CANNONBALL LAUNCHES SECOND EDITION OF COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ART IN MIAMI

February 22, 2013 (Miami, FL) Cannonball is proud to announce the second edition of its Community Supported Art (CSA) program. This year’s selected artists are Gonzalo Fuenmayor, Rob Goyanes, Adler Guerrier, Jiae Hwang, Justin Long, Michael Loveland, Silvia Ros, Southernmost Situations (Liz Ferrer and Sebastian Duncan Portuondo), and Marcos Valella. Shares to this innovative program will be available for purchase for $450 on our website starting tomorrow.

What is Community Supported Art? Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture has be­come a popular way for consumers to buy seasonal food directly from local farms. With the same buy-local spirit in mind, Cannonball has brought Community Supported Art to Miami in order to support the city’s growing landscape of cultural producers. This project is modeled on Community Supported Art in Minnesota, created by mnartists.org and Spring­board for the Arts.

Selected from a pool of approximately 100 applicants by a jury of art professionals, participating artists will receive a stipend to create an original limited-edition series artworks. Collectors and art enthusiast who purchase a share will receive nine artworks, one from each of this Season’s artists. The artistic harvest will include limited-edition prints, original drawings and paintings, exclusive performance tickets, video art, and sculptural objects. The shares will be distributed at three pick-up events, which will take place throughout the Spring at neighborhood farms. The pick-up events will allow consumers and artists to visit about the art, while learning about the benefits of local farming and locally sourced food.

The goal of this program is to support artists in the creation of new art, and to enable new relationships between artists and collectors, while offering an alternative model to the art market. The CSA program allows share purchasers to explore a variety of disciplines at an accessible value, while supporting the career of local emerging and mid-career artists.

Shares are available for $450 and can be purchased online at cannonballmiami.org starting March 1^st, 2013 at 12:00 PM EST. This year is a small crop of only 50 shares, so you better hurry and buy your share soon!

About the Organization:

Based in downtown Miami, Cannonball (formerly LegalArt) is a non-profit arts organization known for its advocacy and innovative programs supporting today’s artists. Core initiatives include: SeminArt, providing free educational and professional development services to artists; LegalLink, an in-house legal advice and referral service for artists and arts organizations; and the Residency Program, which offers long-term live/work space for local artists and short-term residencies for visiting cultural producers.

For more information contact:

Dominique Breard at 786-347-2360 or dominique@cannonballmiami.org

November 19, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEGALART UNVEILS NEW IDENTITY

Miami, FL— On the cusp of its ten year anniversary, LegalArt announces its new identity. As of Friday, November 16^th, 2012, the organization’s new name is Cannonball. In addition to sporting a new name, logo, and website, the institution-wide rebranding will present a re-imagined public image that truly reflects the forward-thinking mission of the organization, allowing it to re-position itself within the community in an effort to meet the future needs of artists.

A soft launch of the organization’s new identity took place Friday, November 16 during their annual fundraiser I Heart Art. Over 300 fans of the organization attended the pool-themed event, which spread throughout the organization’s four-story building located at 1035 North Miami Avenue in downtown Miami. Guests were immediately greeted by artist Bhakti Baxter spinning records in his new commissioned installation in the organization’s storefront lobby. The event continued on the second floor with music by DJ Lolo of Sweat Records, a live synchronized swimming performance by Pioneer Winter and guest performers, and a silent auction featuring artists Daniel Arsham, Bhakti Baxter, Christy Gast, Jillian Mayer, George Sanchez-Calderon, Frances Trombly, Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova, and Agustina Woodgate. Guests on the third floor enjoyed delicious backyard barbeque by Mad Man Jack’s and a video projection of the classic swimming pool dive, the cannonball, by Victor Muniz /Peter Vahan Productions. On the fourth floor, sound and video sets by Southernmost Situations and the TM Sisters electrified a lush tropical scene complete with pool-side frozen drinks courtesy of St. Germain and Kryogenifex. Libations were also generously provided by Peroni and Société Perrier.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:

Based in downtown Miami, Cannonball (formerly LegalArt) is a non-profit arts organization known for its advocacy and innovative programs supporting today’s artists. Core initiatives include: SeminArt, providing free educational and professional development services to artists; LegalLink, an in-house legal advice and referral service for artists and arts organizations; and the Residency Program, which offers long-term live/work space for local artists and short-term residencies for visiting cultural producers.

Founded in 2003 by two law students attending the University of Miami, the organization was born from a small, yet inspired idea to provide emerging artists with pro bono legal services. As demand and agency grew, the organization responded by developing a full menu of legal programs central to administering and sustaining long-lasting careers in the arts. Throughout the years, the organization has provided legal advice and referral to hundreds of artists and small arts organizations through its LegalLink Program. Monthly SeminArts have provided a public forum for the open exchange of ideas via educational programs, such as panel discussions, artist talks and workshops, and roundtable debates. In 2010, the organization again responded to a critical need of young artists—affordable studio space—by establishing Miami’s first live/work residency program. The Residency Program is a unique model insofar as it integrates national and international cultural producers (writers, curators, designers, arts professionals, architects, etc.) into an environment of local artists participating in year-long residencies. As a result, the program serves as an active catalyst for innovative thinking, professional networking, and cultural production.

Cannonball programming is generously funded, in part, by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.

The rebranding initiative is led by the innovative team of SuperMarket Creative (www.supermarketcreative.com)

MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACT:
Dominique Breard, Program Coordinator
splash@cannonballmiami.org
Office: 786.347.2360
1035 North Miami Avenue
Suite 200
Miami, FL 33136

www.cannonballmiami.org (coming soon!)

Five local cultural producers have been selected to participate in the third year of Miami’s only live/work residency program, located in Downtown Miami. The selected participants—Felecia Carlisle, Domingo Castillo, Olivia Ramos, Amanda Sanfilippo, and Reed van Brunschot—will be part of the year-long program, starting February 2013.

As part of LegalArt’s Local Residency Program, each resident receives a 600 square-foot private studio and shares a common dining and lounge area, specifically designed to foster an open exchange of ideas and to develop new professional opportunities and collaborations. Residents also receive free access to educational and professional development programs created  expressly for their individual needs and interests, legal counseling and referral services, and organized studio visits with leading experts in their fields. Participants’ experiences are further enhanced by a constant infusion of artists, writers, curators, and performers, among other creative professionals, partaking in LegalArt’s Visiting Residency Program. Every two-three months, LegalArt welcomes two national and international visiting residents, each charged with presenting research and projects relevant to the social and cultural context of Miami.

LegalArt’s Local Residency Program is the city’s first and only highly subsidized live/work facility for Miami artists. Launched in 2010, the residency program was established in response to the city’s limited inventory of affordable studio and residential space for artists. The Program is generously funded, in part, by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.

To participate in the highly competitive Local Residency Program, individuals were invited through an open-call process to apply online via LegalArt’s website (www.legalartmiami.org). Applications were reviewed by a selection panel consisting of local and national artists and museum professionals. From the applicant pool, panelists identified ten finalists with which to conduct studio visits in order to meet the applicants and experience their work firsthand. Of the ten finalists, five were offered residencies for 2013. This year’s selection panel consisted of:

• Naomi Fisher, artist
• René Morales, Associate Curator, Miami Art Museum
• Brandi Reddick, Communications and Artists Manager, Art in Public Places, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
• Chana Sheldon, Executive Director, Locust Projects, Miami
• Shannon Stratton, Executive & Creative Director, threewalls, Chicago

The 2013 LegalArt Local Residents are:

Felecia Carlisle: A native Floridian, Felecia Carlisle maintains a multidisciplinary studio art practice, incorporating video, photography, sculpture, and performance in order to investigate the complex relationship between real and virtual space. Her work has been exhibited in numerous national and international galleries, museums, and public spaces, including a recent solo exhibition at Dorsch Gallery, Miami, and group shows at the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa; Miami Art Museum; Dimensions Variable, Miami; and Sixth Street Container, Miami. Her work is also part of the Martin Z. Margulies Collection in Miami. Carlisle received an MFA from the New Genres Department at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Domingo Castillo: A multidisciplinary artist focusing on site- and situation-specific performance, Domingo Castillo’s work highlights the importance of human experience, interaction, and communication. Through his performances he adopts various social and professional roles, testing the audience’s reaction to his subversion of standardized behavior. Castillo has received numerous awards, including the South Florida Consortium (2012), Miami New Times Mastermind Grants (2012), and Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Artist Grant for Open Process (2011), and has led various workshops and lectures at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, and Florida International University, amongst others. He has also participated in residency programs at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, ME; Banff Centre, Canada; SOMA, Mexico City; General Practice, Miami; and PipsWork, Providence, RI.

Olivia Ramos: Born in Havana, Cuba, Olivia Ramos’s creative practice is a cross-pollination of visual art and urban development. Through myriad visual language, Ramos maps historical and predictive information in order to identify practical solutions to urban density increase. Currently, Ramos is developing a data-imaging project for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, in collaboration with artist Nicolas Lobo. Ramos is a partner at neon ARCHITECTURE, which was recently selected by General Micro Grids to produce architectural concepts for sustainable art communities. Ramos holds a Masters degree in Real Estate Development + Urbanism from the University of Miami and a Master of Architecture from Columbia University. She currently leads a studio class on sustainability and finance at Florida International University.

Amanda Sanfilippo: A writer and cultural producer focusing on contemporary art and institutions, Amanda Sanfilippo has been engaged in significant independent and professional exhibition projects, public programs, and lectures surrounding non-profit organizations since 2006. She has published over fifteen distinct pieces of writing on contemporary art, including an original book, catalogue essays, print and online articles, and reviews, and has realized over twenty exhibitions both independently and collaboratively. Having gained experience in major institutions such as Creative Time and the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City, and BCA Center in Burlington, Vermont, Sanfilippo currently develops exhibitions and programs at Locust Projects, Miami. She is the Miami correspondent for ArtSlant and a regular contributor to The Miami Rail. Sanfilippo completed her MA in Contemporary Art from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London, in February 2012.

Reed van Brunschot: Reed van Brunschot employs sculpture, installation, performance, painting, and video to re-materialize every-day objects into unfamiliar states of being. Through subtle yet unexpected modifications to objects placed in transitional and public spaces, van Brunschot captures her audience with nostalgic reminders. Coming from a Peruvian and Dutch decent, her international experience has led her to develop a broad, multi-cultural understanding of visual language and culture. Van Brunschot holds a BFA from the Reitveld Academy in Amsterdam.

Images of the artists and their work are available upon request.

About LegalArt:
Based in downtown Miami, LegalArt is a non-profit arts organization known for its advocacy and innovative programs supporting today’s artists. Core initiatives include: SeminArt, providing free educational and professional development services to artists; LegalLink, an in-house legal advice and referral service for artists and arts organizations; and the Residency Program, which offers long-term live/work space for local artists and short-term residencies for visiting cultural producers. For more information, please visit us at www.legalartmiami.org.

MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACT: Dominique Breard, Program Coordinator, LegalArt
dominique@legalartmiami.org or 786.347.2360

Situation Range
Friday, May 25, 2012
8:00-11:00 pm
LegalArt
1035 N Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33136

Miami, FL—LegalArt is pleased to present Situation Range, an exhibition of video-based works by national and international artists. Organized by the curatorial collective Southernmost Situations, the exhibition will occupy the second and fourth floors of the LegalArt building, as well as The Corner bar, aptly located on the Northwest corner of the LegalArt building. On view for one night only Friday, May 25 from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm, Situation Range features video-based sculptures and installations, and a looped reel of short videos.

As a relatively familiar and accessible medium, video art has the power to frame, communicate, and present a broad range of topical issues, whether through traditional linear narratives or timeless abstraction. The works in this exhibition are brought together to illustrate the expansive nature of video art and its seemingly boundless capacity to effectively present in terms of formal and visual content. Video as a geographical, cultural, linguistic, technological, domestic, ethnographical, political, historical, and art historical record, among other subjects, are all represented in Situation Range.

Featured artists include: Nicholas Arehart, Hannes Bend, Reed van Brunschot, Clifton Childree, Cynthia Cruz, Orlando Estrada, Christine de la Garenne, Richard Haden & Bill Bilowit, Moira Holohan, Tatiana Istomina, Jordan Marty, Patrick Moser, Ania Moussawel, Crystal Pearl, Alice Raymond, Dylan Römer, Lindsay Scoggins, Magnus Sigurdarson, TM Sisters, A.G. Viva, and Antonia Wright.

The exhibition begins with How Many Miles, a video by Crystal Pearl shot at the southernmost point of the U.S—the birthplace of Southernmost Situations. Coupled with audio from a market in Cuba, the imagery in How Many Miles exudes a deep-seeded nostalgia prevalent in Miami for home, family, and absent cultural values. ANKERN, by German artist Christine de la Garenne, is a montage of underwater anchor footage, serving as a visual metaphor of calm, rest, and refuge in stormy seas. Ania Moussawel’s Twice Fried Plantains delivers a cinematic documentation of the process of making tostones, a staple in Latin-American cuisine. Artist Dylan Römer will launch his smartphone application, Time Piles, to create a new video on site that employs real-time footage to explore issues of displacement, memory, and altered states of consciousness. Orlando Estrada’s Tahiti sarcastically exaggerates the instant capabilities of art-making by presenting a ready-made that isn’t really a video, but simply moving imagery.

German artist Hannes Bend’s installation Essence is composed of collected footage from an iPad photobooth at a Miami Beach bar, a piece of the recently burned down “Senator” tree, and a performing go-go dancer. The “Senator” was the fifth oldest living tree, at more than 3,500 years old, until a woman burned it down while doing meth. The go-go dancer alludes to Felix Gonzalez Torres’ Untitled (Go-Go Dancing Platform), 1991, and references a recently publicized “tree-hugger” at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival.

Richard Haden and Bill Bilowit’s Sundays, puppies, nails, the rest documents another facet of social realism. Haden collects videos of Miami’s drug addicted prostitutes in various states of their comfort, which Bilowit then edits into short segments. The organic process dictates the filters and transitions Bilowit uses, interjecting subtle abstractions into the sometimes hard to watch segments.

Nicholas Arehart’s Speech uses a simple effect to create an obvious political statement, using a recording of a congressional speech. Tatiana Istomina’s Historical inquiry: Primary Source Analysis and Lindsay Scoggins’ Challenger both use found recordings and technological techniques to portray different events, questioning the validity of historical documentation.

French artist Alice Raymond’s Cinema dissects cinematic elements such as cinematography, soundtrack, narrative, and dialogue in a purposefully obscure manner. The importance of linguistics and their translation is romantically explored through French narration and its translation via sources such as Google Translator and Raymond’s francophone friends. What’s lost in translation depends on the extent of one’s understanding of the original French narration. Dark cinematography and a soundtrack to nothing also investigate the significance of their own roles. Jordan Marty’s Some Song uses highly filtered footage from a “King of the Hill” cartoon episode as source material for a sculptural and hypnotizing colorful video loop. A CRT monitor sits on a rug on the floor, as if awaiting its next source of attention.

TM Sisters’ video Lite Nite Shimmer captures and projects an energy that implies equal hierarchy between the “battle and celebration” of night and day through the use of spectacular editing and effects. A.G. Viva’s installation Eclipsed recreates the perception of a cosmic phenomenon with the use of a mirror ball, an icon of celebration, and projected video alongside a hologram-like video performance by the artist that uses physicality as a means of energy transfer. The theatrical role of the artist is both the creator of the piece as well as the space for which energy and attention is transferred. This role is complicated by the S&M gimp mask being worn, which eclipses the physical identity while establishing a level of objectification.

On the second floor, a looped reel presents the works of Reed van Brunschot, Cynthia Cruz, Moira Holohan, Patrick Moser, Magnus Sigurdarson, and Antonia Wright. At The Corner bar, Clifton Childree’s We Want Beer is appropriately situated amidst drinkers. It taunts and tempts with repetition at the aesthetic intersection between analog nostalgia and digital means. After the opening, The Corner bar will offer drink specials inspired by the theme of the exhibition.

LegalArt’s programs are generously supported and made possible with the support of the Knight Foundation and Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. We would like to express special thanks to Dorsch Gallery. The opening reception sponsored by Peroni, Little Black Dress Vodka and Perrier.

Image: Crystal Pearl, still from “How Many Miles”, 2012 1.28 minute loop video

For further information contact:
Dominique Breard
info@legalartmiami.org 786.347.2360     

The Miami artists – Patricia Hernandez, Jiae Hwang, Lucas Leyva, Jillian Mayer, and Pioneer Winter – will benefit from sharing affordable studio and living space with fellow artists, curators, and writers. In addition to the local artist incubator program, the LegalArt residency includes visiting artists, writers, and curators from around the world. Upcoming visiting residents include Trong Nguyen, Richard Hogland, Amy Von Harrington, Erik Smith, Simon Vega, Paula Urbano, and Hannes Bend. Each local artist will participate in a give-back project in order to assist LegalArt in its mission to empower artists.

The 2012 LegalArt Local Residents are:

Patricia Hernandez: a born collaborator and her work with the nomadic artist-run project space the end/SPRING BREAK is a natural manifestation of her prowess in mutually inclusive relationships. Patricia will be using Legal Art as a centered headquarter for producing dynamic programming for collaborations between artists and community members in the ultimate goal of stimulating dialogue and developing new modes of considering issues in contemporary art and culture within South Florida. Programming will include lectures, exhibitions, site-specific projects, educational workshops and more. For more information please visit htt://end-springbreak.com/.

Jiae Hwang: an interdisciplinary artist dealing in a broad spectrum of media from traditional drawings to video and multimedia installations who seeks to create new ways to engage with viewers. One upcoming project includes creating an e-book and e-readers to showcase artwork and writing for artists. In addition, she will include LegalArt in the project by helping to document LegalArt in e-book platform. Jiae will facilitate new media solution workshops for artists as well. http://www.jiaehwang.com

Lucas Leyva: a founder and current director of the Borscht Film Festival, Lucas seeks to create narratives that exist in the gritty magical reality of Miami and (re)defines his idiosyncratic generation of local first-generation Hispanic Americans, he also strives to establish and develop a local independent film community and an audience to support it. Lucas wil be writing and producing his first feature film while in residence. http://www.lucasleyva.com

Jillian Mayer: is inspired by the juxtaposition of artificial and the real. Using drawing, photography, video, installation, and performance she critiques the dissonance between her childhood optimism and the state of contemporary culture with an erudite playfulness. Jillian will be working on an internet show that will include local artists and art students in all levels of the production. http://www.jillianmayer.net

Pioneer Winter: the focus of his work resides in the intersecting properties of contemporary dance and theater to channel topics of social awareness through functional multimedia and film. A dancer and choreographer by training, he fuses movement to convey complex scenarios in ways that foster easy audience absorption. His projects find their niche in the portability of the messages and the way the themes discussed, maintain significance and identification within the current social climate. Pioneer will assist artists with professional skills such as grant writing, organization, marketing, and media relations. http://vimeo.com/pioneerwinter