CHARGE GRANT
On behalf of Carrie Schneider and Art League Houston (ALH), we want to thank you for participating in the 2014 charge grant.
The proposals were some of the most bold, innovative and engaging proposals we have seen, and we're sure that it was a very challenging job choosing from the submissions.
We are excited to announce that the winning proposals for the 2014 charge were a tie between DYKON FAGATRON by Anna Elise Johnson and The School of Experimental Work: Audio-Visual series by Charisse Weston.
Special thanks to the Heimbinder Family Foundation and Dario Robleto for matching the charge grant, so that we could award both proposals with $889 each!!!
ABOUT CHARGE GRANT
The $10 registration fee for charge and the cash bar from the dance party raised $889 for charge grant.
All charge participants were invited to submit their proposals on this page.
YOU are the grant panel!
FIRST Check out the proposals (scroll down)
SECOND Before you vote, play one or all of the following games to map the values of each proposal along a spectrum to help make a decision (see the aggregated results below)
THIRD Cast your vote! (voting page will load once you complete the game)
SOUP The charge grant will be announced and awarded this Sunday at Gallery Homeland's inaugural Sunday Soup (which will also give out its own grant) on January 11 5-8 PM.
PROPOSALS
Civic TV Collective - Fund To Engage Local With International Artists
Civic TV Collective's ongoing mission is one of open dialogue and interaction with Houston artists and the art community through events that blur the lines and broaden the definition of what an art community is and can be into something larger and more diverse. We'd like to offer Houston something of an intersection between a community center, arts space, music venue, book store, and bed and breakfast for traveling creatives; an art space that is inviting to all peoples inside and outside the art community through targeted actions and events that bring in diverse audiences (i.e. dinner parties, dance parties, music and other social events held in conjunction with art shows that question traditional academic & commercial models of fine art presentation and blur the lines between what is music, theater, art, and community action). We strive to create a unique environment somewhere between the community driven punk rock shows we grew up attending and the performance/action/activist art events of the 1970's (i.e. Gordon Matta Clark's "Food") that invite interaction and participation in a collective that grows with every person who attends and creative that participates. CTC is an open collective and invites all who choose to do so to take ownership in it's evolution.
A major element of CTC's mission that we plan to begin implantation of first thing 2015, is to grow the tentacles of our collective into areas outside of Houston, not for the reason that there are not enough creatives here locally, but for the expressed purpose of linking the creatives in our collective here with like minded creatives nationally. Between January and April we are seeking funding to help sponsor events (traveling fees and cost of art production) by three artists/groups respectively from Dallas, L.A., and New York. Artists who have had deep connections with local artists we have shown in the past and through these upcoming events hope to further those connection and graft them into the other creatives in our collective. We desire to create a network of artist working in the fringes of the art world and within the intersection of visual art, music, social action, and performance. Currently we have shows planned for Luke Harndin of Dallas (a founding member of the Beefhaus collective, a collective we have plans to collaborate with to bring Houston & Dallas artists closer together), Suzy Polling of L.A. (an artist and musician with close ties to the noise and performance music scene of Houston--a branch of music Houston is distinctively known for), and ESP TV (a collective out of New York that works with live and interactive video performances--best known for their recent performances in Iceland and their ongoing public access shows that invite artists from around the world to work with their crew to create original programming).
Thank you for your consideration! http://www.civictvcollective.com/
Emancipation Park Community Association
What started as a sign project, that was funded by HAA, and the Idea Fund, has grown into a the first artist created/run community association. The initial funding went into the creation of signs meant to increase awareness of the ills that plague the Third Ward area of Houston. With the charge grant, I will begin phase 2 of the project which seeks to put EACH person located in the E.P.C.A. on the same page. All the businesses will be given "I proudly support the EPCA" stickers, and residents will be given "I heart EPCA" bumper stickers. I have broken the neighborhood into 5 sections, and seek funding to assist with propaganda creation. Hopefully, by the completion of the Emancipation Park reopening, the neighborhood will for the first time in my lifetime all be apart of one, unified, artist-driven organization, http://phillip-pyle-mvyt.squarespace.com/
RENT SUBSIDY / HAIRCUTS
Donate $889 to the City of Houston earmarked to subsidize rent for an artist. Then its on the books that it is possible for the City of Houston to subsidize rent for artists.
(P.S. I'm not sure if this would basically amount to a bribe. I'm also not sure if this will work. I also think it would be better to use the $889 to start a community land trust, but I don't think you can buy any land for $889.)
Another idea...
$10 for each of 80 charge participants to get their hair cut. Sign up list first come first serve basis, like a relay. First person to get their hair cut determines where next person gets their hair cut and gives haircut instructions, but it always has to be $10.
DYKON FAGATRON
Andy Campbell and I are starting a monthly queer dance party called DYKON/FAGATRON. It follows in the footsteps of successful national/regional queer dance/performance parties such as Chances Dances. Hearing Aay Preston-Myint speak about Chances at the CHARGE symposium was helpful for us to think through the important aspects of planning a successful queer dance party such as how to create a queer-friendly space, a financially transparent party, and the kind of programing that is possible if a party becomes as successful as Chances. We have been feeling out the need/response to such a dance night in Houston, and early indicators are goooooooooood!
We have been seeking out a home for DYKON/FAGATRON, and the first party is set for January 24th at Crocker on Fairview. We already have some exciting performers lined up for the first DYKON/FAGATRON: queer rapper Biz Vicious (https://soundcloud.com/bizvicious), chicana performance art duo Kegels for Hegel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZnxeIhNBkE), and three Houston-area DJs (Kenny Evans, DJ Gay History (that’s Andy!) and Anne J Regan.
We’ve noticed that while there are many gay venues in Houston, not many are queer friendly – meaning to the broad spectrum of gender and sexual identities. The initial venues offer space but not payment for the performers and DJs, and until we prove DYKON/FAGATRON to be a successful party that draws a big queer crowd, we will not have money to pay our workers. We want to get this party off the ground, and funding from the Charge Grant would be a huge help. http://annaelisejohnson.com/
the school of experimental Work: Audio-Visual Series
The School of Experimental Work: Audio-Visual series is a series of one hour workshops and lectures. These workshops and lectures will be conducted predominately by local, practicing artists. This intensive “school” will focus on exploring ideas and artistic practices surrounding the use of various forms of technology in the arts and will feature workshops on, but not limited to the following: animation, sound art, and other forms of digital art making.
The workshops will take place at Alabama Song Art Space over the course of two to three days and Houston or Texas-based artists will be invited to conduct these experimental workshops and lectures. Artists will be asked to present workshops and lectures which highlight interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and experimentation. Focusing on the use of audio and visual technology in artistic practice, the purpose of these workshops is to fill a void in Houston's art community created by a lack of innovative and affordable learning opportunities for young artists, as well as insufficient compensation and resources provided to teaching artists. Further, this series is meant as an opportunity for lead artists to share a new practice or idea with others, as well as gain some insight on their practice from interaction with one another. All workshops will be free to the general public, there will be no application process—those interested in participating will only be asked to register and will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.
If awarded this grant, the money will go towards artist fees and supplies for participating artists. http://alabamasonghouston.com/
The "Color" Pages
In response to the Black out Black Friday initiative, I propose to create a directory of local businesses run by people of color. Currently, locals tend to learn of community businesses through word of mouth alone. Through The Color Pages, I hope to provide a searchable directory for these businesses that will make them more easily accessible to customers within and outside of their own communities.
Because the scope of this project is vast, I will focus primarily on businesses and individuals selling items such as jewelry, clothing, body and hair products and other items people commonly purchased during Black Friday, as well as restaurants and eateries. The purpose of this project is to give local entrepreneurs, creatives, and businesses exposure within their communities. If awarded this grant, the funds will go towards the research, collection, and distribution of this information electronically (through a website) as well as complimentary social marketing on behalf of the businesses. http://charisseweston.wix.com/artist
Exposing and Reinventing the Houston Arts Alliance
In 2014 (and the years prior), the Houston Arts Alliance has come under fire and criticism from artists and arts organizations alike, receiving numerous accusations of wrongdoing in terms of both policy and leadership. With funding from the charge grant, I will work towards uncovering the details of the accusations against it, its employees, and its board through interviews and monetary coercion, as well as support artist-run campaigns for change within the organization. My hope in this project is not to disband HAA as an organization but to reinvent it.
In my eyes, the purpose of HAA is to a) distribute funds accrued by the Hotel Occupancy Tax to local artists and arts organizations based on the merit of missions and projects, b) organize small-scale public art projects on city property as well as manage similar projects on behalf of non-art organizations, and c) purport the betterment of the Houston arts community and its constituents through conventions geared towards the education of Houston artists and arts administrators in addition to educating funders outside of Houston on the happenings in the city. http://www.freepresshouston.com/?s=michael+mcfadden
Fund Time Travel!
Yes, this is Houston. But unlike the city you know intimately, this Houston is littered with wind turbines. This is what Houston Skyline will look like if wind energy takes over our energy production, locally powers the population centers. This print, a 24”x36” lenticular print, is part of my “To Inhabit” series which explores how our ever-growing hunger for energy will change the landscape. Lenticular prints are a hybrid of photography and video with multiple frames embedded into one object; as the viewer moves around the print, the visible scene shifts, incorporating the element of time as well as viewer participation into the images. “To Inhabit”’s prints are portals for time travel: by making a step left or a step right, the viewer travels in time to alternative futures, visualizing the long-term effects of various energy policy decisions. In this image and others when wind power triumphs, beautiful landscapes like the Grand Canyon are littered with wind turbines to meet global demand. Perhaps global warming continues unchecked and major landmarks like Times Square and Golden Gate Bridge flood. Viewers are empowered with an ability to time travel to witness these futuristic landscapes. Please vote for me, so the grant can be used to produce these costly prints. With them, I will be able to show in venues around Houston and the country, providing the public an experience that will raise awareness of how our current behaviors impact our future. More image examples can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/107520596
Silent Hero
Volunteer interns and part time employees of non-profits are the silent heros of our community. Their names aren't on the exhibitions, but they make it happen. I want to pay this award forward to Cinthia Gomez, a past intern and current part time employee at Lawndale Art Center. Her name isn't on the wall and she puts the work of others before her own. I want this bump in funds to "charge" her with making her work. http://www.cinthiagomez.com/
The Field Guide for Houston Artists: a comprehensive online handbook for making art in Houston
The Field Guide for Houston Artists: a comprehensive online handbook of resources and locations for support while making art in Houston
Complaints by Houston artists about access to affordable studio space, materials, exhibition opportunities, housing, and funding often pepper conversations about practicing the visual arts in our fair town. Following the lead of artists who have prepared similar guides in Berlin and other cities, the Grant will be used to create a practical guide to help artists in Houston find the resources they need to begin, continue or expand their practices.
A large, deep and diverse group of resource providers exists in Houston, from alternative art supply sources, nonprofits, equipment and tool sharing co-ops, alternative exhibition spaces, publicity and press outlets and the like. However, it typically takes many people significant time to identify (if they ever do) the resources that are readily available. The Field Guide for Houston Artists will aggregate that data in a single, readily available location. Additionally, by mapping the resources that ARE available, motivated members of the arts community will be able to identify those resources which are NOT available and which require more attention.
The Field Guide will be distributed as a free PDF and all proceeds of the grant will be used to pay contributing artists, authors and graphic designers for the content provided in the Field Guide.
Though by no means a comprehensive list, some of the topics may include the following: health insurance, setting up a studio, sourcing materials, sourcing and repairing equipment, Studio Insurance, shipping work, exhibiting work locally, press and publicity, funding opportunities, sources for legal and business planning assistance, special resources for video and film, photography, sculpture, ceramics, painting, etc.
http://davidmcclain.com/
Texas Artist Connection
The Texas Artist Connection (TAC) was created to connect and build a network between working artists across Texas. The program will create an artist/mentor system between established professional artists and those who are enrolled in or have completed BFA/MFA programs. It will give artists opportunities to build professional experience, engage in a wider art community, and give them more economic options in the current art market.
12 artists have been selected to participate and will be included in 2 group exhibitions at the Carver Community Cultural Center in San Antonio in July and August 2015. Each exhibition will include 6 artists and a group collaborative project created by the artists.
Funding will assist with travel expenses associated with professional exchange and exhibition preparation including: artwork delivery; lodging for opening receptions; and gas, food and lodging for a tri-city studio tour, which will allow the 12 TAC artists in Houston, Austin and San Antonio to establish a connection with one other.
Artists selected for participation:
Houston – Nathaniel Donnett | Robert Hodge | Matt Manalo | Tony Parana | Eduardo Portillo
Austin – Adrienne Cullins | Michael Anthony Garcia
San Antonio – Jose Cardenas | Sarah Fox | Justin Korver | Kallie Pfeiifer | Alan Serna
https://www.facebook.com/TexasArtistConnection
Rhythms of Resistance-Houston
Rhythms of Resistance is an international network of activist percussion groups represented by over 65 distinct groups in 19 different countries. A common musical repertoire and organizational mission unify all groups. RoR uses samba and other rhythms to protest all kinds of socio-political and ecological causes. RoR actively criticizes and confronts any form of domination, exploitation, discrimination, or oppression.
Currently, there is no Houston chapter of Rhythms of Resistance. This grant would help accelerate the formation of a Houston chapter of RoR. The money would be used to purchase supplies for building drums, sticks, bells, beaters, paint, stickers, t-shirts, etc.
In addition to using the power of percussion as a voice in protest, RoR Houston will use the power of percussion to highlight meaningful cultural events in the Houston area, such as Pride Houston, Houston Marathon, Houston Art Car Parade, etc. Operating as both a protest group and as a promoter for cultural events aligns perfectly with the spirit of Charge in that it “engages both critically and generatively in the arts ecosystem”.
The RoR Houston project would represent an alternative model of fundraising because payment for performances would allow us to afford supplies for repairs, promotion, travel costs, etc. This model allows the organization to self-sustain, without dependence on grant-dispersing entities. In essence, the Charge grant would be a one-time stimulus to help the group get started.
The group will be led by Duke Hunter whose years of experience ensure forward momentum and knowledgeable leadership. See protest percussion in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YSrCCEmBqQ https://www.rhythms-of-resistance.org/spip.php?rubrique26&lang=en
Getting Paid in Texas: An Artist's Guide
The experiences of artists as workers in an economic sense is a hot topic these days, and I'm collecting information on artists as workers here in Texas, for a series of Glasstire articles mapping the irregular, and largely uncharted landscape of jobs, grants, fees, commissions, gigs and sales most artists here cobble into at least a part-time living. This project has been on the fire a while, but needs a lot of research. I'm going to use the money to pay an artist/researcher to call every nonprofit in Texas and find out how much they pay artists for their participation, and publish the results. http://glasstire.com/author/bill-davenport/
Nostalgic
Nostalgic is a project focusing on recreating memories or moments that were never lived for selected participants in the form of performance events. The grant will be used to power a pilot for a small for-profit organization called Dream Corporation. Dream Corporation will be formed by three artists serving as counselors available to meet with interested participants and select four projects to be developed. Memories may include: a missed surprised b-day party, a first kiss, the fishing trip one never got to go with grandpa, a Quinceanera party, the beauty contest one never won, and the possibilities are endless. The grant money will be divided to acquire all necessary supplies, rent spaces, pay the artists/counselors fees and for extensive video and photo documentation. Depending on the success of this project, Dream Corporation may seek to materialize into a real artist-powered business dedicated not to only recreate memories but also the current dreams and desires of the general public.
Sincerely,
Dream Corporation, in the business of realizing your dreams. http://jonatan-lopez.com/
H.O.S.T. a Houston Exhibition
Houston Open Studio Tours request the Charge funding to host a non traditional art experience and exhibition. A portion of our Charge workshop was spent presenting our yearly artist grant- Gimme the Loot. We have recently completed our 2014 grant cycle and awarded our grant to local filmmaker and DJ Jason "Flash Gordon" Parks. Besides Jason, there were a number of eligible and interesting projects that we could not fund, specifically, Chanelle Frazier's " That's Far Away" proposal.
The "That's Far Away" project considers the possibility of decentering Houston art scene by specifically targeting and operating within a different area of the city and using the cultural traditions of that area to reconsider the entire mode of experiencing art. This "exhibition" will happen in Houston's Southwest Side, focusing on the large Nigerian population and culture there, and will be presented in 4 parts:
1. A traditional exhibition in a non traditional space, highlighting the works of local contemporary Nigerian visual artists
2. A two part film series pairing a contemporary Nollywood film with a Classic Nigerian film by Ousmane Sembène
3. A dance experience and Cloud 9, a popular Dance club on the Southwest Side
4. A group meal of traditional West African Cuisine at Afrikoko Restaurant.
This experimental process is intended to reference the tradition in African art and culture of an activating and immersing participants in the art experience. Though we could not offer Chanelle our artist award HOST has committed to assisting her in the realization of this project. HOST would love to use the Charge grant to assist in producing an aspect of this event and continue to develop our commitment Houston artists. http://houstonopenstudiotours.tumblr.com/
Art-coffee-conversation
ACC is a mobile bike driven coffee cart created to bring art,conversation, and coffee to locations around Houston. With small talks, screenings , and happenings sour rounding the cart a diverse conversation is created. Spawning from conversation over a cup of Joe, ACC brings new ideas and projects to neighborhoods around Houston. As a mobile coffee cart the project engages the general public and merges them with the creative community. Appearing at random or at openings the cart serves an important function of delivering diverse ideas and bringing together new friends.
http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/21840-paul-middendorf
pie 4 you
I am building my second wood fired pizza oven and would like to serve you all pizza, and iced tea, that would be up to 80 hand thrown baked pies serves as a celebration/ thank you/ follow up for all the participants of the charge event and their additional guests , who will hopfully car pool, bicycle or arrive by cab , to commence a way forward , to continue in the spirit of community the good work done therein.
this would serve in a party in the "installation kitchen "and be at a time and date at my compound and sumultaneously a charge follow up as well as a tour and introduction to the shipping container multipurpose prototypes I am building to eventually help propel www.hivehouston.org forward.
there are a few moonlighting pizzaolos , (and we use local, traditional and at times novel ingrefients ) among them Tyler Horne of Urban Harvest, who will be collaborating on the pizzas , should y'all choose this proposal.
SAND
I am proposing a room with a floor made out of sand and with furniture also made totally out of sand. Life size. Soft lights will be projected on the furniture only. Wind from the fans will blow onto the room. These fans can be moved by the viewer to change the direction of the erosion. Yes, theatrical, of course! People are invited to walk through, even sit on the sofa, the bed... If it all crumbles with use and wind it is fine, it is part of the idea.
Medium: Sand, fans, lights.
The sand dunes are a phenomena of nature that destroys habitats only to give birth to a new one and new life; they also are the image of desolation and of a life that was. They are composed of millions of grains that were once part of a larger unity. Each anonymous, each indispensable and yet, each might perhaps, be thought as something to be speared.
The fans blowing on the sand will contribute to the erosion of the furniture. Curiously the sand will divide itself into course and fine creating shapes, sculptures, of its own directed by the wind.
I envision this project to continue in an outdoors installation in a park,-it would be lovely at Hermann Park-, and see the transformation from a seemingly inert pile of sand to something that is grown with vegetation and perhaps little creatures. Of course would attract visitors the park.
www.lolifar.com
Salon Chair
I’ve spent the last decade and a half working in and around the beauty industry.
The following are some of the more important things that I’ve learned:
• I’ve found that grooming is important to the way we interact, it says so much about our outlook.
• Our beauty professionals are a means of emotional support.
• The art of helping someone create their picture of themselves is not often given any focus in the art world.
• The practice of the art of grooming or enhancing each other is often mesmerizing for the viewer. I think that the viewer is almost always thinking of applying those same practices to themselves.
• When people get together to practice beauty, like at a hair salon, incredible interactions happen. People communicate on a more intimate level. More like family.
Everything I’ve learned makes me want to bring the industry deeper into the art community. My goal is to begin my own brand of beauty support to the arts community in groups, as individual clients, and in gallery performance. I seek to expand my salon practice to include more members of the art community and through those interactions inspire meaningful conversations. These conversations are part of the key to finding a way to show the art of cosmetology as a respected art form outside of its traditional settings; even, as performance. I want to bring the salon back to the salon.
I plan to use the charge grant to purchase a portable salon chair, portable shampoo bowl and shampoo chair. The chair will travel from place to place. Grooming a client in the chair will make conversations more intimate and otherwise change interaction in these spaces. I really want to bring the Salon Chair to a Jury session for grants, or a budget meeting at Art league. Wouldn’t that be interesting?!!
Displays of beauty belong in a gallery. The conversations I’ve heard over the years while performing beauty services belong in a gallery and could save the world. I propose to have a workshop in one of the galleries at Art League Houston, Project Row Houses and Alabama Song to start. I want to explore showing the work itself (hairstyles, make-up applications, etc.), displaying intimate conversations inspired by the beauty environment, and grooming as performance. This grant will allow me to explore the idea of beauty-making as an art practice and to explore notions of beauty in social engagement and other art making. http://frediamitchell.com/
Film Project
My work in still photography and video installations has dealt largely with my family, upbringing in a small Texas town, and personal struggles with identity as a young woman. I’ve been involved with lens-based media for over a decade, and am now excited to delve into the more involved and more collaborative narrative filmmaking process.
I am applying for the Charge Grant in order to initiate a new film project exploring the humor, tragedy, absurdity, and joys of being a young woman and emerging artist. Showing an underrepresented female voice, this dark and funny, narrative short film will be loosely based on my experiences as a young, divorced, female artist in Houston.
The film’s production will involve the paid collaboration of a number of artists from the community–both behind and in front of the camera. This grant will enable the creation of the first phase of the project, which will be a film on its own, as well as serving as a showpiece to raise funds for further extensions of the project.
I’m looking forward to working with fellow Houston artists who relate to the film’s female-centric themes, and to initiating a new phase of my work through both creative and financial collaboration. http://emilyannpeacock.com/home.html
RE: Distribution
I want to use the monies from the grant to rent a space which would then be used as a temporary residency. The residency would only be open to individuals that have not attain a residency prior to applying. The space will have a limited lifetime due to the limitations which are bound to amount of funds available for the space and for the residents supply needs. The space attained, in theory, should cost less than half the amount of the grant allowance, the remainder of which will go to the artist directly to cover the cost of food, supplies, and any need that may appear. At the end of the residency the works produced will be on display for a one night showing within the space.
The duration of the project will be recorded by me and turned into a short film about the artist and their creative process. The film will also highlight the Charge, its initiative and practices which were discussed during the event. The film will be shot and edited within two months of the residencies expiration. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ten/1530667497152971
{art-inspired} pub quiz night
I propose a monthly {art-inspired} pub quiz night, which would be hosted at a different art organization each month.
A small group of artists, writers, musicians, curators would be invited to create each month's questions. For the first event, questions could be created by ALH's six-person artist advisory board. The questions would follow the standard pub quiz format, which consists of themed rounds, which will all be 100% art and literature related. They could be a mixture of (silly and serious) questions relating to local and national art history, art pop culture, art quotes, art gossip/news, public art, artist compensation, true or false statements, literature, art essays, artwork etc.
The pub quiz caller would be a different prominent art figure each month, such as a curator, artist, musician and writer etc.
Entry would be $5, and all the proceeds would go to the winning team at the end of the night. 4 people max per team
The charge mini grant of $889 would:
Pay the group of people who create the questions
Pay the pub quiz caller
Anything left over would go into the winning pot at the end of the night
GOAL: Bring people together, have fun, learn something new and win some $$!!!
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jennie-ash/49/20a/715
Tedious Task Arty Pants Edition or Make a Payment: Take an Artist to Work Day
Creative Minds.
So you know that article you clicked on the other day about how the creative mind works? It said something about how artist are prone to clutter and operate in sort of an organized chaos.
One of my favorite comic book series from back in the day was called Marvel Team-Up. It took two superheros from different comics and put them together in some crazy adventure. I was thinking we could do something like that but different. I would like to set up a volunteer pool of artist resource where anyone who is willing to commit to helping a random fellow artist for a few hours with a “tedious task.” This is a way to build community and who knows. The site could also document the “collaborations.” http://www.lachicanalaundrypictures.com/
PLOT THE PROPOSALS
Aggregated plots
this is how we plotted the proposals. updated in real time- click the circles to see the individual plots
prioritization matrix tests by usabiliTEST.com
