PROGRAMMING & ACTIVITIES
We rely strongly on collaborative fiscal and technical resources to implement our programs, publications and initiatives.
1. Festivals and Art Fairs
PMI produces two annual art festivals, Version and Select Media Festival.
Version, b. 2002
Version
focuses on cutting edge art, media, technology and social
movements. It combines the visual and performing arts with social
activism and creative uses of new technologies. It explores new
aesthetic movements, strategies, and interventions.
Each Version
features more than 100 projects and initiatives and 300-400
participating artists and activists, over 10-16 days. A big part of
Version is the NFO XPO (“info expo”), a trade show bringing together
artists, groups, and organizations to exchange information, art, and
ideas. The NFO XPO exhibits international emerging commercial and
non-commercial arts organizations, including galleries, project spaces,
artist collectives, curatorial groups and publications. Exhibitors are
selected by an independent panel of respected arts professionals. It’
is a model for the future of art fairs melding consumerism, activism
and art.
Past Version themes include Dark Matter, digital
commons, utopian and dystopian uses of technology, parallel art scenes
in global cities, that explore artists’ connections to their
communities. http://www.versionfest.org
Select Media Festival, b. 2001
http://www.selectmediafestival.org
2. Publishing
Proximity Magazine
In April 2008, PMI
started Proximity, an arts and culture magazine. Proximity is an
attempt to fill the void of critical and academic discourse for our
region. Proximity publishes three times a year, and is dedicated to
contemporary art and culture. Its mission is to amplify discourse on
local and global art networks and ecologies. Proximity is also a
critical guide and map – of artists, collectives and alternative
spaces, as well as commercial galleries, museums and universities – to
connect and cultivate sustainable creative communities. “I cannot think
of a more necessary publication in this contemporary art landscape than
Proximity,” said Chicago artist Tony Fitzpatrick.
The new website Proximitymagazine.com is an on-line resource providing selective news, commentary and analysis of the regional contemporary art worlds.
Matériel • Pr • (Con)Temporary Art Guide
Public
Media Institute also co-publishes catalogs and publications for
exhibitions and festival programs using online printing tools and
services for the
artists that it serves.
In 2009 PMI started publishing Pr a local art tabloid that serves the Chicago art community. PMI also started publishing Matériel a visual arts tabloid magazine presenting work by some of the worlds most interesting and innovative, photographers, illustrators and designers. In April 2009 PMI also published the (COn)Temporary Art Guide for Chicago.
Select
Under
the moniker of Select Magazine, we create festival programs, catalogs,
and exhibition documents that provide additional information about the
people and projects in our festivals. Texts and images relating to
festival themes, as well as CD and DVD compilations, are produced.
3. Experimental Cultural Center : Co-Prosperity Sphere C-PS
PMI
creates public gathering spaces for art that is contemporary,
experimental, and participatory.
The Co-Prosperity Sphere (b. 2007) is a 5,000
+ sq ft gallery space in Bridgeport. It is our permanent home and base
of operations. C-PS offers the greater Chicago area unparalleled
opportunities for experiencing innovative art forms in a multi-use facility. In our new space,
PMI continues to present important and challenging work by emerging
and established local, national, and international artists.
4. National and International Exhibition Network
PMI
tours works and projects by Chicago-based artists, musicians, and
cultural workers at art fairs and festivals throughout the world. PMI
also brings artists to Chicago for exhibition, research, and networking
opportunities. Current partnerships with artist groups and organizations in the Netherlands are providing great opportunities for local Chicago artists to visti and research abroad.
Recent collaborations with artists from The Netherlands include the February 2009 Trendbeheer@Art Rotterdam show. An NFO XPO Berln is planned for Fall 2009.
The Co-Prosperity Sphere will be launching its Residency Program in the Fal of 2009.