Join us as we celebrate the 2010 The Idea Fund grantees at a special public reception and presentation of the grantees’ projects on January 27, 2010, 6-9pm at Diverseworks.
2010 THE IDEA FUND GRANTEES
Bill Davenport
Victor Payan and Sandra “Pocha” Peña
Wura-Natasha Ogunji
Erin Elder, Nina Elder and Nancy Zastudil
Brett Koshkin
DumpTruck
Mick Johnson
Sketch Klubb
Potter-Belmar Labs
Monica Henderson
The Idea Fund is an innovative re-granting program for Texas-based artists, administered through Aurora Picture Show, DiverseWorks Artspace and Project Row Houses, and funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
The awardees were selected by three esteemed panelists: Franklin Sirmans, curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Courtney Fink, executive director of Southern Exposure, San Francisco; and Ron Berry, founder and artistic director of the Fusebox Festival in Austin.
The Idea Fund, a re-granting program administered through Aurora Picture Show, DiverseWorks Artspace and Project Row Houses, and funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, announces the 2010 The Idea Fund Grantees. The following ten Texas-based artists or artist groups will receive $4,000 ($3,500 for the awarded project, plus $500 seed money for future work) to create and showcase projects in the coming year: Bill Davenport; Rudos y Tecnicos (Victor Payan and Sandra “Pocha” Peña); Wura-Natasha Ogunji; PLAND (Erin Elder, Nina Elder and Nancy Zastudil); Brett Koshkin; DumpTruck (Cory Wagner and Mat Wolff); Mick Johnson; Sketch Klubb (Seth Alverson, Rene Cruz, Russell Etchen, Sebastian Forray, Lane Hagood, Michael Harwell, Cody Ledvina, Nick Meriwether, Eric Pearce, Patrick Phipps, J. Michael Stovall, David Wang); Potter-Belmar Labs (Leslie Raymond and Jason Jay Stevens) and Monica Henderson. Full descriptions of the funded projects are listed below.
Of the more than 160 applications submitted to The Idea Fund from across Texas, these ten were selected by The Idea Fund Panelists as projects that most exemplify artistic practices that fall outside the traditional frameworks of support, one of the main requirements of the grant. This year’s panelists were Ron Berry (Artistic Director, Refraction Arts and Founder Fusebox Festival, Austin, Texas), Courtney Fink (Executive Director, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA) and Franklin Sirmans (Contemporary Art Curator, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA).
The Idea Fund is the second re-granting initiative of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, following the pilot program, Alternative Exposure, administrated by Southern Exposure in San Francisco, CA. The Idea Fund is structured to provide artists with quick access to substantial financial support for projects that might not otherwise have access to funding.
“This year’s grantees represent a diverse cross section of mediums, ideas and approaches to unconventional art practices; they once again showcase the diverse and talented pool of artists in Texas,” said Diane Barber, Co-Executive Director of DiverseWorks Artspace. “Aurora Picture Show, DiverseWorks, and Project Row Houses recognize the impact that projects of this nature have on the state’s arts ecology and are confident that the range and ingenuity represented in these ten projects will help to make 2010 a year of firsts for Texas.”
2010 The Idea Fund Grantees and their Projects:
Bill Davenport: Bill’s Junk: A store where art, craft, nature and salvage are reconciled under the umbrella of commerce. (Houston)
Victor Payan and Sandra “Pocha” Peña: Rudos y Tecnicos: “Rudos y Tecnicos” incorporates a subversive “by any memes necessary” approach to guerrilla art interventions that explores latent historical and cultural conflict zones, while providing catharsis, participation and humor. (San Antonio)
Wura-Natasha Ogunji: one hundred black women, one hundred actions: ‘one hundred black women, one hundred actions’ is a performance of critical actions, gestures and movements from 100 black women around the world. (Austin)
Erin Elder, Nina Elder and Nancy Zastudil: PLAND (Practice Liberating Art through Necessary Dislocation): PLAND is an off-the-grid program that supports the development of experimental and research-based projects in the context of the Taos mesa. Houston is the host city because of its investment in sustainable building practices and alternative architecture, as well as its connection to radical, experimental, participant-based projects. (Houston)
Brett Koshkin: The Bayou City Soul Project: The Bayou City Soul Project will tell the story of Houston soul music. The scope of the project will include an audio documentary that includes oral first person narratives, sound clips and a historical narration. (Houston)
DumpTruck (Cory Wagner and Mat Wolff): How to make art in Texas and The Waiting Room: A collaborative video project comprised of interviews and performances featuring artists, curators, collectors, educators and other members of the Texas art community. Within the structure of the interview series, DumpTruck will present short video and/or documented performance works titled The Waiting Room. (Houston)
Mick Johnson: (v) = variable:(v) = variable addresses the re-use of existing architectural structures as temporary exhibition spaces. It intends to bring the collaborative effort of curator, artist and community closer together. (Houston)
Sketch Klubb (Seth Alverson, Rene Cruz, Russell Etchen, Sebastian Forray, Lane Hagood, Michael Harwell, Cody Ledvina, Nick Meriwether, Eric Pearce, Patrick Phipps, J. Michael Stovall, David Wang): Nerd Garage Sale: Sketch Klubb intends to publish a third book and celebrate the publication with an event called the Nerd Garage Sale which will take place in a public venue. Sketch Klubb intend to encourage drawing and other creative acts at some of the booths in the Nerd Garage Sale to facilitate a dialogue within the community. (Houston)
Potter-Belmar Labs (Leslie Raymond and Jason Jay Stevens): Panorama Marfa:As part of a larger body of work reinterpreting the traditional panorama and cyclorama forms, this multiple-screen, live cinema performance in Marfa will include video shot in the West Texas landscape along with an original score. (San Antonio)
Monica Henderson: Festival of African American Film: Film screenings of and discussions about works of little-known directors of color who celebrate life via honest, insightful, non-typical views of the struggles and accomplishments of people of color. (Houston)
For more details, please visit www.theideafund.org or contact Tracey Morton at [email protected] or 713-223-8346.