Nell Alk in the Wall Street Journal, 2/22/13
On Wednesday night, everyone won the lottery. Everyone at the 3-Legged Dog in Lower Manhattan, that is.
The payoff wasn't cash—it was art. Instead of an auction, Issue Project Room, an experimental performance center, hosted a lottery and benefit where everyone in attendance left with a little something extra in their hands.
"An art lottery is fun, as opposed to an auction, where you're bidding," said longtime IPR supporter Amy Schwartzman. "It's nice to know that I buy my ticket and I'm going to walk away with a work."
Indeed, 70 donated pieces on display were up for grabs and distributed to 70 ticketholders according to random drawing—from a hat, actually—by Joseph Keckler, a local interdisciplinary artist who assumed the role of MC.
The nonprofit is based in Brooklyn, but has had a nomadic existence during the past six months because of a ceiling collapse at their usual space.
IPR supports the work of both well-known and established experimental artists. It was founded by the late Suzanne Fiol on the Lower East Side in 2003.
While tangible objects tend to do well, transient installations and performance pieces struggle to find both funding and footing, which is just what IPR works toward remedying.
Stephen Maine, IPR newbie board member and curator of the "exhibit," said, "This is my project. This is the reason I'm on the board: to bridge the experimental music community and the visual art community."
Of gathering the goods, Mr. Maine, a painter himself, seemed pleased with the outcome. "I was overjoyed at the response I got from artists. Everybody was committed to contributing. And they gave me top-flight works! The installation is terrific," he said.
As for entertainment, most arresting was psychedelic group Prince Rama, a glitter-clad twosome-turned-foursome that danced and drummed and commanded everyone's attention. "We're seriously influenced by, like, 'N Sync. We just wanna be pop stars," said lead singer and dancer Taraka Larson.
This was followed by DJ sets courtesy of Marie Karlberg and Jamie Krasner, which lasted until midnight.
As for Issue Project Room's home, its Livingston Street spot is on the mend and due to reopen well ahead of schedule, in mid-March, as opposed to the originally estimated 2015 completion.
"Issue has always been more than just a performance space," said Ms. Schwartzman. "It's a community."
A version of this article appeared February 23, 2013, on page A19 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Artworks Are Luck Of a Draw.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014241278873235492045783187522012443…
