ATLANTA – The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) announces two new contemporary art exhibitions that will run from August 11 through October 27, 2012. There will be an opening reception for both exhibitions on Friday, August 10, from 6:30 – 8:30pm. Admission is free to members and military with ID, $5 for non-members, and $1 for students.
EXHIBITION SUMMARIES
Gallery II – “Atlanta Printmakers Studio: Emerging Artist Residency.” The Atlanta Printmakers Studio (APS) artist residency program, started in 2009 has awarded residencies to 10 emerging printmakers. The following alumni of their Emerging Artist Residency program have been selected to present work in this exhibition: Jessica Caldas, Hannah Skoonberg, Whitney Stansell, and Cynthia Thompson. For more information on APS and the Emerging Artist Residency, visit their website at www.atlantaprintmakers.org. Kathy Garrou, Executive Director of APS, says of the residency program: “It isn’t easy to begin a career as a printmaker without the resources of a well-equipped studio. Providing the means for these artists to develop and nurture their careers has been very gratifying for Atlanta Printmakers Studio and has expanded our services to the arts community.”
Gallery III – “2010-2011 Working Artist Project (WAP) Studio Assistants.” As part of the Working Artist Project, MOCA GA helps with the selection of and pays for studio assistants – usually younger artists – to work alongside the more established artist winners. They assist the winning artists and in turn receive valuable mentoring. The following 2010-2011 studio assistants are being honored with an exhibition at MOCA GA: Stephen Calsbeek (assistant to Micah Stansell); Luis Sierra (assistant to Xie Caomin); and Karen Cleveland (assistant to Katherine Mitchell). Stephen is a photographer; Luis is presenting a mixed media piece, and Karen is doing an installation. MOCA GA’s Director Annette Cone-Skelton notes that “the mentoring of the studio assistants is a very important component of the Working Artist Project concept. We are pleased to introduce these young artists to the Atlanta arts community and to encourage their increased involvement in that community.”
ABOUT THE ATLANTA PRINTMAKERS STUDIO EMERGING ARTIST RESIDENCY
APS introduced its Emerging Artist Residency program in 2009 as a natural extension of its goal to support printmakers. The program provides the resources necessary for emerging artists to complete a printmaking project of their proposal. Artists are chosen for their dedication to and interest in the exploration of the art of printmaking as well as their commitment to making a career as an artist. Included in the residency is a materials stipend, 24/7 access to the printmaking studio for up to six months, a free class and 4 hours of mentoring by a seasoned professional artist. Each artist is expected to produce a body of work worthy of exhibition. At the conclusion of the residency the artists give a public lecture/demonstration and donate 1/3 of the resulting edition to APS for its archives and for its benefit.
ABOUT THE MOCA GA WORKING ARTIST PROJECT
The Working Artist Project (WAP) is an award program that was developed by MOCA GA and is funded by a major grant from The Charles Loridans Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Project is designed to support established visual artists of merit who reside in the Atlanta metropolitan area. This initiative provides an unparalleled level of support for individual artists, expands MOCA GA’s mission, and promotes Atlanta as a city where artists can live, work and thrive. For each year of funding, MOCA GA invites an outside curator to select three visual artists to receive the award. Among Atlanta’s best and brightest, these artists are supported with an exhibition, promotion, a studio assistant and a major monetary stipend to facilitate their work over the course of the year.
ABOUT MOCA GA
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) collects and archives significant contemporary works by artists in the state of Georgia. To place its artists in a broader context, MOCA GA’s exhibitions also include artists from around the world. MOCA GA’s programs promote the visual arts by creating a forum for active interchange between artists and the community. MOCA GA is located at 75 Bennett Street in the TULA Art Center. Admission is free to members and military with ID, $5 for non-members and $1 for students. Admission is free on the First Thursday of each month.
For more information, please call 404-367-8700, visit www.mocaga.org or email [email protected]. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday.