Bronx, NY.- For three decades, the Bronx Museum of the Arts’ Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) program has helped to demystify the often opaque professional practices of the art world for artists at the beginning of their careers and has introduced the work of these emerging artists to the public. On view June 26, the Bronx Museum will open two exhibitions to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this ground-breaking program, “Taking AIM” and “Bronx Calling: The First AIM Biennial”. Both exhibitions will remain on view through September 5th. “Bronx Calling: The First AIM Biennial” will consist of a joint exhibition at the Bronx Museum and Wave Hill, the two largest institutions in the Bronx dedicated to showcasing the work of local emerging artists.
Curated by Wayne Northcross and Jose Ruiz, the exhibition will feature sculptures, works on paper, video installations, photographs, and other works by the 72 participants in the 2011 AIM program. All AIM artists currently live in the New York area and were born in the U.S., as well as countries around the world, including South Korea, Ecuador, Brazil, and Trinidad.
“AIM was launched 30 years ago to give participants in the program real-world experience on how to survive as a professional artist, the type of training you don’t get in art school,” said Bronx Museum Director Holly Block. “The idea behind AIM is to empower artists, asking them what they want to learn about the profession, helping them network and build a sense of community, and exposing their work to new audiences. We believe that artists play a critical role in exploring the issues and ideas of our time and supporting emerging artists is part of the core mission of the Bronx Museum.” AIM is structured as a “collaborative residency” in which participants work directly with established artists, collectors, art critics, curators, dealers, lawyers, and other art world professionals. AIM sessions provide information, instruction, and professional guidance by addressing areas of practical concern to artists, among them curatorial practice, copyright law, exhibition and public art opportunities, gallery representation, grant writing, income taxes, and marketing. The 13-week seminar is offered annually in two sessions, each with 36 artists, and culminating with an exhibition of the participants’ work. Among past participants in the AIM program are Glenn Ligon—who was one of the early AIM artists and whose work was first exhibited at the Bronx Museum—and Polly Apfelbaum, Rina Banerjee, Amy Cutler, Anton Vidokle, and Pheobe Washburn. In 2010, Christian Viveros-Faune was selected as the first Art Critic in Residence for the AIM program.
In 2009, an International Artist Residency was added to the AIM program. In the last two years, eight international artists have participated in the AIM sessions, including Raymond Romero (Venezuela, 2008), Andre Komatsu (Brazil, 2009), Billie Zangewa (South Africa, 2009), Dulce Gomez (Venezuela, 2009), Magdi Mostafa and Mahmud Kahled (Egypt, 2010), and Samba Seydi and Ibrahima Niang (Senegal, 2011).
The flagship cultural institution of the Bronx, founded in 1971, The Bronx Museum of the Arts focuses on 20th-century and contemporary art, while serving the culturally diverse populations of the Bronx and the greater New York metropolitan area. The museum’s home on the Grand Concourse is a distinctive contemporary landmark designed by the internationally-renowned firm Arquitectonica. The Bronx Museum of the Arts maintains a permanent collection of 20th and 21st-century works by artists of African, Asian, and Latin American ancestry. Additionally, the Museum collects works by artists for whom the Bronx has been critical to their artistic practice and development. The Museum’s educational offerings spring from these central programs with outreach to children and families as well as adult audiences. In its first decade, The Bronx Museum of the Arts was housed in the public rotunda of the Bronx County Courthouse located on Grand Concourse and 161st Street. In 1982, it moved five blocks north on the Concourse to 165th street into a former synagogue purchased and donated by the City of New York.As part of the Museum’s initiative to expand the scope of its youth and family programs, it began an ambitious capital project to enhance its facility.
In February 2004, The Museum began construction on a 16,000 sq. ft. building to the north of the existing facility. Its design by the Miami-based firm Arquitectonica was awarded the “Excellence in Design” prize by The Art Commission of the City of New York in 2003. The $19 million space opened in October 2006 and features a major gallery, flexible events / program spaces, an outdoor terrace, and an entire floor dedicated to education programs and classrooms. Plans are underway to build a second structure on the existing site along with a moderate-income residential co-op tower (approximately 189 units). With this new expanded facility, it is the Museum’s hope to serve as a cultural leader in the South Bronx and as a catalyst for economic development within the surrounding communities. Visit the museum’s website at … www.bronxmuseum.org.
Often described as one of the greatest living works of art, Wave Hill is a public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades in the northwest Bronx. Its mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscapes, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural work through program in horticulture, education and the arts. Its exhibition space, Glyndor Gallery, under the direction of Director of Arts and Senior Curator Jennifer McGregor, offers installations of contemporary art inspired by nature. Visit the gardens’ website at … http://www.wavehill.org
