Thanks to the support of our community, 2012 was the most successful year in ISSUE Project Room's history. Following temporary relocation to our historic space at 22 Boerum Place in advance of its renovation, ISSUE staged over 100 performances and provided commissioning opportunities to more than 20 emerging artists. Our audience and membership base more than doubled, with programming receiving an unprecedented level of press acclaim, including 12 features in the New York Times and 6 features in the Wall St. Journal. In addition, we successfully completed our $4.3 million capital campaign and selected architect WORKac, who will be completing the design process by the end of the year.
These achievements were carried out under the leadership of departing Executive Director Ed Patuto. His passion for our organization was an essential stabilizing force after Suzanne Fiol's passing, and established ISSUE as a key player in New York City's experimental music world. As we prepare to celebrate our tenth anniversary, ISSUE will continue building upon this success under the vision and leadership of new Artistic Chair Tony Conrad, a long-time ISSUE Board Member and pioneering multi-disciplinary artist, and Lawrence Kumpf, an ISSUE curator for five years, who has just been named our first Artistic Director.
2012 also brought a serious challenge for ISSUE in August, when significant deterioration of the theater ceiling at 22 Boerum Place rendered the space unoccupiable until the completion of renovations in Fall 2015. Thus, since September, ISSUE has been presenting at diverse venues throughout NYC. Beginning in February 2013, we will be presenting at the Greenpoint space 155 Freeman St., home of Triple Canopy, Light Industry, and the Public School New York. We are thrilled to join this amazing community of like-minded organizations, where we will continue our support of emerging and influential artists, located both locally and internationally. In addition, we will continue to expand our public presence through new initiatives including an online magazine, a print anthology of artists' writings, and a record imprint focused on our Artists-In-Residence produced with our friends at Massachusetts-based Important Records.
However, much of this good news has been tempered by additional costs these relocations have required, including significant additional rental, marketing, production, management costs as well as a loss of income from rentals. In light of these substantial costs, if you have ever considered supporting ISSUE, NOW is the time to do so. The value of your generosity at this critical juncture will have a tremendous impact lasting far beyond this year. Please visit this page to see our Membership levels, which begin at $50.
For ten years, ISSUE has offered unfettered opportunities to hundreds of struggling composers, musicians, and interdisciplinary artists. By raising these critical funds, ISSUE Project Room will, for the first time, be able to plan our future on a solid and sustainable financial foundation, continue to offer artists the opportunities they so desperately need, plan for occupation of our state-of-the-art performance space at 22 Boerum Place, and strategically expand our reach into the artistic community of NYC and beyond.
All best from the ISSUE staff, we're looking forward to a very exciting year ahead!
