OPEN CALL FOR HUDSON VALLEY ARTISTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXHIBITION THIS IS NOT AN ARCHIVE, ON VIEW AT THE CENTER FOR CURATORIAL STUDIES, BARD COLLEGE, FEBRUARY 6–20

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Three first-year graduate students at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College—Anna Gray, Mariangela Mendez, and Montserrat Albores—are seeking local artists to include in the exhibition they are curating, This is not an archive. The exhibition will open on Sunday, February 6, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., and remain on view through Sunday, February 20, at the Center for Curatorial Studies. Admission is free; the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Any artist (one who lives in, works in, or otherwise frequents the Hudson Valley) and who would like to be included in the exhibition should submit a self-representation of himself or herself as an artist in the form of a letter-size (8 ½ x 11”) file. The file may consist of (but is not limited to) documents that the artist considers important to have available to others: a portfolio, a single large file from which many smaller files can be extracted, a compressed file, an original work or reproduction, publications, videotapes, DVDs, etc. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2005.> Please contact the curators at [email protected] to receive the participation agreement and guidelines. This is not an archive is in the form of an archive, but only as a departure point in order to construct an exhibition space as a site for cultural exchange. The curators consider the artistic field to consist not only of works of art, but also of dialogue, self-representation, attitude, and decision in and around the making and distribution of artistic ideas. The exhibition is intended to make an active space for dialogue and interaction between artists, curators, and the audience. The curators note that the idea for this exhibition evolved from a meeting in the fall, when they reflected on the extensive list of names, and the growing pile of artist files, that were the results of a survey that their class began on artists who live, work, and come and go in the Hudson Valley area. The three of them discussed implications of learning about someone’s work through such a format, and considered the absence of originals and the value of reproductions, the position of the artist in relation to his/her file, the file as a body of records representing the continuing cultural contributions of an individual, the file as information compressed for efficient storage, the file as correspondence between artists and curators, and so on. Through sustained discussion, the plan for their first-year exhibition began. The collected artist files of This is not an archive will be installed in the gallery space of the CCS Museum according to a scheme derived from the participants’ geographical locations. Equipment to display material in the files will be provided (slide projector, DVD and VHS players, a computer with Internet access, sound equipment, etc). During the exhibition hours, at least one of the project curators will be available to review the collected material and speak with viewers, artists, and other guest curators. For further information about the exhibition and guidelines for submissions, e-mail [email protected]. For information about the Center for Curatorial Studies, call 845-758-7598, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.bard.edu/ccs. # About the Curators: Montserrat Albores Gleason (Mexico City, Mexico) Director/curator, OMR Gallery, Mexico City (2003– ); EP_Documenta 11, Education Project, Kassel Germany (2002); curator, Contemporary Projects Series, Rufino Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art, Mexico City (2001); founder/curator, Acceso A Gallery, Mexico City (1999–2000); B.A., National Institute of Fine Arts, School of Painting, Sculpture and Etching (ENPEG), La Esmeralda, Mexico, 2000 (Visual Arts). Anna Gray (New York, New York) Research and curatorial intern, New Museum (2003–); research assistant, Alexander Archipenko Foundation, Bearsville, New York (2002– ); curatorial intern, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2001–02). B.F.A., School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2001. Mariangela Mendez (Bogotá, Colombia) Visual arts adviser, Ministerio de Cultura, Bogotá (2002–04); cocurator, Santa Fe Gallery, Bogotá (1997–2000); plastic arts adviser for the City of Bogotá (1997–2000). B.A., Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, 1998 (Plastic Arts). # # # (12/23/04) ******************************************* Dear Artist Neighbor, We would like to invite you to participate in This is not an archive, an exhibition we are organizing as part of the first year graduate exhibitions at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College. The exhibition This is not an archive takes the form of an archive, but only as a departure point for constructing an exhibition space as a site for cultural exchange. We consider the artistic field to consist not only of works of art. It also involves cultural practices such as dialogues, self-representations, attitudes, and decisions in and around the making and distribution of artistic ideas. Our exhibition is intended to make an active space for dialogue and interaction between artists, curators, and audiences. The origin On October 13, a casual meeting occurred between three first-year graduate students at CCS. We noticed with interest the extensive list of names, and the growing pile of artist files, that were the results of a survey our class began on artists who live, work, and come and go in the Hudson Valley area. The three of us discussed implications of learning about someone’s work through such a format. We considered the absence of originals and the value of reproductions, the position of the artist in relation to his/her file, the file as a body of records representing the continuing cultural contributions of an individual, the file as information compressed for efficient storage, the file as correspondence between artists and curators, and so on. Our sustained discussion led us to this plan for our first-year exhibition. The process This is not an archive will be on view at the Center for Curatorial Studies from February 6 through February 20, 2005. The collected files will be installed in a gallery space according to a scheme derived from the participants’ geographical locations. Equipment to display material in the files will be provided (slide projector, DVD and VHS players, a computer with internet access, sound equipment, etc). During the exhibition hours, at least one of the project curators will be in the gallery space reviewing the collected material, and talking with viewers, artists, and other guest curators. You are welcome to come by and spend some time with us. At the close of the exhibition, you are welcome to collect your file. Or if you enclose a self-addressed posted envelope, we will return it to you by mail. Unclaimed files will be kept for further research. We will do our best to return the files in the same condition as submitted, but keep in mind that all material can be handled by gallery visitors. The paperwork Your participation in This is not an archive involves sending us, in a letter-size file (8½ “ x 11”), whatever you choose to represent yourself as an artistic practitioner. A signed copy of the enclosed agreement form should accompany your submission. The file may consist of (but is not limited to) documents that you consider important to have available to others, your portfolio, a single large file from which many smaller files can be extracted, a compressed file, an original work, or a reproduction, publications, videotapes, DVDs, etc. Please do not send original works of art that do not conform to the format of the file. The timeline of our project necessitates that we have all material by February 1, 2005. And last but not least, please send your file addressed to This is not an archive. Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. 12504-5000. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns regarding this exhibition. We look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Montserrat Albores, Anna Gray and Mariangela Mendez, First-year graduate students Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College ******************************************************** This is not an archive Agreement Form This is not an archive Agreement form Name:____________________________________________________________ In which town do you live?_______________________________________ What is your relation to the Hudson Valley?_____________________ _________________________________________________________________ How long have you been related to the Hudson Valley?_____________ _________________________________________________________________ Where are you originally from?___________________________________ Please describe your artistic practice (feel free to attach more pages):__________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Would you like your material returned? 1. _____ Yes, I have included a self addressed and postage paid envelope 2. _____ Yes, I will come on the closing day to pick up my file 3. _____ No, I am leaving it for the curators as part of the documentation of the exhibition Would you like to come to the exhibition space to have an informal dialogue with us (the curators) between 1-5pm Thursday through Sunday? 1. _____ Yes 2. _____ No And last but not least, please send your file addressed to This is not an archive. Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. 12504-5000. I have read and accept the conditions outlined in the invitation letter, and would like to participate in the exhibition This is not an archive. ________________________________________________________________ Signature date ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact information: Name:____________________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ Telephone: ___________________________ E-mail: ___________________

This event was last updated on 01-12-2005

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