Martín Ramírez left his native Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico, in 1925 to find work in the United States and support his wife and children back home. Political struggles in Mexico that directly impacted his family and the economic consequences of the Great Depression left him stranded, jobless and homeless on the streets of California in 1931. Unable to communicate in English and apparently confused, he was soon picked up by the police and committed to a psychiatric hospital, where he would eventually be diagnosed as a catatonic schizophrenic. Ramírez spent the second half of his life in California mental institutions. Separated from his homeland, his family, and his friends, and not speaking the language of his adopted country, Ramírez began to assemble found bits of paper -- flattened paper cups, hospital supply forms, and book pages, for example -- using a self-made glue concocted of bread or potato starch and spit to create large surfaces for drawing. Anderson - the author of two books about the artist and curator of several exhibitions - will discuss the artist and his art, as well as explore the myriad ways that he has been misinterpreted and his artwork, misunderstood, all to the benefit of the sanctioned art world. 

Brooke Davis Anderson is the Executive Director for U.S. Biennial. Prior to her appointment, Anderson held the position of Deputy Director of Curatorial Planning at LACMA, where she worked across several departments to develop strong relationships with the community and curators. In this role, Anderson oversaw several major projects, including the Watts Towers Conservation and Community Initiative, and initiated a Mellon funded pilot program, the "Curatorial Diversity Initiative" to change the demographics of museum professionals in American museums across the nation. From 1999 to 2010, Anderson was Director and Curator at The Contemporary Center at the American Folk Art Museum in New York, where she curated more than twenty exhibitions, authored four books and numerous articles, and oversaw the $1 million acquisition of the Henry Darger Study Center. Prior to moving to New York, Anderson was director of the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University (1992-1999). During her tenure there she was recognized by the Chronicle Newspaper as "Curator of African American Art" and an endowment was established in her name to ensure the museum's future.   

In order for the Joan Mitchell Center to accommodate everyone who would like to attend, they request that you RSVP for this event to info@joanmitchellcenter.org. Light refreshments will be served. For more on Ramírez, see the American Folk Art Museum and NPR.

and

Thursday, May 23rd
5:30 – 7:30 PM
 
Ralph’s on the Park
900 City Park Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70119

Both evenings will feature:
Specialty Cocktails & Select Wines for $5.00 
Budlight and Budweiser for $2.00 
Small plate menu created by Chef Chip Flanagan 
Joe Krown on the Piano
 
We hope you will join us for a Levitator and social time with other Prospect New Orleans supporters in the city. Both events are open to the public. Feel free to invite friends and family to join!

Check out the video from the panel "Curating in Context" (December 6, 2012 at Art Basel Miami Beach Art Salon)!

On behalf of all of us at Prospect New Orleans, I write with my warmest season’s greetings and with much gratitude for the support so many of our friends have given us during the past year.

It has been a transformative year for our organization. Prospect.2 closed at the beginning of last year on a number of high notes. With over 70,000 visitors to groundbreaking exhibits at 16 venues during its 13-week run, Times-Picayune critic Doug MacCash called Prospect.2 “one of the best contemporary art shows New Orleans has ever seen.” Since then we have thrown ourselves headlong into the planning for Prospect.3 and beyond.

The Prospect.3 dates have been recently announced: from October 25, 2014 to January 25, 2015 New Orleans will play host to projects by 50 artists from all over the world at 15+ venues throughout the city. The appointment of Franklin Sirmans as Artistic Director for Prospect.3 has already generated a great deal of excitement. We are also delighted to be welcoming a new Executive Director, Brooke Davis Anderson, who will begin her tenure in January 2013.

The process of selecting artists and venues for Prospect.3 has already begun, including identifying the 10-15 artists who will be commissioned to create large-scale, site-specific works. During the coming months, approximately half of the artists selected for Prospect.3 will visit New Orleans, venues will be secured, and plans for everything from our education programs to the Opening Weekend schedule will begin to take shape.

As we take on the challenge of realizing Sirmans’ ambitious vision for Prospect.3, I invite you to join our growing community of supporters. We have recently relaunched our signature support group, The Prospectors Club, with a retooled slate of benefits and offerings. Membership is payable in installments, valid through the close of Prospect.3, and offers members opportunities to engage with Prospect.3 artists and curators, tickets to Prospect.3 opening weekend events, and an invitation to our first annual “Art Weekend” in New York City April 19-21, 2013. If you would prefer to make a 100% tax-deductible donation to support our work, we would be grateful for any amount you are able to give this season.

Recent events on the East Coast have had me thinking about the origins of Prospect New Orleans. Born from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Prospect has lived on as a powerful artistic and social force in our community. From the way in which Prospect.1 artists addressed a city recovering from a great tragedy with incredible sensitivity and compassion, to the many Prospect works that have celebrated New Orleans past and present, to the ripple effects that the arts bring to our economy, Prospect’s founding principle – that art has the power to bring us together and to inspire us collectively – seems more relevant than ever. Our past and recent accomplishments have made me very excited about our future! We look forward to sharing more about our plans with you in 2013.

Thank you so much for considering supporting Prospect New Orleans as part of your charitable giving plans this year.

With best wishes for a peaceful, healthy, and art-filled holiday season,

Susan Gore Brennan
Chairman

For more information visit: http://miamibeach.artbasel.com

Occupy Sandy 

Occupy Sandy Donations 

Red Hook Recovers 

Lower Easy Side Recovers  

Astoria Recovers 

Brooklyn Based: How to Help 

Brokelyn: How to Help  

Rockaway Relief 

Food Not Bombs: Sandy Relief 

The Week: How to Help 

Art in American: Chelsea Galleries Hit Hard by Storm Sandy  

Free Showers and Exercise at New York Sports Clubs  

New Orleans, LA, October 23, 2012 – The Board of Directors of U.S. Biennial, Inc, the organizers of Prospect New Orleans, has announced the appointment of Brooke Davis Anderson as its new Executive Director, effective January 21, 2013. The Board has also announced that the third edition of the international contemporary art biennial, Prospect.3, curated by Artistic Director, Franklin Sirmans, will open to the public on October 25, 2014 with vernissage days October 23 and 24, 2014. It will be on view through January 25, 2015.

“The Board of Directors of U.S. Biennial, Inc. is thrilled to welcome Brooke Davis Anderson as its new Executive Director,” says Susan Brennan, Chair of the U.S. Biennial Board of Directors. “Brooke’s enthusiasm for promoting and preserving the cultural life of communities and her impressive track record as a dynamic curator, dedicated community leader, and talented administrator will be invaluable in leading our organization. We look forward to her working closely with Prospect.3 Artistic Director Franklin Sirmans to realize a spectacular show in 2014 and providing vision and leadership for the organization’s future growth and development.”

“It is with great excitement that I join the Prospect New Orleans team and take on this new role. I have admired Prospect since its inception in 2008, and I am delighted to be working with Franklin Sirmans on the third edition, Prospect.3,” says Brooke Davis Anderson. “I am also looking forward to working with Prospect’s many partners in New Orleans and beyond to realize the organization’s mission of bringing important contemporary art from around the world to the culturally-exceptional city of New Orleans.”

Most recently, Anderson was Deputy Director of Curatorial Planning at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from 2010 to 2012, and Director and Curator at the Contemporary Center and the Henry Darger Study Center at the American Folk Art Museum in New York, from 1999 to 2010.

With the announcement of Brooke Davis Anderson as Executive Director, the dates of the third edition of the biennial, Prospect.3, have also been announced. The exhibition will run October 25, 2014 through January 25, 2015, with vernissage days October 23 and 24, 2014. Anderson will work with Franklin Sirmans, and curatorial advisors Rita Gonzalez and Christine Y. Kim, Associate Curators of Contemporary Art at LACMA, to produce Prospect.3. Presented at venues ranging from museums and other art institutions to unique New Orleans sites, Prospect.3 will showcase the work of approximately 50 artists, including many works developed specifically for the city of New Orleans and in collaboration with various community partners. Further details on Prospect.3 will be announced in 2013.

About Brooke Davis Anderson, Executive Director:

Most recently, Brooke Davis Anderson held the position of Deputy Director of Curatorial Planning at LACMA, where she worked across several departments to develop strong relationships with the community and curators. In this role, Anderson oversaw several major projects, including the Watts Towers Conservation and Community Initiative, and initiated a Mellon-funded pilot program, the "Curatorial Diversity Initiative" to change the demographics of museum professionals in American museums. From 1999 to 2010, Anderson was Director and Curator at The Contemporary Center and the Henry Darger Study Center at the American Folk Art Museum in New York, where she curated more than twenty exhibitions, authored four books and eighteen articles, and gave lectures to promote the museum’s collections and programs. Previous to these posts, Anderson was Director of the Diggs Gallery and Assistant Professor of Fine Arts, at Winston‑Salem State University, in Winston‑Salem, North Carolina; Adjunct Instructor at Columbia University, New York, and City College of New York, New York; Guest Curator at Museo National Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain; and Acting Director, Assistant Director, and Gallery Assistant at the Francesca Anderson Gallery, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Anderson has curated exhibitions and lectured extensively around the world. She has authored numerous books including Martin Ramirez: The Last Works (Pomegranate Press, California, 2008), Martin Ramirez (American Folk Art Museum with Marquand Books, 2007), and Darger: The Henry Darger Collection at the American Folk Art Museum (American Folk Art Museum with Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001), among many others, in addition to numerous articles and essays.

Born in Connecticut, Anderson was given a deep appreciation of the arts by her creative family, particularly by her grandmother, a portrait painter. Educated in printmaking and ceramics at Bennington College, Anderson received her B.A. from Hartwick College and an M.A. from New York University.

Media Contacts:

Elizabeth Reina–Longoria or Deirdre Maher
Blue Medium, Inc.
T: +1 (212) 675-1800
E: elizabeth@bluemedium.com or
deirdre@bluemedium.com

Once again this year, Prospect will have a table at Culture Collision: A City-Wide Celebration to Kick-Off the Cultural Season in New Orleans on Wednesday, September 5th. We hope you'll stop by to say hello and enter to win a bundle of Prospect.2 merchandise, including a copy of the recently-released, fully-illustrated Prospect.2 catalogue, T-Shirt, and R. Luke DuBois' The Marigny Parade on DVD.

Culture Collision
Generations Hall
310 Andrew Higgins Drive, New Orleans, LA 70130
5:30 – 8:00: Network with over 50 Performing and Visual Arts organizations
8:00 – 10:30: Party on in the Big Room

Admission is FREE. Parking is available for $10 in the Fulton Street Garage; additional street parking also available. We hope to see you there!