Spread Art

Spread Art opening new 4000 sq ft creative center in Detroit

 

104 Meserole St. -- Spread Art Brooklyn.
Jan 2008 to July 2012

After 4 and ½ years of successful exhibitions, events, workshops, and residencies, Spread Art has wrapped up activities at 104 Meserole Street in Brooklyn as of July 1st 2012.  It has been an amazing time with many wonderful memories and we would like to thank all of the artists who were a part of Spread Art’s events, exhibitions and residencies during our time in Brooklyn.  As one door closes however,  another is opening and in a big way.  Spread Art has moved its headquarters to Detroit and has taken on a much larger physical space. This transition enables Spread Art to continue working in collaboration with artists and spaces throughout Brooklyn and New York City, while also expanding operations and activities in Detroit.

 

Spread Art Detroit - 2572 Michigan Ave
-- July 2012

In January 2012, Spread Art laid down roots in Detroit’s creative Southwest district and now occupies a new 4000 sq ft creative space available for residencies, workshops, classes, events, performances and exhibitions. The new Spread Art location is housed in a 3- story turn of the century storefront space on Michigan Ave and 18th St in the historic Corktown neighborhood, minutes from downtown and two blocks away from the renowned Michigan Central Station.

Co-Directors, Thomas Bell and Christina deRoos are hard at work getting the new space set up and ready for use.  The ground floor offers an 900 sq ft light filled multi-use space space with a full wall of mirrors that is perfect for dance, yoga and other social gatherings. In addition to 20 ft ceilings the ground floor storefront offers two rather large window installations that will certainly be changing often.  The downstairs space is comprised of a 1600 sq ft gallery and performance space with an 18ft bar, projector and sound system, a 350 sq ft residency room,  750 sq ft of studio space, a bathroom, washer and dryer and the Spread Art offices.

Over the next few weeks we will be announcing our residency opportunities beginning in the  fall of 2012, updating our website and posting information about new partnerships that are developing with organizations in Detroit.

The former Spread Art location at 104 Meserole is in the exceptionally creative and capable hands of Esther Neff and Brian McCorkle of Panoply Performance Laboratory, and Valerie Kuehne of SuperCoda.  Esther, Brian and Valerie were the final three Spread Art ‘Artists-In-Residence’ at the 104 Meserole St location in Brooklyn (May - June 2012). 

Compendium: Technics
is a public micro-conference with performances taking place over the course of two days:

Join us at CPR this Friday and Saturday!

Compendium: Technics
is a public micro-conference with performances taking place over the course of two days:

Friday, June 22, 6pm-10pm
Saturday, June 23, 3pm-10pm
Panel discussion: June 23 at 4pm

Suggested donation $5-15 at the door only.
All are welcome!

Center for Performance Research
361 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn
(L to Graham Ave.)

Performances by: Whitney Hunter, Jorge Rojas, Sister Sylvester, drearysomebody (Lindsey Drury), Anya Liftig, Hiroshi Shafer, Emily Wexler, Ivy Castellanos, Alejandro T. Acierto, Jessica Pavone, Charmaine’s Names, Brian Zegeer and BabyCopperhead, Toby Driver, and others.

The Compendium invites these artists to research their relationships with technology, technicalities, and technics. Artists across disciplines manipulate, access, and utilize objects and systems, interacting with technics that are present in performance situations, both as part of the technicalities of presentation, and as instruments, tools, devices, visibility and amplification aids, and as part of documentation, methodological means, and aesthetic and political vehicles.

We ask, how do artists use technical means to their ends? How are techniques and technology related and/or unrelated? How are technics/technology/techniques developed and chosen as part of artistic practice, using what kinds of concerns? Who has access to technology and techniques/technics and how do they commodify/become commodified and/or de-commodify/become de-commoditized?

In an exploration of these considerations, artists will present work to the public during two nights:

 Friday June 22: Hiroshi Shafer, Alejandro Acierto, Lindsey Drury, Charmaine Names, Ivy Castellanos, Amy Wexler and Sister Sylvester will perform in the CPR spaces in the absence of colloquially-defined “technology,” sans electricity, sans amplification, stripping the work of all forms of technics, even in some cases, attempting to perform without “technique.” Audiences must be present in the space to experience the work. Documentation will consist of written descriptions.

Saturday, June 23: Lindsey Drury, Sister Sylvester, Jorge Rojas, Rafael Sanchez, Anya Liftig, Jessica Pavone, Ivy Castellanos, Whitney Hunter, and Alejandro Acierto have access to CPR’s “cutting edge” technological array, including multiple projectors, sound system, and lighting grid, and may bring in their own technological devices, set-ups, electronics, and mechanisms. Audiences may view streamed performances from computers all over the world and performances will be documented on digital video.

A public round-table discussion on Saturday, June 23rd at 4pm will allow us to reflect on the collective research performed, involving the artists from the project and including other voices in live performance. Come be a part and see these incredible artists present new work!

About the Compendium

Over the course of 2012, The Compendium initiative will experiment with hybrid modes of curation, exchange, and presentation, producing exhibitions, performances, publications, and more.

The Compendium is comprised of artists who are deeply engaged with their communities. Organizing both as artists and as directors of alternative arts spaces, curators, members of ensembles and collectives, arts writers, and as agents of cultural influence, we form a “living compendium” to channel multiple agendas, intentions, and ideas into concrete support for artists and grassroots arts organizations.

The Compendium functions via face-to-face meetings, sharing time, funding, space, critical analysis, materials, transportation, residencies, publicity, skills, and other resources.

The Compendium organizers on this project are (in alphabetical order): Thomas Bell (Spread Art),Ian Colletti (Vaudeville Park), Christina DeRoos (Spread Art), Valerie Kuehne (The Super Coda), Brian McCorkle (Panoply Performance Laboratory, Varispeed), Esther Neff (Panoply Performance Laboratory, PERFORMANCY FORUM), Paul Pinto (thingNY, Seven Immediacies Series, Varispeed)