Submission Guidelines for 2010 River City Biennale

Contact: Ann Resnick or Elizabeth Stevenson

Telephone: (316) 265-7137

E-mail: rivercitybiennale@cox.net

Website: http://www.rivercitybiennale.com

Blog: http://www.biennale2008.wordpress.com

River City Biennale is an art exhibit and cultural event with the goal of bringing serious attention to artists in Wichita, Kansas. We hope to bring the best and most critically viable contemporary art being created in Wichita to a national audience of critics, curators, gallery and museum professionals and collectors.

Opening in the spring of 2010, RCB hopes that the Biennale will increase the opportunities for Wichita artists to be included in major regional, national, and international exhibitions. RCB will host exhibits in several venues and will include panel discussions and distinguished speakers on topics related to contemporary art. This is a concerted effort to connect what’s going on here with what’s going on elsewhere and to continue the dialogue begun in 2008 with regional curators and critics.

River City  Biennale invites all professional artists, working or residing in the City of Wichita (no students, please), to submit images to be considered for the 2010 exhibit. To ensure the best possible and most professional presentation, RCB is a curated exhibition. This year’s curator, Hesse McGraw, curator at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, NE will initially review artists’ works via cd (images may be posted on RCB blog, too), then make studio visits in Wichita for a final selection. He will work with the selected artists to consider the sites available and the possibility of creating work that responds specifically to the exhibition spaces.

Submission guidelines and deadlines for the 2010 River City Biennale:

Please send or deliver to Project by August 15, 2009

• CD–up to 10 images of current work. Images should be approximately 600 x 900 pixels with a resolution of 300 pixels/inch

• Include image index with title of work, media, size and date completed in pdf format

• Include current resume/CV. Collaborative teams must submit individual   resumes/CV in pdf format

• Brief artist’s statement (no more than 250 words) in pdf format

• DVD (limit 10 minutes of material)

• For Web-based projects, please include URL address

Please label CD/DVD with your name, Emil address, other contact info (cell phone #, website address, etc.) Submitted materials will not be returned.

Project

1712 E. Douglas Ave.

Wichita, KS  67214

Artists selected for studio visits will be notified via e-mail in late-September. Please check the River City Blog  http://biennale2008.wordpress.com/ for updates and current information.

In the Spring of 2010, the latest version of the River City Biennale will take place in several venues in Wichita. We’re excited to make this exhibit happen and we’d like the entire city of Wichita to be as excited as we are! We thought we might reach out to all of you with a little note that explains who we are, what our mission is and lay to rest any fears you might have of unfairness or political favoritism.

First of all, we, Elizabeth Stevenson and Ann Resnick, are the organizers. We will not be participating at any other level although our spaces, Fisch Haus and Project will certainly be two of  several hosts for the exhibit. Most of you know who we are through our long association with the art community of Wichita. For those of you who don’t, suffice it to say, we are the same as you–artists who want to live in a vibrant community with all kinds of art represented in our city. We happen to feel that there are very few venues in our region devoted to contemporary art.  RCB is an effort to redress that shortcoming.

RCB  is an artist-run initiative and so, necessarily, run on a shoestring with not much more than optimism as its fuel. We hope that these efforts will be looked upon favorably, with an understanding that our intentions are to do something that benefits all artists in Wichita. We may disagree on strategies because we are a diverse group of people with wide-ranging points of view. We have in common, however, an abiding passion for art and a major interest in seeing our community thrive.

In the past, a Salon des Refuse was organized in response to the RCB exhibit–we welcome this kind of dialogue. We understand that RCB is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but like most singular events, cooperation and collaboration are key elements to success. We sincerely hope that you will join our effort in some way, if not as participating artists, than as enthusiastic viewers, and even volunteers.

We will post updates about RCB and links to other projects in other places that will hopefully, fuel your own optimism about what can happen when artistic communities come together to make things happen.

Check the RCB blog often!  http://www.biennale2008.wordpress.com

Please pass this note and other RCB info on to artists whom you think will be interested and are not covered in our list. Thanks!

We are pleased to announce the curator for Wichita’s 2010 River City Biennale is Hesse McGraw.

Hesse McGraw is a curator, writer and artist working as curator at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the founding director and curator of Paragraph, a contemporary art gallery operating under the non-profit Urban Culture Project in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He is the former assistant director of Max Protetch gallery in New York, City and former senior editor of Review, a Kansas City-based visual culture magazine. He has served as a lecturer in the Interdisciplinary department of the Kansas City Art Institute and frequently serves as a guest lecturer, critic and juror for fine art and architecture schools and organizations throughout the US.

Alongside producing two dozens exhibits and projects over three years at Paragraph, he has curated exhibitions for FLEX Self Storage (Topeka, Kansas), The New Genres Festival (Tulsa), The Stray Show (Chicago), Guild and Greyshkul (NYC), -scopeMiami, RARE (NYC), Rocket gallery (London) and White Flag Projects (St. Louis). He regularly contributes to publications including Art Papers, Dots & Quotes, Empty magazine, The Kansas City Star, RES, Review, Tank, and Ten by Ten. He has written exhibition essays for artists including Ryoji Ikeda, Tobias Wong, Steve Mumford, Eric von Robertson and many others.

Organized by gallery directors Ann Resnick (Project) and Elizabeth Stevenson (Fisch Haus), the 2nd River City Biennale is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010. The River City Biennale seeks to shift perceptions; locally, regionally and nationally, about art and artists in Wichita. Hesse McGraw has been asked to curate an exhibit that challenges notions of complacency in our region and to place the art of Wichita in a broader context–one that connects what’s going on here with what’s going on nationally, and even internationally, in the contemporary art world.

More information on RCB deadlines and how to submit images and proposals will be addressed in subsequent press releases.

Marcelyn McNeil
Iron Oxide, 2007
Oil on Panel
59″ x 60″

Marcelyn McNeil
The Righting, 2008
Oil on Two Panels, Cloud Images
46″ x 60″

Levente Sulyok
Under Construction, 2008
Pen and Watercolor on paper
22″ x 22″

Levente Sulyok
Detour, 2008
Acrylic on Canvas
84″ x 72″ diptych

Elizabeth Stevenson
Construction Drawings, 2008
Digital plots on Vellum
34″ x 44″ each

Elizabeth Stevenson
Mapmaking Device, 2008
Mixed Media
20″ x 20″ x 46″

Elizabeth Stevenson
Maps, 2008
Raku Clay, Steel, Construction Fencing
14 1/2″ x 17 1/2″ each

Elizabeth Stevenson
Activator Dispenser, 2007
Mixed Media
18″ x 18″ x 60″

The Bridge Club
Front Window, 2008
installation
dimensions variable

Levente Sulyok

Under Pressure, 2008
Pen and Watercolor on Paper
30″ x 22″

Undisclosed Location, 2008
Acrylic on Canvas
60″ x 48″

The Tension of the bow, the duty of the arrow, and the goal to aim at, 2008
acrylic on canvas
35″ x 39″

Kevin Mullins
Bones, 2007
Filigree #2, 2008
Filigree #1, 2007
Mixed Media/Screenprint on Sintra
23″ x 96″

Ted Adler
Poesis, 2008
Ceramic, MDF, Latex
7′ dia.

Ann Resnick
left, Commemoration, right, Adieu

Adieu, 2008
365 Screenprinted and Cut Paper Zinnias, blacklight, electric fans
Dimensions variable (this image, 12′ x 12′)

The Bridge Club
Front Window, 2008
Stills from Video

Ted Adler
No Title (Vessel), 2007
Ceramic
12″ x 9″ x 8″

No Title (Vase), 2007
Ceramic
14″ x 9″ x 9″

No Title (Vase), 2007
Ceramic
10″ x 8″ x 8″

foreground: Marcelyn McNeil, background: Ann Resnick

Marcelyn McNeil
Planning for the Minotaur’s Escape, 2008
Oil on Wood, Vinyl, Cloud Formations
96″ x 120″

Ann Resnick
Prayer for a Happy Death, 2008
Burnt Paper
72″ x 36″

Marcelyn McNeil
Jewel, The Unraveling of Embellishment, 2008
Oil on Panel
48″ x 61″

Ted Adler
Threshold, 2008
Ceramic, Glazed and Painted
Dimensions variable

River City Biennale FAQ

What’s the difference between a biennial, a bi-annual and a biennale?

A biennial is something that happens every two years, a bi-annual happens twice a year, and a biennale is something that also happens every two years, but “biennale” is most often used to describe a biennial art exhibition.

Where does the concept of a biennale come from?

For an in-depth description, please refer to the Wikipedia definition, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennale

How did the 2008 River City Biennale get started?

In September of 2006, a group of Wichita artists, frustrated with the art world’s perceived indifference to middle America, met informally, and came up with the idea based on their desire to elevate Wichita to the national stage. They felt that the notion of a solely bi-coastal contemporary American art scene was becoming more and more obsolete, and that Wichita’s art community was worthy of national recognition. Furthermore, artists of note generally leave Wichita in order to pursue careers on the coasts, and this cultural loss could potentially weaken our community. The City of Wichita is currently spending a great deal of time, energy and tax dollars on revitalizing our downtown, becoming a tourist destination, and providing incentives for large companies to move here, and “brain drain” is one of the primary factors in any failure to attain these goals. There was, at that time, little institutional support for Wichita artists, and the organizers felt that they could fill this void with a large-scale event such as a biennale. Initially, the organizers had intended to begin this process by forming a granting foundation that would, in a similar manner to the Charlotte Street Foundation in Kansas City (http://www.charlottestreet.org/), offer Wichita artists unrestricted merit-based grants, as a means of both keeping our artists here, luring them back after an extended absence, and drawing new artists to our community. The winners of the Charlotte Street Foundation grants are awarded, along with their grant money, a large exhibition in a prestigious Kansas City institution, and the River City Biennale organizers wondered if it might be possible to do the same thing in Wichita. Museums were contacted, directors expressed interest, and the idea slowly evolved. However, these things can take a long time, and be fraught with bureaucratic peril, so the RCB finally decided to begin the process themselves. Thus, the River City Biennale was conceived, as an initial event to build enthusiasm and support for art in Wichita, as well as to fundraise for the S.U.R. (Studios Under Review) Prize Foundation.

What’s the difference between a curated and juried exhibition?

A juried art exhibition is one where the artwork is evaluated solely on the basis of merit, while work in a curated exhibition is chosen, by a curator, to reflect his/her vision—merit is a factor, but works of similar merit may not be chosen for exhibition, if the curator does not believe that they work well together. The curator for ‘Center to Edge: 2008’ is Stacy Switzer, the artistic director of Grand Arts in Kansas City.

How and why was the curator chosen?

It was the intention of the RCB organizers that this event bring regional and national acclaim to our community, and offer local artists a means to develop their careers outside of our community, so the curator had to be someone with both a positive regional and national reputation, as well as valuable connections. Several curators were considered; one other was actually invited, but declined the invitation because of prior commitments. Ms. Switzer was invited after the exhibition planners reached a consensus. Grand Arts, in particular, has exhibited a wide range of work, not often found in Wichita’s galleries and museums, and the organizers felt that Ms. Switzer would bring a new, and hopefully stimulating, perspective to Wichita.

What was the process to choose the RCB artists?

The sole criteria for participation was that the artist had to be from Wichita, as this event was conceived as a way of specifically bringing recognition to the Wichita art community. Initially, there was a call for nominations, in March of 2007; emailed to Wichita art professionals (museum directors, artists, gallery owners, etc.), and then a wider call was posted in the newspaper and via various art lists. The nominees were notified of their nomination by email in May, given an identifying administrative number and invited to post up to 5 images on a blog, maintaining anonymity by using only their number. A google group was set up as well, to offer assistance or advice to those artists that were not comfortable with computers, or had trouble with the upload feature on the blog. Nominees were also encouraged to contact the site administrators, to whom they could email their images and request that the administrators post them instead. There was a set deadline of July 15th, for image uploading. Once the deadline had passed, the curator went through the images and chose artists, solely by identifying number, for further correspondence and a possible eventual studio visit. These artists were consequently notified by email and studio visits were arranged. Ms. Switzer then contacted these artists individually and initiated a dialogue. Some of the artists were not currently living in Wichita (traveling or working temporarily elsewhere), so those studio visits were conducted via the internet. Eventually, the original 56 artists were distilled down to 9, and then the final 7.

Why were four of the artists also the owners of the spaces in which the biennale was exhibited?

This was purely coincidental, as the initial selection process was anonymous. The event organizers and art space owners had no input in the curator’s evaluation criteria, or her final decision. Ms. Switzer is a professional, and much respected in her field.

If any of the work does get sold, where does the commission go?

The artists will get 60% of the sale, and the other 40% will go to the S.U.R. Prize Foundation. The curator and guest critics were given stipends to cover their costs, as were the live musicians and catering staff, but other than that, all other organizing work was done on a volunteer basis.

How was the money raised for the 2008 River City Biennale? How will the money be raised for the S.U.R. Prize?

The event organizers fundraised themselves, writing grants and soliciting corporations and local foundations, as well as individuals and companies that have a history of supporting the arts in Wichita. This was a solely artist-organized, artist-funded initiative. It is anticipated that the S.U.R. Prize Foundation will be funded in the same manner, but naming rights are available, should a local art-friendly business want to donate the funds. Initially, three $1000 grants are scheduled, with yearly increases as the foundation becomes self-sustainable.

What is a ‘Salon des Refuses’, and who organized that?

Wikipedia also has a good definition for this, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_des_refuses. The Salon was organized by a separate group of Wichita artists.

Stacy Switzer giving Curator’s talk on opening night: