The People’s Biennial

The People’s Biennial
July 9 – September 18, 2011 (10 weeks)
Organized & Toured by Independent Curators International (ICI);
Curated by Harrell Fletcher & Jens Hoffmann

The People’s Biennial is a response to the fact that many so-called “national” exhibitions in the United States focus primarily on art from a few major cities. An even larger problem is the art world’s exclusivity, which has turned the spaces where art is produced and exhibited into privileged havens detached from the realities of everyday life. In contrast, this exhibition will display work originating from overlooked locales by artists who have not had significant exposure. Five geographically widespread institutions have been selected to participate: The Portland Institute of Contemporary Art; The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art; Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania; and The Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. The curators will visit each community to choose five artists who will then contribute work to a nationally-touring exhibition accompanied by a full-color catalogue. As both exhibition and experiment, The People’s Biennial offers a model for community-based, grassroots projects to live and thrive on a national stage.
Participating Artists

From Winston-Salem, North Carolina (and environs)
Sylvia Gray (with the Elsewhere Collaborative)
Jonathan Lindsay
Raymond Mariani
Jim McMillan
Jennifer McCormick
Presley H. Ward

From Portland, Oregon (and environs)
Ally Drozd with Judge Evans and the Portland Community Court
Warren Hatch
Ellen Lesperance
Dennis Newell
David Rosenak
JJ Ross
Rudy Speerschneider

From Scottsdale, Arizona (and environs)
Gary Freitas
Jim Grosbach
David Hoelzinger
Beatrice Moore and The Mutant Piñata Show
Joseph Perez
Andrea Sweet
Paul Wilson

From Rapid City, South Dakota (and environs)
Caleb Belden
Mary Bordeaux
Nicole Harvieux
Jake Herman
Bob Newland
Bernie Peterson
Bruce Price
James Wallner

From Haverford, Pennsylvania (and environs)
Laura Deutch
Jorge Figueroa
Maiza Hixson
Howard Kleger
Cymantha Diaz Liakos
Alan Massey
Andrew Sgarlet
Robert Smith-Shabazz

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