What a great tale. He was a Widener! My goodness. And that huge parcel of Cap Hill he bought, isn't that the parcel Barney Ebsworth bought for his now-defunct Tadao Ando chapel project?
When two of the principals of this outfit came to Form/Space Atelier in October of 2012, they said they were new to the art business. I had a talk with them about various local selecting bodies and suggested they give the money to Artist Trust. Apparently they took my advice. Which probably was what everyone else was telling them. They also bought art from the gallery, which endeared them to me.
Yay for grants but half of the money goes for admin and the Frye for staging the shows? 15K x 2 x5 = $300K + 50K x 5 + 250K = $ 550K. That leaves 550K to host 2 exhibits and pay someone to give away the money.
@5: You're right, half the money does go for admin. and staging the shows, which somehow seems wrong. The way I read the press release and Jen's article, there will be numerous shows at the Frye by all the awardees, spread out over 5 years. That's a lot of shows and a seemingly a huge commitment of resources on the Museum's part. I wouldn't be surprised if the Frye had to match the amount they're receiving just to "break even" on the whole endeavor. Do you know how much museum exhibitions cost, even small-scale ones? Maybe someone from the Frye will chime in on this to give us their perspective. It's hard to ignore the 'value' they may bring to the artists through this project but they need dough for paying their staff, turning over their spaces, handling advertising, hosting openings and other events, and what sounds like the potential of producing some catalogs. The amount you quote seems like a pittance for all that spread out over 5 years. Not to mention all the costs Artist Trust must have to administer the grants.
I used to work at a museum and this seems pretty "pro-artist" all around. Congrats to Artist Trust, the Frye, and WA artists, and kudos to Raynier for identifying and supporting this kind of need.
This is total bullshit, and makes your article pointless. Fuck this, and fuck all "Arts Organizations".
I used to work at a museum and this seems pretty "pro-artist" all around. Congrats to Artist Trust, the Frye, and WA artists, and kudos to Raynier for identifying and supporting this kind of need.