and he produced a television show on the heroic actions of the John J. Harvey, a 72 year fireboat which on September 11 was pressed into action pumping water and rescuing people from the bay. He observes that many of the artists he talked to were initially documenting and exploring their near death experiences. "They were initially really energized, and then in denial, anger and depression, but used all the stages to keep working." And he looks forward to a great deal of work directly inspired by the events of last fall.
This is the first of a series of articles which will look at the continuing problems; what needs to be done; how the arts community is coping. We will also be looking at ripple effects across the country. Arts Wire Current notes that some of our email may have been lost last week and we will be recontacting folks we didn't hear from. We also invite responses from those who continue to experience problems. Sources/resources NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS -- http://www.nyfa.org
NEW YORK ARTS RECOVERY FUND --
http://www.nyfa.org/9-11.htm Funding for the New York Arts Recovery Fund has been provided by a major grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Other major funders include City of New York, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, Deutsche Bank, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, New York Times Company Foundation, the producers of THE PRODUCERS THE NEW MEL BROOKS MUSICAL, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Rockefeller Foundation, with additional support from American Express, Americans for the Arts, Beaumont Ballet, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Golden Artists Colors, Golden Foundation, Management Consultants for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, The New Yorker, Town Hall Association Seattle, Thompson Street Association, three anonymous donors, and many individuals. This list is correct as of May 13, 2002. NEW YORK CITY ARTS COALITION -- http://www.nycityartscoalition.org
Diana B. Henriques and David Barstow CONSORTIUM FOR WORKER EDUCATION -- http://www.cwe.org 3-LEGGED DOG -- http://www.artswire.org/3legdog/ CRAFT EMERGENCY FUND -- http://www.craftemergency.org ALLIANCE OF NEW YORK STATE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS -- http://www.thealliancenys.org THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP -- http://www.tcg.org LOWER MANHATTAN CULTURAL COUNCIL -- http://www.lmcc.net
Douglas Kelley
MELLON FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES A THIRD ROUND OF GRANTS TO ASSIST NEW YORK CITY CULTURAL AND PERFORMING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AFFECTED BY SEPTEMBER 11, 2001The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has announced a third round of grants, totaling approximately $28.0 million, to be made from the Foundation's special $50 million fund to assist New York City cultural and performing arts organizations which were directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001.The recipients are 46 performing arts organizations, 12 museums, the City's three circulating library systems, and the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library. To date, the Foundation has awarded a total of $43 million as part of the special initiative. Among others, Performing Arts Organizations receiving grants were Aaron Davis Hall; Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York; Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation; American Music Center; The American Symphony Orchestra League; Brooklyn Academy of Music; Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island; Dance Theatre of Harlem; Discalced; (Mark Morris Dance Group) Educational Broadcasting Corporation; (Thirteen - WNET) Henry Street Settlement; The Joyce Theater Foundation; Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center/Lucy Moses School for Music and Dance; Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts; Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; Manhattan Theater Club; New York Foundation for the Arts; Queens Council on the Arts; Roundabout Theatre Company; and Symphony Space. Museums receiving grants were, among others, Brooklyn Museum of Art; The Jewish Museum; Museum of Modern Art; Museum of the City of New York; Studio Museum In Harlem; and the Whitney Museum of American Art. In announcing the grants, William G. Bowen, the Foundation's President stated that "This round of grants focused primarily on the larger performing arts organizations and museums. We were also able to make a series of grants to the City's public libraries which have served such an important role in the lives of New Yorkers following the attack on September 11th. With the funds remaining, we expect to focus on public parks and related organizations, and a number of organizations that were deferred in earlier rounds." However, he also noted that "Unfortunately, we have now reached the point where we are unable to consider new requests for assistance." The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a private foundation, with assets of approximately $4 billion, which makes grants on a selective basis to institutions in higher education; museums and art conservation; performing arts; population; conservation and the environment; and public affairs. The Foundation does not make grants directly to individuals. For more information, visit: http://www.mellon.org
POLLOCK-KRASNER FOUNDATION GIVES GRANTS TOTALLING $375,000 TO ARTISTS IMPACTED BY SEPT 11NEW YORK CITY, NY -- In their World Trade Center Emergency Grant Program, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation has awarded grants totaling $375,000 to 45 artists directly impacted by the events of September 11.In response to the tragic events of September 11, The Foundation established a special emergency grant program designed to reach individual professional visual artists whose lives (personal and professional) were directly impacted by this crisis. The program's aim was to fund artists who were displaced from their homes and/or studios and whose materials, tools and/or artworks were destroyed. Those artists receiving grants who have given permission to have their names released are:
Simon Aldridge The Pollock-Krasner Foundation`s international regular grant program will continue to operate, uninterrupted, as it has for the past 17 years. "While only under special circumstances may artists now be considered for the WTC Emergency Grant Program, all who qualify under our guidelines are welcome to apply to our regular grant program, Caroline Black, Program Officer, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, told Arts Wire CURRENT. THE POLLOCK-KRASNER FOUNDATION offers financial assistance to artists of recognizable merit and financial need working as painters, sculptors, mixed media, and installation artists. For more information, visit http://www.pkf.org
REBUILDING AND RECOVERY: THE ARTS AT GROUND ZERONEW YORK CITY, NYOctober 17-19, 2002 The Marriott Financial Center Hotel
Statewide Arts Conference "Throughout the 2- day event, emotional expressions about being at Ground Zero will be documenthe statewide art community and the people of New York City, it will convene in New York City. A consortium of local hosts -- including the Bronx Council on the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Council, New York Foundation for the Arts, Association of Hispanic Arts, Arts & Business Council , American Indian Artists, IAMAA/Harlem Arts Council, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Asian American Arts Alliance -- will be working with the Alliance staff to make this conference thought provoking and useful, with plenty of time for networking. Currently, three different interest areas are planned:
Marketing A one-day symposium for Boards of Directors, as well as sessions for new Executive Directors and Program Staffs will be featured. Also included will be the Annual Rurals Gathering and the Alliance Annual Meeting. Evening activities, planned in conjunction with the local hosts and ART/NY, will highlight the arts in New York City. For further information contact Pat Berman at the Alliance Offices: 631-298-1234 or pkbarts@aol.com
MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE CUTS CULTURAL COUNCIL'S BUDGET 48%; 17 LEGISLATORS CO-SPONSOR AMENDMENTS TO RESTORE FUNDINGBOSTON, MA -- In response to a drastic cut to the Massachusetts Cultural Council's (MCC) budget by the state House Ways and Means Committee -- from $19.1 million this year to $10 million next year -- 17 legislators have sponsored or co-sponsored amendments to restore or increase funding.According to the MCC, although most state agencies received cuts of 5% to 10%, the cut to the state's arts programs was 48%. The budget line for the Cultural Resources Act -- which funds programs in schools across the state and programs for at risk youth -- was entirely eliminated. "If the House Ways and Means budget is enacted, all MCC grantees will receive at least a 50% reduction in their grant amounts for next year. This will include all Organizational Support grantees and all local cultural councils across the state," said Mary Kelley, Executive Director of the MCC. Amendment #636, led by Rep. Dan Bosley, (D-North Adams) calls for an increase from $10 million to $15 million. An additional amendment suggests the same funding, and two other amendments recommend smaller increases. Eighteen legislators also sponsored or co-sponsored amendments to restore MCC 's Cultural Resources Act line item, which provides all the funding for MCC's in-school and after-school, arts-based grant programs. Amendment #503, led by Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst), calls for the Act to be returned to the budget and restored to its $2.9 million level. Sources/resources: MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL -- http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/ MASSACHUSETTS ADVOCATES FOR THE ARTS, SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES (MAASH) Contact Dan Hunter, the incoming director of MAASH at dhunter@bu.edu tel: 617-353-5899.
ConferencesBOSTON, MAJune 1, 2002 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Institute of Contemporary Art The Copley Theater, 225 Clarendon Street BUILDING A VISION II: THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE "An explosion of cross-disciplinary work has marked the art and culture of our time. Sculpture, performance, media, architecture, and installation all intersect in much of the work of today's artists." A panel of artists, architects, and architecture critics, whose work addresses this blurring of boundaries, will bring their unique and interdisciplinary perspectives on the increasingly related disciplines of contemporary art and architecture in a free public forum organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art. (ICA) In conjunction with the exhibition ARTISTS IMAGINE ARCHITECTURE at the ICA -- which includes the work of Dan Graham, Rita McBride, Carlos Garaicoa, Thomas Kiesewetter, Shirley Tsein, Jeff Ono, and Tamara Zahaykevich, among others -- the forum will take a critical look at the relationship between these two disciplines and the ideas, issues, and aesthetics they encompass. In the morning, each speaker will discuss how art and architecture intersect in their own projects, the differences or similarities between the two disciplines, and the broader implications of this trend in contemporary art. In the afternoon, a panel discussion will focus on architecture, urbanism, and the 21st-century city. Morning Presentations include: Multimedia artist JUDITH BARRY will examine the complex interaction between architecture, the media, and society. Barry was selected by the ICA for its first artist web project, which will investigate the increasingly complex relationship between architecture and electronic technology. AARON BETSKY, currently director of Netherlands Architecture Institute, and previously the curator of Architecture, Design, and Digital Projects at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, is the author of numerous books and articles on architecture and new media, including BUILDING SEX: MEN, WOMEN, ARCHITECTURE, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEXUALITY; QUEERSPACE: ARCHITECTURE AND SAME-SEX DESIRE (with Erik Adigard) ARCHITECTURE MUST BURN: MANIFESTOES FOR THE FUTURE OF ARCHITECTURE. PRESTON SCOTT COHEN is an Associate Professor of Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and an architect whose practice has included houses and interiors throughout the U.S. as well as numerous speculative projects and international competitions. He is the author of CONTESTED SYMMETRIES AND OTHER PREDICAMENTS IN ARCHITECTURE. (Princeton Architectural Press, 2001), The work of artists and architects ELIZABETH DILLER AND RICARDO SCOFIDIO (Diller + Scofidio) unites design, performance, and digital media with cultural and architectural theory. In April 2001, the ICA commissioned Diller + Scofidio to design the new Institute of Contemporary Art on Boston's Fan Pier. Afternoon Panel:
DAVID ROSS, moderator Panelists: ALEX KRIEGER whose work encompasses the evolution of urban settlements, is Chairman of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and founding principal of Chan Krieger & Associates. Art historian, lecturer, and writer, EDMUND BARRY GAITHER, is Director and Curator of the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists and co-founder of the African American Museum Association. ELIZABETH DILLER is principal in the collaborative, interdisciplinary studio, Diller + Scofidio, as well as Professor of Architectural Design at Princeton University. Appointed James Sachs Plaut Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in 1998, JILL MEDVEDOW guided the ICA in its successful bid to build a new museum on Boston's waterfront, which will create an iconic presence for contemporary art in Boston. For more information, visit: http://www.icaboston.org/events/intersection.cfm Admission is free. For advance reservations, call 617-927-6611 or email bfay@icaboston.org For more information, call 617-266-5152. BUILDING A VISION II is supported in part by the LEF Foundation.
EventsNEW YORK CITY, NYMay 17 to June 1 2002- Opening Friday evening, May 17, 5:00-8:00 PM Ace Gallery, 275 Hudson Street, Soho ARTISTS TO ARTISTS A DECADE OF THE SPACE PROGRAM - AN EXHIBITION OF WORKS FROM THE SPACE PROGRAM OF THE MARIE WALSH SHARPE ART FOUNDATION "Coinciding with the final days of this year's edition of the Whitney Biennial, Artists to Artists offers contemporary art audiences an added opportunity to view the work of a great many artists working in a variety of mediums, but relieved of thematic direction and curatorial intervention. The exhibition's 161 participants will present the paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, work in mixed mediums and installations that transform the ways viewers think about art and respond to its makers." 161 artists -- all of them beneficiaries of a highly competitive Tribeca studio residency known as The Space Program -- celebrate a decade in the arts with the multi-media exhibition ARTISTS TO ARTISTS A DECADE OF THE SPACE PROGRAM, an Exhibition of Works from The Space Program of the Colorado-based Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. From ALICIA, CARMEN, CLEO, BEULAH, DIANE, FLORA (Pencil, ink, printed vinyl on mylar, 2000) by Teresita Fernandez to Dino Blanche's THE MUNDANE AND THE PROFANE (Steel reinforced concrete) the works explore contemporary art practice today while at the same time highlighting the Foundation's innovative studio residency program. Other works in the exhibition include Phyllis Bramson's SPRINGTIME PICTURE (Mixed Media on Canvas, 2000) and Josiah McElheny's installation RECREATING A MIRACULOUS OBJECT. (Blown glass, metal & wood wall mount, framed text and photo, 1997-99) Artists to Artists, the first exhibition organized by the Foundation's Artists Advisory Committee, is presented in the vast state-of-the-art exhibition spaces of Ace Gallery. In keeping with the Foundation's philosophy of empowerment, each participant will be represented by a work of the artist's own choosing. Among the many artists whose work is represented in the exhibition are Jennifer Adams, Bill Davenport, Michiko Itatani, Pamela Keech, Terry Ray Thompson, Garth Evans, Drew Beattie, Suzanne Bocanegra, Han Xin, Angel Rodriguez-Diaz, Christine Schiavo, Slobodan Trajkovic, Nancy Diamond, Heidi Kumao, Max-Carlos Martinez, Michele Brody, Jennifer Dubnau, Sarah Oppenheimer, Mick O'Shea, Andrew K. Sonpon, Dannielle Tegeder, and Nobuho Nagasawa. Established in 1991, The Space Program was developed by artists for artists. To further the development of the Foundation's Individual Artists Program, artist Chuck Close initiated the idea of directly involving artists in the process of assessing the most pressing needs of visual artists today. Encouraged by Philip Pearlstein, the Foundation embraced the concept. In 1988 the Foundation invited 26 visual artists to a meeting at Philip Pearlstein's New York studio, an event hosted by Pearlstein and Close and facilitated by Irving Sandler. From that group, an Artists Advisory Committee was formed to define the direction of the Foundation s Individual Artists Program. Among other initiatives, the Committee focused on the need for access to and support for viable working studio spaces, which in turn led to the creation of The Space Program. The Committee today consists of Cynthia Carlson, Close, Janet Fish, Pearlstein, Sandler, Harriett Shorr, Lorna Simpson and Robert Storr. Through an application process which involves peer review and draws an average of 800 applicants each year, The Space Program awards studios to artists at times crucial to the development of their work. Located in Lower Manhattan, the Program's generous working studios range from 450 to 550 square feet with 12 foot ceilings. The program also offers participation in an urban community of artists as well as access to the diversity and density of cultural institutions which New York City provides. An annual Open Studio event -- of which this exhibition is an extension -- is held each spring in the Foundation's 14 studios. Artists to Artists is accompanied by a substantial catalog of 368 pages including more than 320 color illustrations of the work of participating artists with texts which reflect their accomplishments and those of the Program -- extending to a wider public the contributions made in the years since the Program's beginning. The costs of the exhibition and catalog of Artists to Artists have been underwritten by an anonymous donor. Supporting the needs of visual artists since 1985, The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation was established in 1984 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Marie Walsh Sharpe. (1890-1985) With the firm belief that successful programs cannot be developed without the ideas and energies of many people similarly dedicated to those goals, the Foundation has involved artists, state and national leaders in the arts, art education, and business in meetings offering ideas for the Foundation direction. When the Foundation recently faced rent increases far beyond its ability to meet them, in response, a fundraising effort spearheaded by Artists Advisory Committee members secured generous donations from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, David Teiger, and an anonymous donor. That effort and successful negotiations between the Foundation's Vice President and Executive Director Joyce E. Robinson and the buildings owner have made it possible for The Space Program to renew its lease for three more years. The Foundation is committed to continuing the program as long as the need exists and funding allows. Visual artists 21 and over are invited to submit proposals for free studio spaces. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. Residents, and not in school at the time of residency. The 14 studios are non-living spaces for the making of new works of art. There is no stipend or equipment provided. Applicants are juried by a panel of artists. Studios are available beginning Sept. 1, 2003 for periods of up to one year. Artists who presently have a studio larger than 400 sq. ft. in New York City are not eligible. Postmark Deadline -- January 31, 2003 For a complete list of the artists in the exhibition, visit http://www.sharpeartfdn.org/artisttoartist.htm For more information about applying, visit http://www.sharpeartfdn.org/freestudiospace.htm Ace Gallery tel: 212-255-5599 HOUSTON, TX through August 4, 2002 The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - The Caroline Wiess Law Building AMERICANOS: LATINO LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES "The exhibition is a fascinating self-portrait of Latino America. The photographers focused on themes of family, community, work, spiritual life, recreation, and the arts. Some of the people chosen as subjects are celebrities-singer Marc Antony, fashion designer Carolina Herrera, actor Andy Garcia, and athlete Sammy Sosa, to name only a few. Other portraits feature citizens like Houston flag seamstress Bernadine Mendoza and New York police officer Lisa Demetriou. Enhancing the photographs are texts by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, poet Maya Angelou, poet Humberto Ak'abal, and other leading Latino writers." AMERICANOS: LATINO LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES presents 120 contemporary photographs by 32 of the nation's top Latino photojournalists. Collaborating with the actor and activist Edward James Olmos and a team of prominent editors, the photographers documented the diversity and energy of today's Latin American communities in the United States. Photographers in the exhibition include: Jules Allen, Hector Amezcua, Juana Arias, Aurelio Jose Barrera, Andy Barron, John Castillo, Al Diaz, Jimmy Dorantes, Hector Emanuel, Curtis Fukuda, Jose Galvez, Timothy Gonzales, Janet Jarman, Ramon Mena Owens, Genaro Molina, Liliana Nieto del Rio, Jose Osorio, Antonio Perez, Paul Perez, Pedro Perez, Eugene Richards, Carlos Rios, Rita Rivera, Alexis Rodriguez Duarte, Miriam Romais, Marcio Sanchez, Beatriz Terrazas, Nuri Vallbona, Jose Luis Villegas, and Magdalena Zav. Photographs were selected by SITES; Pulitzer Prize-winners Michel du Cille, photography editor at THE WASHINGTON POST, and Jose Galvez; Eric Easter, CEO, OneMedia and co-creator of the 1992 SITES exhibition SONGS OF MY PEOPLE; Mark Hinojosa, associate managing editor of electronic news at the CHICAGO TRIBUNE; Liliana Nieto Del Rio, award-winning photographer; John Castillo, independent freelance photographer; and Edward James Olmos, actor and project organizer. Americanos: Latino Life in the United States, a project of Olmos Productions, was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives. The exhibition was made possible through the generous support of AOL Time Warner, Inc., and Qwest Communications. Additional support was provided by Farmers Insurance. Funding in Houston is generously provided by Lyondell Chemical Company; Isla and Tommy Reckling in memory of Mary Ann Ransom Livingston; the Wortham Foundation, Inc.; Baker Botts LLP; Credit Suisse First Boston; and the Texas Commission on the Arts. For more information, visit http://www.mfah.org/current-exhibitions.html
Opportunities for ArtistsKRONOS QUARTET CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2003 WITH KRONOS: UNDER 30 PROJECTThe Kronos Quartet will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2003. To acknowledge this benchmark, Kronos, in collaboration with the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and the American Music Center, is announcing the creation of the KRONOS: UNDER 30 PROJECT, a commissioning and composer-in-residence program for composers under 30 years of age. The program will support the creation of new work by young artists, and will help Kronos cultivate stronger connections with young composers in order to develop lasting artistic relationships with the next creative generation. The Hopkins Center will be the presenting partner of the Kronos: Under 30 Project during its inaugural year and will receive the composer submissions. Kronos will review the composer submissions and will select the composer to whom the group feels most artistically committed. The Hopkins Center and Kronos will then commission a new work for string quartet from the selected composer. The commissioned composer will join Kronos in a weeklong residency in San Francisco, California, to prepare the work and a half-week residency at the Hopkins Center, which will culminate with the world premiere of the work. The selected composer will receive a commission for a new work for string quartet in the amount of $5,000 as well as travel and accommodations for one week of rehearsals with Kronos to prepare the new work from March 10-14, 2003, in San Francisco. The residency will include open rehearsals, other residency activities, and the world premiere of the new work in concert on April 5, 2003. The Kronos Quartet has been commissioning new work since its earliest days, and more than 450 pieces have been written or arranged for the group. The Quartet's extensive repertoire ranges from Alban Berg, Alfred Schnittke, George Crumb, Sofia Gubaidulina and Morton Feldman to Hildegard von Bingen, Charles Mingus, Astor Piazzolla, Harry Partch and Carlos Paredes. In addition to ongoing creative relationships with composers such as Terry Riley, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh and Osvaldo Golijov, Kronos has collaborated with countless internationally recognized artists, including Dawn Upshaw, Foday Musa Suso, Wu Man, Caf Tacuba, Zakir Hussain, Allen Ginsberg, Throat Singers of Tuva, Burhan al, Eiko and Koma, Pandit Pran Nath, Don Walser, Hamza El Din and the Taraf de Hadouks. Kronos has recently premiered, or will soon premiere, works written for the group by Ellen Fullman, Philip Glass, Michael Gordon, Guo Wenjing, Melissa Hui, Willem Jeths, John King, David Lang, Matmos, Helmut Oehring, Gabriela Ortiz, P.Q. Phan, Stephen Prutsman, Steve Reich, Peteris Vasks, Aleksandra Vrebalov and Julia Wolfe. A multi-disciplinary academic, extracurricular, visual and performing arts center, the Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College works "to ignite and sustain a passion for the arts within the Dartmouth community" and "to provide the core educational environment for the study, creation and presentation of the arts." The American Music Center is a national service organization for new American music. Its services including its most recent programs: NEWMUSICBOX.ORG, a monthly web magazine for new American music; NEWMUSICJUKEBOX.ORG, a online marketplace connecting composers and performers; Synergy, a composer and conductor development program with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra League; a Professional Development Program, featuring workshops presented across America; and publications such as the monthly Opportunity Update, listing opportunities such as calls for scores, competitions, fellowships, etc. Each year, AMC's Information Services Program fields over 35,000 requests concerning composers, performers, data, funding, and support programs. In 2002-2003 the AMC will administer over $4 million annually through its grantmaking programs including the Copying Assistance Program, the Copland Fund for Music Recording and Performing Ensembles programs, the Cary Trust's Live Music for Dance Program, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Music Liberty Initiative for New York. Complete submissions for the Kronos: Under 30 Project must be received at the Hopkins Center by August 15, 2002. Complete application information is available on the Arts Wire Calls page at http://www.artswire.org/current/calls.html and on the Kronos Quartet page listed below. Sources/resources: THE KRONOS QUARTET -- http://www.kronosquartet.org HOPKINS CENTER -- http://www.hop.dartmouth.edu AMERICAN MUSIC CENTER -- http://www.amc.net Deadline: May 17, 2002, Design Team Artist for Youth Facility - ALAMEDA COUNTY ART COMMISSION, Oakland, CA, Deadline: May 23, 2002, (deadline: extended) Native American Artists, DEER ISLAND NATIVE AMERICAN MEMORIAL - Boston, MA Deadline: June 30, 2002, Artists (priority will be given to artists in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana) WITHOUT WALLS AT MAC'S FARM, TEMPORARY OUTDOOR SCULPTURE EXHIBIT, Cincinnati, Ohio Deadline: August 15, 2002, Student submissions of original dance works made specifically for the medium of video or film, 4TH ANNUAL DANCE FOR THE CAMERA FESTIVAL AND WORKSHOP, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Details about these and other jobs are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobs.html To submit jobs to Arts Wire, email them to joblist@artswire.org Please send a text file in the body of the message. (ie no attachments and no HTML) There is no fee for posting job listings. The deadline is Friday for the next week's listings. (which usually are posted on Monday) For the most part, job listings are not edited. The contents of the postings are the responsibility of the originating agency. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, (historic house museum) (Southeast Virginia) PROFESSOR/DIRECTOR, SATURDAY ART SCHOOL, Pratt Institute's Art and Design Education, (Brooklyn, NY) MUSEUM EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR, Washington Arts Museum, (Washington, DC) PERFORMING ARTS CURATOR, DiverseWorks, (Houston, TX) SENIOR LEVEL RIGHTS ADMINISTRATOR, Artists Rights Society, (New York City, NY) GENERAL MANAGER, Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center, (Key West. Florida) MANAGING DIRECTOR, The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, (Richmond, CA) (SF Bay Area) CREATIVE MANAGER, Antenna Audio, (Sausalito, CA) COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, New Langton Arts, (San Francisco, CA) DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, Jean Cocteau Repertory, (New York City, NY) DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE, The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, (Richmond, CA) (SF Bay Area) DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT, Cunningham Dance Foundation, (New York, NY) ARTIST/ACTIVIST/EDUCATORS, The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, (Richmond, CA) (SF Bay Area) NEW MEDIA EDUCATOR/ARTIST, The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, (Richmond, CA) (SF Bay Area) BILINGUAL PERFORMING ARTISTS WITH EXPERIENCE TEACHING, Brava! for Women in the Arts, (San Francisco, CA) SCENIC ARTIST, The Shakespeare Theatre, (Washington, DC) ARTIST/INSTRUCTOR POSITIONS, Studio in a School, Art Partnership Initiative, (New York City, NY) PATRON SERVICES ASSOCIATE, (Fundraising) New York City Opera, (New York City, NY) FLOOR SUPERVISOR, Visitor Services, Whitney Museum of American Art, (New York City, NY) ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR, Apollo's Fire, (Cleveland Hts, OH) OPERATIONS MANAGER/PRODUCTION MANAGER, Apollo's Fire, (Cleveland Hts, OH) EDUCATION ASSISTANT, New Victory Theater, (New York City, NY) PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSISTANT/COORDINATOR, Guggenheim Museum, (New York City, NY) PROGRAM ASSISTANT, Young Audiences/New York, (New York City, NY) EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, Young Audiences/New York, (New York City, NY) ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, (New York, NY) ADMINISTRATIVE/PROGRAM ASSISTANT, Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, (New York City, NY) BOX OFFICE MANAGER, Hamptons International Film Festival, (East Hampton, NY) DEVELOPMENT INTERNSHIP, The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, (New York City, NY) ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNSHIP, The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, (New York City, NY) MARKETING INTERNSHIP, The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, (New York City, NY) FILM FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS, 4th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival, (Provincetown, MA)
A growing list of links to job resources for artists and arts administrators is available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobres.html
ELSEWHERE ON THE NET"INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS MEAN MANY DIFFERENT THINGS TO ARTISTS. BUT AT BASE, IN THE SITUATION THAT EXISTS NOW WITH NO NATIONAL GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUALS, THESE GRANTS ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING A PROFESSION THAT IS RESPECTED, INCLUDED, RELIED UPON FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION TO CULTURE IN GENERAL, OR A PROFESSION THAT IS IN EFFECT VILIFIED," -- Paul SkiffNational Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowships for individual artists ended in the mid 90's. (except for writers and jazz musicians) For a future issue, Arts Wire CURRENT is asking for suggestions an how the arts community can better work with government to restore National government-funded fellowships for individual American artists. Some core ideas from responses received so far:
Further responses are invited, and a review article incorporating all responses will be published in Arts Wire Current in a few weeks. Send your responses, ideas, and creative solutions to Judy Malloy, Editor Arts Wire CURRENT at jmalloy@nyfa.org |
An Excite search engine for Arts Wire CURRENT is located at http://www.artswire.org/current/AT-Currentquery.html The engine allows anyone interested in arts news to find information in the Current archives as far back as 1995.
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