|
PRESS RELEASE | ARTS INTERNATIONAL NEXT GENERATION OF PERFORMING ARTISTS TO RECEIVE MAJOR SUPPORT THROUGH NEW DNA PROJECT Contact: Esther McGowan,
email: development@artsinternational.org
THE DNA PROJECT 2002 GRANT RECIPIENTS
Dance: Sarah Michelson, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Tere O'Connor Dance
New York, NY (October 24, 2002)- The DNA Project, a new grant program managed by
Arts International with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has announced its grantee roster of nine up-and-coming dance, music and theater artists. Created to introduce an exciting generation of young and innovative U.S. performing artists to the world's stages, The DNA Project will award each company $75,000. Chosen from a highly selective nationwide pool of 184 nominees recommended by renowned national and international artists and arts professionals, the grantees represent a panorama of styles and genres. From the provocative dance of Sarah Michelson to the avant-garde jazz fusion of Burnt Sugar to the boundary-pushing theater of Big Art Group, these artists are redefining the U.S. performing arts landscape.
The DNA Project recognizes the country's most talented new artists and supports their growth. The Project was created to address the highly specific needs faced by each of these emerging artists as they enter the international marketplace. As part of their DNA participation, the selected artists and companies will have access to a range of services and support, which may include management, marketing, international booking, commissioning, and fee subsidy.
"We are extremely pleased to be able to bring these exciting artists into the international arena, " says Arts International's Director, Noreen Tomassi. "The work that U.S. artists are making continues to be groundbreaking, and we want the world to experience it. Since we may never hope to have government support for the arts on par with countries such as Great Britain and France, a program like The DNA Project is all the more important, and we applaud the Mellon Foundation for its vision in supporting it."
The esteemed international panelists selecting this year's awards were:
Bill Bragin, Director, Joe's Pub, The Public Theater, New York
Arts International is the only U.S. nonprofit organization solely devoted to the development and support of global arts interchange and to educating the public about the richness and diversity of the arts worldwide. Since it's inception in 1981, Arts International has supported artists from all disciplines - dance and theater to music and visual arts - working in 35 countries. Arts International's wide-range of activities includes developing and presenting new work, making direct grants to artists and organizations, publishing, and facilitating access to information and technological resources. Arts International's programs include: The Fund for US. Artists at International Festivals & Exhibitions, The California Presenters Initiative, Women's Voices: Africa, The Fund for Croatian Arts and Cultural Exchange, The Artists' Exploration Fund, and The Americas and Mediterranean Basin Projects. Arts International also produces the performance series Global Salon New York and World New Media Blender, as well as publishing the quarterly magazine AI: Performance for the Planet.
Digital images of all DNA Project grantees are available. Please call Esther McGowan at (212) 674-9744, Ext. 218 or email
development@artsinternational.org.
|