2004 Grant Recipients

Jessica Findley's Aeolian Ride

First Event: New York, New York 2004 ~ $1,000

Jessica Findley's Aeolian Ride was a public Happening of kinetic art involving 50 costumed bicycle riders. This Happening was intentionally silly, intended to inspire laughter from both participants and onlookers alike.

The Aeolian Ride gets its inspiration, quite literally, from the greek god of the wind. Each participant wears a suit that puffs up when they ride, leading to the mass a contour akin to creatures from children's fairy tales, the softness of clouds, or the ethereal quality of a sail caught wind. The ride also fosters interaction between the individual and his or her environment, supporting the animated experience of riding a bicycle in an urban area in a way that invites union of the excitement and playful energy of both riders and spectators.

The Aeolian Ride packs down into 50 easily transported suits which have already been invited to make their international debut in Capetown, South Africa in November of 2005. The suits are made of rip-stop nylon, designed to be safe and to allow riders to wear their helmets. Patterns for three suits are available online!

To make your own suits, or sign up to ride visit: www.aeolian.info.

Artica St Louis, Missouri ~ $1,000

Artica was a multi-media arts event that took place September 17 - 19th, 2004 on the banks of the Mississippi River. It was an ephemeral event, appearing and disappearing with intention that included words like: revitalize, transform, empower, opportunity, responsibility and self-expression. As an action, Artica sought to revitalize a worn out warehouse district by giving the people of the St. Louis metropolitan area an opportunity to come together through creative self-expression.

Impressively, work began before the event through the integration of a series of professional workshops related to artistic techniques and processes which were offered to different communities in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and were designed to help people realize and utilize their creative potential. The event featured interactive participatory art that culled its inspiration from the river, its surrounding environment, or its history.

Details on the event, and attending can be harvested at www.artica.org.

Reverend Billy and the Stop Big Boxes Gospel Choir

Traveling Performance ~ $6,000

Reverend Billy, the Stop Big Boxes Gospel Choir and their traveling, mutable, live performance known as The Church of Stop Shopping are determined to use their art to cause people to think about, among other things, how their quotidien choices as consumers impact their fellows around the globe. The Reverend and his choir attain a level of infectiveness that, more often than not, engenders a hearty, "What is THAT?" Found commonly near Wal Marts, in public amphitheaters, and beachside parking lots, the Reverend Billy performs regular "Credit Card Exorcisms" as the Stop Big Boxes Gospel Choir sings local activists and other unsung heroes into "Sainthood."

Targeting communities fighting labor and legislative battles against the puritainizing aggression of the Super Center Invasion the Reverend and his choir are not only raising awareness within these communities, but also providing a means for them to get in touch with one another, and with many of the resources that will serve them in their struggle to fight the good fight.

For more information on The Church of Stop Shopping, where the Reverend Billy will be preaching next, or to memorize the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution visit: www.revbilly.org.

KATE SORENSON'S PUBLIC AMPHITHEATER
Arizona
$2,000

Kate Sorenson has given the Black Rock Arts Foundation the honor of contributing to the creation of an intentional, albeit magical, space in the rural Arizona some 25 miles NE of Flagstaff. A low impact public amphitheater, this piece will echo the remote Arizona landscape, as well as incorporate natural elements indigenous to the area, such as rocks, plant materials, and volcanic cinders into its design. Perched next to a small charter school and on the SW corner of a Navajo reservation this project will draw people together to participate in their present as they build the foundation for future unmitigated and public self-expression.

Somewhere at the heart of this project is the true spirit of creation. All throughout its manifestation and subsequent use as a place for celebration, ritual, art, children’s dance and theater performance, this project is designed to give voice to each participant’s imagination, and to reflect the intensity of their creative investment.

Adriane Colvin
CHARLIE SMITH’S TUNNEL OF TRANSFORMATION
Utah -- $1,400

Adriane Colvin is a co-regional contact for the Utah burn, Synorgy, with the wherewithal to bring Charlie Smith’s Tunnel of Transformation to her event in the Utah dessert.

The Tunnel took her maiden voyage to Black Rock City, NV in 2003 and it burned itself into the hearts and retinas of many. Scribed in a medicine wheel laid of stones stemming from the four corners of this country, the area surrounding the Tunnel is transformed into a ritual space for healing and enlightenment. Here individuals are given time and occasion to interact and reflect with one another, their own self, and to experience the energies of elemental fire they pass through the Tunnel of Transformation.

For a more comprehensive look into Charlie Smith’s artwork visit: www.howhowhow.com