I’m part of the upcoming Twitter/Art+Social Media exhibition at the Diane Farris Gallery this spring with a group of 40 international and local artists. This is is an exhibition of work by artists who use social media for the inspiration, production or presentation of their work. Here’s an image of the piece that I will exhibit at the show. Two of the panels are inscribed with text from Artistrun blog posts, including how it was co-founded by Dr. Lycia Trouton and me in 2000.

Artistrun Posts I, Liza J. Lee

Press release for Twitter/Art+Social Media Exhibition at Diane Farris Gallery:

Exhibition: April 1 – May 1, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 1, 6 – 8 pm

Diane Farris Gallery is pleased to present Twitter/Art+Social Media, a juried exhibition of work by artists using social media for inspiration, production and presentation of their work. The exhibition concept evolved from an original idea by Mia Johnson who has a PhD on the emergence of the Internet as a vehicle for artists and has been responsible for the gallery’s website since 2004.

As an early adopter of the Internet, Diane Farris Gallery has been interested in its possibilities since the creation of the gallery website in 1996, when less than 1% of the world population was online. Through Twitter/Art+Social Media, the gallery examines how social media is affecting the practice of artists who use it to share feedback and promote their artwork, organize shows and produce art collaboratively.

With 80 – 100 artworks by over 40 artists from across Canada and abroad, Twitter/Art+Social Media showcases a broad spectrum of influences of social media. While some artists draw their subject matter or medium from social media, others are working in more traditional forms and using social media to promote and display their work. The result is an exhibition that brings together works as diverse as painting, photography, video and sound to show how the artist’s practices are shifting.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a forum on art and social media on Diane Farris Gallery’s newly launched blog, www.dianefarrisgallery.com/blog. The blog will also feature various web-based artworks through out the duration of the exhibition. The gallery will use the blog, Facebook and Twitter to announce performances and events in and around the gallery.

About the show, curator Lili Vieira de Carvalho states:

“We are very excited about this project. The involvement of Vancouver’s artists with social media came very clear to me during the protests against the cuts for arts in BC last summer. Artists got organized through Facebook and Twitter to get together and share ideas. That has been a big leap from the old view of artists being isolated in their studios. Now they share working spaces, organize exhibitions, and get feedback and ideas – with social media being a huge facilitator.”

The artworks in the show were selected by a multidisciplinary committee from submissions to the gallery’s open call during February. The selection committee was composed of Lili Vieira de Carvalho, curator of the show and Associate Director at Diane Farris Gallery; Kris Krug, photographer and web strategist; Dr. Maria Lantin, Director of the Intersections Digital Studios (IDS) research centre at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design; and Hank Bull, the Executive Director at Centre A.

The gallery hopes this exhibition will become a catalyst for other groups and institutions to further explore the topic.

Liza J. Lee is the Co-founder and Blogger for Artistrun ArtConverge.

© 2010 ArtConverge (ISSN 1918-9273‏)

As a former high school teacher, 27-year old Monika Blichar, founder and owner of MAB Ventures Inc., is well-positioned to focus on youth arts in order to combat the high youth unemployment rate as the Canadian economy enters a “jobless recovery”. The 2010 federal budget earmarked an additional $178 million this year to support work-sharing agreements and youth employment in its Youth Employment Strategy program. The BC budget also established a new 2010 Sports and Arts Legacy fund, which will allocate $10 million to the arts for the next three years; youth arts is eligible for this new grant.

While the under 30 year old segment experiences double the jobless rate to Canada’s unemployment rate of 8.3% (February 2010), Monika Blichar (BA in English and French), started MAB Ventures as a solution to her own professional struggles and to help alleviate high youth unemployment in the Vancouver region.

Blichar’s vision through MAB Ventures is to provide arts and entertainment fundraising events. Her company is in the process of obtaining a large commercial space in the Vancouver area that would accommodate workshops, a retail gallery, work studios and regular art show fundraisers. She previously rented the Vancouver Aquarium for a one-night art fundraiser and has now booked and paid for one day at Science World.

“One World Art Show and Haiti Fundraiser”
MAB Ventures’ upcoming project is One World Art Show and Haiti Fundraiser on May 1, 2010 at Science World, with an exhibition area of 4,275 square meters. Monika chose Science World as it could accommodate over 60 artists, who will be showing and selling their photography, paintings, sculptures and other visual mediums to a large audience. The landmark geodesic dome was also selected as it is a non-profit organization that engages and inspires visitors in science and culture, as seen with momentous events such as Expo Centre during the 1986 world fair, while providing education and hands-on learning.

Urgent Aid Still Needed for Catastrophic Haiti Earthquake
Blichar chose Haiti youths for the One World benefit as relief continues to be urgent in the devastated country. The January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti was a 7.0 magnitude quake. Its epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless. The death toll is expected to rise.

To help rebuild Haiti, MAB Ventures will focus on its youth. Haiti is a young country with an estimated 70% of the population under 30; the 15-to-29 segment alone makes up 50% of the population. Although Haiti registers among the lowest levels of education in the Western Hemisphere, Haitian youth are a wellspring of creativity, talent and potential. By donating directly to Haiti’s youth for employment opportunities, MAB Ventures is contributing to the rebuilding of the Haiti’s infrastructure for today and tomorrow.

One World Fundraiser Promotion by Artistrun.org Co-Founders
One of the sponsors for the One World fundraiser is Artistrun.org, through its co-founders, Liza J. Lee and Dr. Lycia Trouton. Liza J. Lee recently provided social media and PR for Andy Everson, an Aboriginal artist who was interviewed by Chris Morrow of CNN and Shaw TV with Fiona during Winter Olympics 2010 for his limited edition art prints, presented to Canada’s gold medalists. Artistrun.org has been recognized for its contribution to the arts in Vancouver. Its blog posts about its co-founders are inscribed in a painting by Liza J. Lee for the Diane Farris Gallery, one of the top commercial galleries in Vancouver, for an exhibition from April 1 to May 1, 2010 called “Twitter/Art+Social Media”. This unique exhibition showcases work by artists who use social media for the inspiration, production or presentation of their work. Liza has also donated an original painting for the silent auction of the One World Art Show and Haiti Fundraiser.

Liza J. Lee (BA English Literature) is a digital media arts expert, online marketer, social media strategist and visual artist. Dr. Lycia Trouton is a sculptor, arts interviewer / presenter-writer / critic and educator. By 1991, at age 24, she had obtained her MFA in sculpture at one of the top graduate schools in the USA, Cranbrook. She migrated to Australia, obtaining her Doctorate in 2006. She trained as a TV presenter-interviewer at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts (N.I.D.A.) in Sydney. Trouton’s regional radio arts program, ”Kick in the Arts!” airs on 103.7 City Park Radio, Launceston this April.

MAB Ventures Seeks Sponsorship for Youth Arts in Vancouver
Monika Blichar of MAB Ventures is looking for business sponsorships that support her vision of “youth arts for progressive social change” such as with Artistrun.org. Another example of the kind of sponsorship MAB Ventures is seeking is the Elements T-shirts prizes donated to the fundraiser. Elements represent the conscious skateboard market, with a “commitment to social + environmental awareness”, a synergistic platform to reach the youth market.

For more information about MAB Ventures youth arts initiatives in Vancouver and the May 1, 2010 One World Art Show and Haiti Fundraiser, contact Monika below.

Media Contact:
Monika Blichar
MAB Ventures Inc.
Vancouver, BC
604-999-6177
monika_blichar@hotmail.com

See past blog posts about One World at Science World.

Liza J. Lee is the Co-founder and Blogger for Artistrun ArtConverge.

© 2010 ArtConverge (ISSN 1918-9273‏)