Exhibition Announcement: “Convergence: [email protected]”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW ORLEANS, LA - The Joan Mitchell Center is pleased to announce its participation in the Prospect.3 biennial as a P.3+ satellite site, hosting the exhibition “Convergence: JMC @ Prospect.3” at its Rampart Street studios. Curated by renowned artist, scholar and MacArthur Fellow Deborah Willis (Ph.D., New York University), the exhibition showcases the work of the inaugural ten participants of the Joan Mitchell Center’s new studio residency program for New Orleans-based artists:

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Works will be on view beginning October 25, 2014 at Joan Mitchell Center’s offsite studios, located at 1000 North Rampart Street. The exhibition opening will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2014, from 6pm to 9pm. The show will be open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays, 11am to 4pm, through January 25, 2015. The Joan Mitchell Center studios will be simultaneously acting as a Prospect.3 venue, with Prospect.3 biennial artists Firelei Báez (2010 Painters & Sculptors Grant Recipient), Los Jaichackers, Remy Jungerman, and Akosua Adoma Owusu showcased on the 2nd floor.

“Convergence: JMC @ Prospect.3” is the culminating event for the year-long pilot of the New Orleans Local Artist (“NOLA”) Studio Program, launched in November 2013. During this program, the artists received studio space, a stipend, and professional development support based upon their individual needs.

A distinguished curator, scholar and arts professional, Deborah Willis first participated in the NOLA Studio Program by providing professional development and critical feedback to the artists in a series of studio visits. Describing the artists’ work, Willis says, “Their content ranges from the notion of pleasure to politics, music, and new media, as well as the gendered body, memory, slavery, rebellion, land, and home. Abstraction is rooted in all of the works. As you will see in the exhibition, each of these artists successfully melds formal aesthetics and personal experiences with cultural production.”

Joan Mitchell Center Director Gia Hamilton adds: “Deborah Willis is able to draw these ten artists together with her seasoned eye and understanding of time-space-place relevance, and the concept of ‘Convergence’ embodies the values of the Joan Mitchell Center as a residency program in New Orleans.” The exhibition will have a companion catalog titled “Convergence”, featuring the artwork of the ten NOLA Studio Program artists, along with essays by writer Denise Frazier, former New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Miranda Lash, Deborah Willis and Joan Mitchell Center Program Associate Tara Foster. In her catalog essay, Willis connects the artists’ work to the idea of New Orleans as a catalyst: “The city is a roux: the rich, perfectly rendered foundation from which delicious results emerge.”

For more information on the Joan Mitchell Center, its New Orleans Local Artist Studio Program recipients and residency programs, please visit www.joanmitchellcenter.org.

ABOUT THE JOAN MITCHELL CENTER

The Joan Mitchell Center, an artist residency program, offers both time and space for artists to create work in a contemplative environment, as well as opportunities for visiting artists to engage with the local arts community and experience the rich cultural possibilities of New Orleans.

The Joan Mitchell Center is a program of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, which celebrates the legacy of the artist Joan Mitchell and expands her vision to support the aspirations and development of diverse contemporary artists. The Foundation works to broaden the recognition of artists and their essential contributions to communities and society. In turn, the Joan Mitchell Center’s mission is to support local, national, and international contemporary visual artists through residencies and professional development. The Center aspires to be a place for creation, innovation and transformation; supporting values of community, diversity and social equity; providing a forum for artists and a welcoming, inclusive gathering place for the arts and the broader community of New Orleans.

Contact:
Gia M. Hamilton
Director, Joan Mitchell Center
504.940.2500
[email protected]