ISSUE Project Room Artist Fund
ISSUE Project Room is pleased to inaugurate the Artist Fund, a critical fundraising initiative to enable ongoing commissions through a year of unprecedented challenges for performing arts. This dedicated fund reinforces ISSUE's investment in artists as we develop new ways of supporting experimental work. Please consider making a contribution to sustain resources, opportunities, and a cultural context for artists to push the boundaries of creative practice. Please visit this page to experience ISSUE's Artist Fund Benefit event, which took place October 21st, 2020.
Artist Fund Committee:
Selwa Abd
William Basinski
Steve Buscemi
Loren Connors
Dustin Dis
R. Luke DuBois
Beatriz Ferreyra
Jeanne Hardy
Joan La Barbara
George Lewis
Robert Longo
Jeanne Lutfy
Aki Onda
Laura Ortman
Yuko Otomo
Mary Margaret O'Hara
Matana Roberts
Laurie Spiegel
Tom van den Bout
Steve Wax
Since in-person events were suspended in March, 2020 ISSUE has worked with 150+ artists, across more than 65 commissioned presentations, committing roughly $100,000 in fees for their projects. At the same time, ticket revenue has ceased as we pivoted to present all events online, free to the public. The Artist Fund builds on the support of ISSUE’s Members to underpin continued commissions through 2021, and an enduring home for under-recognized practices.
As contexts and infrastructure for performance shift, ISSUE’s commitment to work that eludes convention takes on increased significance. Our 2020 and 2021 programs invite experimentation across isolated conditions and unfamiliar presentation mediums — fostering expanded approaches to field recording, internationally mediated collaborations, virtual snapshots of New York’s cultural history, emerging curatorial contributions, and remote frameworks for residency work and premieres. Join us in bringing this work forward through uncertain conditions, ensuring a flexible and responsive platform for cultural dialogue.
ISSUE’s inaugural Artist Fund culminated in our online Benefit on October 21st, 2020.. The event featured a host of new audiovisual works, including from my kitchen window the building was blinking from legendary performer, composer, and record producer Jim O’Rourke, composer and percussionist Sarah Hennies’ film Passing, as well as drill hall, bim bam bom a collaborative work from past and present Artists-In-Residence Holland Andrews & Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste & Will Rawls. The expansive streaming event also included features from artists Leila Bordreuil, Annea Lockwood & Nate Wooley, 2020 Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellow Leyya Tawil & Porest, and others from the ISSUE community.
For more information contact: Corinne Daniel, Development Director (718) 330-0313 x5 or corinne@issueprojectroom.org
The Artist Fund is proudly supported by the ISSUE Project Room Board with Lead Presenter Nancy & Joe Walker.
The Artist Fund supports ISSUE's 2020 Season, complementing ongoing support from The Golden Rule Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Metabolic Studio (a direct charitable activity of the Annenberg Foundation), NOKIA Bell Labs, and the TD Charitable Foundation.
ISSUE wishes to extend our appreciation to all presenting artists for the generosity of support & spirit plus BOMB Magazine, Drag City, Forced Exposure, Sound American and Wild Arc Farm for their contribution to the 2020 Artist Fund event.