Press Release: Pop The Champagne Corks!

01.18.05

Media Contact: Libby D. Tilley

t 210 212 4900 x122

f 210 212 4990

ltilley@artpace.org

www.artpace.org

San Antonio, TX – Blow up the balloons, hang the streamers, and light the candles – Artpace San Antonio is celebrating a hallmark year in 2005: its 10-year anniversary! To mark this important milestone, Artpace has planned celebratory activities in Texas and New York complementing the organization's innovative visual arts programs. Artpace founder and trustee Linda Pace says, "To reach the 10-year mark and witness the overwhelming support Artpace has received from the contemporary art world is extremely gratifying."

Artists Salute Artpace (ASAp), a one-time celebratory Artpace benefit auction, will be held at the world-renowned Christie?auction house, on Monday, April 18, 2005 in New York, NY. Former International Artist-in-Residence (IAIR) participants and select Hudson (Show)Room artists will be asked to donate a work of art to benefit Artpace. This unique auction will bring together artwork by a range of Artpace?impressive roster of artists for one night only. ASAp will be chaired by noted contemporary art community leaders and Artpace board members Jeanne Klein and Toby Devan Lewis. To reiterate the importance of artists in the mission of Artpace, celebrated artists Isaac Julien and Jim Hedges will serve as Artist Co-Chairs of the event.

Events closer to home will address the importance the San Antonio community has played in the success of Artpace. A birthday bash and family day will be held at Artpace on Saturday, April 2, 2005 complete with family-friendly art activities led by Artpace educators and Chicago-based artist Diana Guerrero-Maci‡, whose work will be on view the Hudson (Show)Room. To culminate the year-long celebration, a gala benefiting Artpace will be held at the CAMPstreet residence of Linda Pace in early November.

"In the past ten years Artpace has evolved from being an innovative proposition to an established and respected venue for artists and curators alike," says Kathryn Kanjo, Executive Director, Artpace. "We? hopeful this coming year the community will access our initiatives which provide educational and public programs of the highest quality."

A new image campaign with an updated logo and enhanced website design to debut on January 24, 2005 will encompass a long history of successful programming in addition to incorporating the change of infrastructure by emphasizing the involvement of a governing board which was established in 2003.

To date, 107 artists from around the globe have participated in IAIR, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. IAIR allows artists to conceive and create pivotal art projects during their 2-month residency. Many of the artists go on to achieve international acclaim. Since its opening in 1995, twenty Artpace alums and their work have been part of the Whitney Museum's biennial surveys of contemporary American art. In 2004 alone, 13 former Artpace residents were represented in that exhibition, and most recently, Jeremy Deller was awarded the prestigious Turner Prize for a work he created during a 2003 residency at Artpace.

About Artpace

Artpace San Antonio serves as an advocate for contemporary art and as a catalyst for the creation of significant art projects. We seek to nurture emerging and established artists and to provide opportunities for inspiration, experimentation, and education. Our programs support the evolution of new ideas in contemporary art and cultivate diverse audiences while providing a forum for ongoing dialogue.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available on the corner of Savings and N. Flores streets. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, Thursday, 12-8 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.

Programs at Artpace are made possible through the generous support of individual donors and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, Texas Commission on the Arts, ƒtant donnŽs: the French-American Fund for Contemporary Art, City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Edouard Foundation.

445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org