ARTADIA, THE FUND FOR ART & DIALOGUE CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY WITH EXHIBITION CURATED BY GIANNI JETZER
September 13th -October 25th, 2014
The exhibition will feature several past winners of the nonprofit organization’s unrestricted Awards as part of its commitment to continuous support of artists throughout their careers.
The renowned organization Artadia: The Fund for Art & Dialogue celebrates 15 years of support for visual artists with a vibrant show presenting the work of 20 Artadia Awardees at Longhouse Projects in downtown Manhattan. The exhibition is curated by former Swiss Institute director Gianni Jetzer and includes artists from Artadia’s six US program cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco as well as Artadia NADA Awardees. While the artists work in a large thematic range, they all share a conciseness and singularity in their visions, making them exemplary voices in their communities.
Artist participants include: Jillian Conrad (Houston 2012), Meg Cranston (NADA Award 2013), Bill Davenport (Houston 2010), Cayetano Ferrer (Los Angeles 2013), Ryan Foerster (NADA Award 2013), Rachel Hecker (Houston 2006), Stanya Kahn (Los Angeles 2013), Robbie Land (Atlanta 2014), Stephen Lapthisophon (Chicago 2002), Margaret Lee (NADA Award 2012), Nicole Miller (Los Angeles 2013), Helen Mirra (Boston 2007), Ramekon O’Arwisters (San Francisco 2002), Eamon Ore-Giron (San Francisco 2001), Brion Nuda Rosch (San Francisco 2009), Vaughn Elaine Sills (Boston 2007), Deb Sokolow (Chicago 2012), Weston T Teruya (San Francisco 2009), Stephen Tourlentes (Boston 2007), Kerry Tribe (Los Angeles 2014)
The show is entered through Bill’s Junk, an extraordinary shop run by artist Bill Davenport; where all items on display are for sale. In the same DIY-spirit, a “Crochet Jam” workshop with the local community will be organized by Ramekon O’Arwisters.
Drawings by Stanya Kahn in the first gallery pair sexuality with humor, turning the dynamics of relationships into a cartoon. The works of Deb Sokolow and Rachel Hecker share a fascination for handwritten notes, with very different outcome. Meg Cranston combines found imagery with abstract forms, layering real signifiers and content in her canvases.
A projection space offers successively three different film works: a video by Kerry Tribe based on a live performance of a scene borrowed from a structural film, a multi-channel video installation by Nicole Miller which opens up a window on computer screen manipulations as if performed live, and a 16mm film installation by Robbie Land is based on a motion study of the Northern Hemisphere night sky, mirroring the universe.
Several artists such as Jillian Conrad, Stephen Lapthisophon, Margaret Lee, Eamon Ore-Giron and Brion Nuda Rosch make sculptures out of ephemeral or found materials, oscillating between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Artadia’s 15th Anniversary exhibition will expand into the nearby NYC Fire Museum. Weston T Teruya interviews exponents of the firefighting community (see information below) and recreates archival and everyday objects as a way of highlighting the community’s relationship to the city’s other residents. Black and white photographs by Vaughn Elaine Sills portray people through their gardens in Southern states. By contrast, Stephen Tourlentes documents prisons at night turning them into a phenomenon of light and shadow.
A few artists work directly in public space. Ryan Foerster’s newsprint poster installation will be found on the firewall behind the parking lot on the corner of Spring and Hudson Streets. Cayetano Ferrer will display an advertisement on Spring Street sourced from a brochure to address gambling addiction in Las Vegas. Helen Mirra will walk from one place to another in New York City most days during a three-week period, focused on developing the so called half-smile.
Artadia’s 15th Anniversary is a showcase of the vivacity of American contemporary art at the beginning of the 21st century. The exhibited artists are diverse in background, mediums in which they work and stages of their careers and share a dedication to practice and a level of excellence that demonstrates the best of what is being made in the country.
Events and workshops
“Crochet Jam” by Ramekon O’Arwisters
Saturday, September 13th, 5-8 pm
In conjunction with the opening reception. All participants welcome, please bring a piece of used or new fabric or clothing.
“Half smiler” by Helen Mirra
September 15th – October 3rd, 2014
Guided tour with Gianni Jetzer