Hello!
We are WCA – Women’s Caucus for Art, a 41-year old arts & activism volunteer-run not-for-profit organization, which has also been an NGO of the United Nations since 1975. We have 1200+ members nationwide. The President of LuXun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang, China invited our International Caucus group to create an art-based cultural exchange with Chinese women artists. This exciting project will take place at the Academy in April 2014! Eighteen of us are actively developing this exchange and exhibition. We need your help to succeed.
The project is titled Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art
(wondering what Social Practice Art is??? - you are not alone – keep reading!)
We really need your help!
- to subsidize travel for the delegation of WCA members who will
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share our lives through our universal artist perspectives
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explore contemporary art practice in different cultures
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build community with Chinese women artists in Shenyang
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encourage mutual understanding in ways that transcend language barriers
- to purchase technology to support the events developed by our American delegation
- to create the catalog that will include the art works and essays from US art historians and writers
Women artists and writers throughout history have received little or no acknowledgement or compensation, and have had to shoulder many of their own costs.
We want to help these women participate in this worthwhile exchange by giving them financial support. No work will be for sale at this exhibition. DONATE TODAY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN! Your name will be added to our Wall of Gratitude and you will receive our other perks to thank your for your assistance.
Sixteen women will be chosen to participate in this dedicated delegation. We have to GET THEM TO CHINA! (As well as all the art!) The costs are challenging but completely doable with you help.
![]( "LuXun Academy of Fine Arts")
WHO ARE THESE WOMEN?
Artists will be juried by Alma Ruiz, Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Essayists will be selected by Terri Weissman, Ph.D, Assistant Professor/Art History: Modern and Contemporary Art and History of Photography, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (Find out more about them below). Sixteen WCA members will make up the working delegation that will travel to Shenyang for the interactive components of this project.
This project includes a joint exhibition for Chinese women artists curated by Beijing –based artist and curator Yin Ou Zhao and self-identified women artists juried through WCA. The catalog will include selected essays around the topic of contemporary art practices.
Both of these aspects of the project - the cultural exchange and the exhibition - collectively form a piece of social practice art (okay, ready for that definition?)
Definition: Social Practice Art
Social practice art encompasses a wide range of art forms - public art,interactive media, performance, dialogue, activism, community practice, community building, interventions, and collaborations that cross art, public and social arenas. It is participatory, creates social networks, and brings attention to social issues through interactive components.
WHAT TYPE OF ART WILL BE EXHIBITED?
New Media
Innovative work that uses technology, such as digital imaging, animation, video art, sound art, video games, some of which will printed at the Academy.
Installation
Small and large environments, and light and sound-based work
Social Practice Art Documentation
Since most of this art is action-based, interactive and short-lived, it is often well-documented through photos, video and writing. Artists will be able to submit this documentation for consideration in this exhibition and as stimulus for discussion between our delegation and the Chinese artists.
Traditional Art
Includes painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, collage,
And all of this needs your help in getting to China!
WHO ARE WE?
Women’s Caucus for Art www.nationalwca.org
International Caucus of the Women’s Caucus for Art wcainternationalcaucus.weebly.com
Link to our most recent international project - Woman + Body, a collaboration with Korean artists in South Korea, Fall 2012. Woman + Body Exhibition
Here are some of the fabulous people involved:
![]( "Jing Deng")
Jing Deng - WCA International Caucus China Liaison, native of China, now living & working in the New Jersey, Jing's website, and childhood friend of Yin Ou Zhao
![]( "Yin Ou Zhao")
Yin Ou Zhao - Half the Sky Chinese Curator, artist, graduated from LuXun Academy, lives in Beijing. Her father, a famous Chinese art professor, taught Er Wei Shen
![]( "Wei Er Shen")
Wei Er Shen - President of LuXun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang. He invited WCA's Interntional Caucus to create this project LuXun wiki page
![]( "Sherri Cornett")
Sherri Cornett - Half the Sky Director and Chair of WCA's International Caucus, artist living in Montana, accepted this invitation and pulled together an enthusiastic and talented group of women to make this happen. www.sherricornett.com
![]( "Alma Ruiz, Juror for Art, Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art")
Alma Ruiz - Half the Sky Juror for Art, Senior Curator, Museum of a Contemporary Art, Los Angeles www.moca.org, Alma's LinkedIn page
![]( "Terri Weissman")
Terri Weissman, Half the Sky Juror/Editor for Essays, Assistant Professor, Art History: Modern and Contemporary Art and History of Photography, University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, Terri's Academic Bio
![]( "Priscilla Otani")
Priscilla Otani - current WCA President, Half the Sky Project Advisor and artist living in San Francisco, www.mrpotani.com
![]( "Alli Berman")
Alli Berman - WCA National Board Member,Chair, Half the Sky Publicity and Fundraising, artist living in New York, www.alliberman.com
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Sandra Mueller - WCA National Board Member, Half the Sky Juror Search/Events/Catalog, artist and creativity guide living in Malibu www.beartrageous.com
![]( "Karen Gutfreund")
Karen Gutfreund - WCA National Exhibitions Chair, Half the Sky Logistics/Administrative, living in California, karengutfreund.com
![]( "Krista Jiannacopolous")
Krista Jiannacopolous - WCA National Board Member, Half the Sky Publicity/Research, artist living in Los Angeles www.krista-art.com
![]( "Sal Sidner")
Sal Sidner - Half the Sky Fundraising/Publicity, artist living in Florida http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/249016-sal-sidner?tab=PROFILE
WHY SHOULD YOU FUND US? WHERE WOULD THE MONEY GO?
In its constitution, UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organization - states that "art plays an important part in education and that artists, by their works, may influence the conception of the world held by all people, and particularly by youth"... Art also "reflects, preserves and enriches the cultural identity and spiritual heritage of the various societies, constitutes a universal form of expression and communication and, as a common denominator in ethnic, cultural or religious differences, brings home to everyone the sense of belonging to the human community."
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$36,000 Wow! Yes! Huge bucks!
This would fund our whole project! - Travel costs + room/board for the delegation; tech equipment to support the events that will build transcend language barriers, build relationships, create understanding and community; design and print catalogs for all participants, Chinese dignitaries and generous donors like you, gifts for our Chinese hosts, design and printing of signage, shipping subsidies for artists selected for the exhibition.
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$24,000 Yes! Still a huge number!
Travel costs for US artists in delegation- We will have 15 working delegates traveling from the US to Shenyang, China and back. Current price estimates for roundtrip flights are $1600 from either the east or west coast. We dream about covering the whole cost of flights for each delegate and your donation can guarantee at least a partial subsidy for each artist.
- $6000 Our minimum goal for this campaign!
Room & board for full delegation, $100 travel stipends for each delegate, editing/printing/shipping of catalog to participants/donors, tech equipment (hard drives, computer pad, converters, speakers), baggage fees for tech equipment/catalogs/gifts, art materials for events, gifts for our hosts, printing of signage/posters/postcards
Roundtrip flight for one delegate to Shenyang, China
$100 travel stipends for 15 delegates
Design, translation, printing and shipping the full-color, bi-lingual catalog for the exhibition part of this exchange. The catalog will include images of all art included in the exhibiiton, short bios and contact information about each artist, essays about contemporary art practices by women by selected art historians and authors. We will be setting this up on lulu.com for print-on-demand, but we wish to give one free printed catalog to each artists and essayist in the catalog, to each of our Chinese hosts and to those donors who give $250 or more.
External hard drives for new media works to be presented in the exhibition, speakers, electrical converters, power strips, computer tablet for sending “real time” posts and videos and for connecting to artists back in the US
Extra baggage fees to bring tech equipment, catalogs & gifts with us to Shenyang
Design and printing of gifts for the Chinese artists and our hosts at LuXun Academy of Fine Arts - we are thinking certificates and caps. Gift-giving is an important component of the Chinese culture - especially as a way of saying thank you.
Art materials for collaborative projects & events between our delegation and the Chinese artists
One external hard drive that will hold new media works (remember this term described above under What Types of Art Will Be Exhibited?)
Room and board at LuXun Academy for one delegate during the duration of the exchange
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP AND PARTICIPATE
Spread the word!
Share with your contacts.
Join WCA. WCA Membership Application
Submit to the exhibition. http://wcainternationalcaucus.weebly.com/call-for-art-half-the-sky-intersections-in-social-practice-art.html
Submit an essay. http://wcainternationalcaucus.weebly.com/call-for-essays-half-the-sky-intersections-in-social-practice-art.html
