Boston is simply the best town ever.

LA can have the Olympics, we have something totally way cooler than that - the Boston Biennial!

And as trend-makers and others in the know are well aware, 2016 will usher in the 4th and most ambitious incarnation of this beloved local institution.

Steeped in the tradition of our charming seaside village, the BB4 will build on solid foundations of bank robbery and creative cussing to bring the world a Biennial that only Boston could produce.

And we can't do it without you. Because you're an artist aren't you? Well, then, what are you waiting for, a frigging written invitation?

Submit your work here, and add your vision to the colossus that will be the BB4. If your work is selected by the jurors for inclusion in the BB4, it will be displayed on a digital projection for the entire month of April 2016 at the BB4's primary venue, Altantic Works Gallery, a member-run collective and artist community that is far too sexy for Milan, New York, and Japan.

And if your work is one of the multitude of prize winners, you will invited to display your winning piece in the gallery in it's fleshy 3D entirety as well. There will be (at least) two gala champagne receptions during the course of the Biennial - which all included artists will be invited too.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE BOSTON BIENNIAL 4

We know (from hard experience) that artists just love to wait until the last possible moment to respond to calls for entry. But there are great reasons to break from this time-honored tradition and enter the BB4 early.

For one thing, if your entry is completed by 12/31/16, you will benefit form the Early Bird Special Entry Fee of $30 for 3 entries, and $5 for each additional entry! After 12/31/15 the entry price will go up by $5.

Even more important, you will have a much better chance of having your work promoted as part of the publicity for the BB4. We feature an entry of the day every day during the entire entry period - sending a chosen image out on FB to several thousand people - and linking to the entrant's website or facebook page. Additionally, we send out Entry Sampler Email Blasts several times during the lead up to the contest, highlighting some of the most interesting work that we have received.

Near the end of the entry period we are swamped with the number of replies, whereas at the beginning is much slower - greatly increasing your chances of being included in one of these publicity vehicles. Not to mention that your image could be selected to appear on a postcard or a poster for BB4!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE BOSTON BIENNIAL 4

Read the full Boston Biennial 4 Prospectus including juror info here:

The Biennial Project is proud and excited to announce an open call to artists worldwide for Boston Biennial 4 - an online juried competition and digital presentation being held at Atlantic Works Gallery in tony East Boston this spring!!

Submit your work, and add your vision to the colossus that will be the Boston Biennial 4.

If your work is selected it will be shown on The Biennial Project website and in a blog posting reaching 40,000 (yes, really) very important people of influence in the art world. You know - The Big Wigs.

If your work is selected by the jurors for inclusion in the BB4, it will also be displayed on a digital projection for the entire month of April 2016 at the BB4's primary venue, Atlantic Works Gallery, a member-run collective and artist community that is far too sexy for Berlin, New York, and Abu Dhabi.

And if your work is one of the 20 prize winners chosen by 20 Special Prize Jurors*, you will invited to display your winning piece in the gallery in it's fleshy 3D entirety as well. There will be 2 (at least) gala receptions during the course of Boston Biennial 4 - which all included artists will be invited to of course.

Additionally, we send out Entry Sampler Email Blasts several times during the lead up to the contest, highlighting some of the most interesting work that we have received. We also highlight entries a few times a week on our social media sites. So many chances to have your work seen by others!

For more information about Boston Biennial 4 and how to enter click and submit your work simply go to

http://the-biennial-project.com/BB2016_Intro.aspx

The BB4 Opening reception is being held at Atlantic Works Gallery on Saturday April 9th 2016 from 7 to 9 pm.

A Third Thursday reception will be held at Atlantic Works Gallery Thursday April 21^st. This is a great opportunity to bring all your friends who couldn’t make the first reception.

SELECTION PROCESS: Work will be selected from your digital images of your artwork. Jurying will involve viewing the entries individually and making determinations on the basis on the work.

JURORS: All work will be juried by the internationally known art collective The Biennial Project with Special Prizes picked by our celebrity Special Guest Jurors.

Our special guest jurors so far include:

María Magdalena Campos-Pons is a Cuban-born artist based in Boston. She works primarily in photography, performance, audiovisual media, and sculpture, and is considered a key figure among Cuban artists who found their voice in a post-revolutionary Cuba. Her art has been shown in scores of solo and group exhibitions, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Venice Biennale; the Johannesburg Biennial; the First Liverpool Biennial; the Dakar Biennale in Senegal; and the Guangzhou Triennial in China. Her work is in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Canada, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, the Miami Art Museum and the Fogg Art Museum. She currently teaches at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Marjorie Kaye is an artist and curator as well as and the founder and director of Galatea Gallery in the Boston’s south end. She received a BA in fine arts from Syracuse University, and has exhibited regionally and nationally, receiving much positive press in the process. She is a tireless advocate for the art and artists of Boston.

Henry Horenstein is a professional photographer and teacher. He earned his MFA at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he is now professor of photography. His work is collected and exhibited internationally, and he has published over 30 books, including Black & White Photography: A Basic Manual, and Digital Photography: A Basic Manual, used by hundreds of thousands of students as their introduction to photography. He has also published several monographs of his own work, including Show, Honky Tonk, Animalia, Humans, Racing Days, Close Relations.

David Hilliard is a well-known photographer. He received his BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art, and his MFA from Yale. His work is in so many important collections that we don’t even know where to start in listing them. He has published and taught widely, including at Yale and Harvard, and is currently a Visiting Professor at Lesley University College of Art and Design. He is a past recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

Kelly Dempsey is a current contestant on season 14 Project Runway, invited as a designer to show at the 13th Annual New York Chocolate Fashion Show in New York. She is a Fashion Designer/Hip Hop/Avocados/Optimist.

O’mega Red is a Boston native and nephew of Donna Summers. He is CEO and record producer of The Stay Grindin Music Group, a rapper and an actor.

Nadeem Mazen is an educator, entrepreneur, community organizer, and is a City Councilor in Cambridge, MA. He is CEO of Nimblebot, a creative agency, as well as co-owner of danger!awesome, a makerspace that brings creative expression and tools to the masses. He first arrived in Cambridge to study Engineering at MIT. He has taught at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and was also the head coach of the MIT Squash Team.

Sonjia Williams was a runner up on Project Runway All Stars Season 4, came in 5^th on Project Runway Season 10. A Boston native, Sonjia studied design at Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts and after gradation relocated to New York where she began working as an independent fashion designer. Thereafter, she won a spot on the 10th Season of Project. She also kicked ass on Project Runway All Stars 4 where she finished the season by debuting a line shown at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week to rave reviews.

Sarah Hutt is a mixed media sculptor whose work focuses on memory, dreams and the ever-changing reality they create. As a long-time resident of Boston’s South End, she was a key player in establishing the first successful mixed-use artist live/work space utilizing a surplus city-owned building in 1990, and has consulted on other similar projects around the country. Sarah is an art consultant for The New England Foundation and was previously the director of the Boston Art Commission and managed Boston's public art collection.

Samual Donovan came in Second Place on Lifetime TV’s Under the Gunn. Sam is a Newton, MA native who is a model-cute Parsons grad has fashion wisdom well beyond his years, and enough sass to fill a workroom.

Stephen Tourlentes received his BFA from Knox College and an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, where he is currently a visiting professor of photography. His work is included in many collections including the Princeton University Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago and has been exhibited at the Revolution Gallery, Michigan; Cranbook Art Museum, Michigan; and S.F. Camerawork, among others. Tourlentes has received a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a Polaroid Corporation Grant, Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants, MacDowell Colony Fellowships and was a Finalist for the ICA Boston’s Foster Prize for 2010.

Emily O’Neil is executive Director at Fort Point Arts Community. She is addicted to her iphone camera and would like to go back to Paris and see The Louvre. That’s where “I was when I first realized I truly loved art. I was 14 and across a painting called The Entombment of Atlala by a Pre-Romantic painter Anne-Louse Giroder de Roucy-Trioson, and I was heartbroken, mesmerized and hooked”.

Erin Becker is the Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Cambridge Art Association. Erin serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Square Business Association; the Advisory Board for Cambridge Open Studios; and is a co-founder of the Art Centers Alliance, a group of roughly 25 community arts leaders. She is also a past reviewer for the Cambridge Arts Council’s LLC Grant Program, and past Gala Committee Member at the Guidance Center. Erin holds a BA in Art History from Boston University, and a Certificate from Boston University’s Institute for Nonprofit Management Leadership Core Program at Questrom Business School.

David Day has been active for over 20 years in the music industry, wearing many different hats: label manager, editor, music journalist, retailer - you name it. Most recently he founded the Together Festival, Boston’s springtime celebration of Music, Art and Technology (now in year 5) and remains the festival’s Creative Director. Two years ago, he co-founded the Mmmmaven Project, an educational initiative in Central Square, Cambridge, where he serves as Director, managing marketing, social media and human resources. He has been the editor of The Weekly Dig Newpaper in Boston.

Helena Fruscio is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She has been The Creative Economy Industry Director at State of Massachusetts. Helene is the Chair of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce’s Fine and Performing Arts Award, she sits on Berkshire Navigation-Berkshire Data Collection Steering committee, Berkshire Blueprint Steering Committee, and is an active steering committee member of the Berkshire Young Professionals. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) School of Imaging Arts and Sciences in Ceramic Sculpture, with a concentration in Anthropology/Sociology. She also studied at Studied at Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Matthew Wilson is MASSCreative’s first Executive Director, Matt directs advocacy campaigns and organizational development for the organization. As the National Director of the field staff for MoveOn.org from 2005-2006, Matt helped develop and implement the strategy behind MoveOn.org’s successful 2006 Call for Change, which recruited and trained more than 100,000 volunteers in 60 swing Congressional and Senate districts. As the Founder and Director of Toxics Action Center from 1989 to 2005, Wilson assisted more than 300 neighborhood groups address toxic pollution issues in their communities. Wilson graduated from Dartmouth College in 1983 and also earned a Masters of Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2008.

Kaveh Mojtabai is the founder and publisher of Artscope Magazine. He has appeared on various “Money Matters” and entrepreneurial business radio networks where he explained how Artscope’s business model supports connections between artists, collectors and the public.  His previous work included astronomy research at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He lives in Quincy, Massachusetts, enjoys running and flying planes. He loves his mom and is a momma’s boy.

Jean-Paul St Germain is an extremely successful entrepreneur, investor, and collector. Raised in Massachusetts, he received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and his Master’s from Columbia. Feeding a life long interest in art and the artistic process, he has amassed a substantial collection of contemporary art. He currently lives in Connecticut.

Eligibility

Open to all artists. Open to all media, including 2-D, 3-D, sculpture, photography, performance, video, installation mixed media, and art from a kit

Entry Requirements

Jpegs must be < 4MB. Videos entries must supply a link to a YouTube or Vimeo video. If a video is submitted, a jpeg that is representative of the content is not required but will be helpful in getting people to click on the online gallery link if the video is selected as one of our winners. The video link must not require any authorization to view.

Prize-winning work selected by our Celebrity Guest Jurors must be delivered to the Atlantic Works Gallery in East Boston by the artist or an authorized representative of the artist. No mailing of prize-winning work will be possible. Artists will also be responsible for picking their work up from the gallery after the show. We do not have any capacity to store art work after the show. Any work not picked on the scheduled pick up day will be subject to a $10/day storage fee. Any work not picked up in 30 days will become the property of The Biennial Project.

Reproduction of Art Work

The Biennial Project reserves the right to reproduce submitted works for Biennial Project printed materials, advertisements, electronic media, internet, television, catalog, DVD, magazine, gallery shows and enjoyment in our own homes. Copyright and other rights remain that of the artist.

Entry Fee and Payment:  The Early Bird entry fee for The 4^th Boston Biennial 2016 is $30 for 3 entries, and $5 for each additional entry! After 12/31/15 the entry price will go up to $35 for 3 entries with $5.00 for each additional entry. Payment is by Paypal:

APPLICATION DEADLINE: All application materials must be submitted by 12pm EST Feb 1, 2016.
JURORS:  All work will be juried by the internationally known art collective The Biennial Project.

OTHER CONDITIONS: Incomplete or unpaid entries or will not be considered. Images of accepted work may be retained and used for publicity purposes. Entries will not be returned. The entry fee is non-refundable. All entrants will be added to our mailing list.
Acceptance Notification:  The names of all accepted artists can be obtained on the The Biennial Project Home Page (www.the-biennial-project.com ) by March 10th.  Artists will not receive individual notification of acceptance.

Calendar

Feb 1^st midnight Deadline for entry

March 10th Notification of acceptance on our blog

April 9th 7pm -9pm BB4 Opening Reception

April 21st 6-9pm BB4 2^nd Reception

Contact Information

The Biennial Project

80 Border Street

East Boston, MA 02128

www.the-biennial-project.com

info@the-biennial-project.com

Mission Statement

The Biennial Project is an artists’ collaborative whose goal is to explore the nature and understand the perception of biennials within the art world and, in so doing, to develop a collective body of work that will be exhibited in as many biennials as possible – especially the really cool ones.

You probably know The Biennial Project as the cutting edge conceptual art collective the is forever turning the art world on it’s pointy little head. But in addition to our groundbreaking post-modern satirical work….

XXOO,

The Biennial Project

Well good, that got your attention. Because attention must be paid, due to us having some seriously good news to report. A successful European journalist (referred to us through one of our many hip international contacts) was so impressed with us that she did the following interview with The Biennial Project, which will soon appear in a major international news venue – the name of which we are not allowed to tell you yet – which of course just kills us. So read it here first. And by the way, we were not kidding about the good-looking part. She’s super smart and talented too of course, but that wouldn’t have gotten you to click, and we needed you to click. So forgive us our sins, or not. But read the interview.

Hello, my name is Christine Recrue and I am a Czech journalist.  I would love to introduce the Biennial Project, which I find very remarkable, to my audience, and inform people in Europe about it. If you are interested, could you please answer a few questions?

First, let us begin by saying that we are thrilled and honored that you want to write about us! YES, YES, YES, we would love to answer these and any other questions you have.

1) Who are you and what is the Biennial Project about?

The Official Biennial Project Manifesto reads as follows: The Biennial Project is a collaborative project by artists Eric Hess, Anna Salmeron and our friends to explore the nature and understand the perception of biennial exhibits within the art world, and, in so doing, to develop a collective body of work that will be exhibited in as many biennial exhibits as possible ­ especially the really cool ones.

That pretty much sums it up.

2) Can you tell me more about members of the Biennial Project? How did the Project change your art career? What did you do before the Project?

An ever-expanding and talented group of artists participate in and support the work that is The Biennial Project. And that doesn't even count the voices in our heads. We are seriously legion we are so many. And don't think we won't remember who was with us and who wasn't when we hit the big time. The shepherds of this flock include two artists as talented as they are unsuited for any sort of gainful employment - Eric Hess and Anna Salmeron. They are shy and reclusive, so little is know about their personal lives. Among the few details that can be pieced together include that Eric only eats vanilla ice cream –  "why try other flavors when I love vanilla?”, and hosted a radio show on WUSO Springfield, Ohio in the mid 80’s. Of Latvian descent, he enjoys a hearty breakfast of grey peas and sausage with black bread and beet juice. He owns a Japanese Chin named Gertie and a naughty black cat named Madonna. He had to wear a jacket and tie to school each day from the 5^th to the 12^th grade and hates tucking in his shirt. He still does not really know his left from his right. He likes riding the bus (especially short ones and subways). He vacations in Central America and thinks people are stupid spending money on sanitized boring resorts. He was a Boyscout who made it to Life and got de-scouted when he came out of the closet even though all of his early sexual experiences took place on scouting camping trips. He has over 15,00 songs on his itunes library. He collects shot glasses and Aunt Jemima figurines. He is obsesses with his netflix cue – don’t ever mess with it.

About Anna even less is known. There are only 25 things we really know for sure: 1) she likes apple sauce but not peanut butter or ice tea, 2 Her favorite song is Memo From Turner by Mick Jagger, 3) Her childhood cat won an award for bravery for which he received a really nice plaque, 4) At age 12 she decided to see how long she could go without changing her underwear. Her mother stopped this experiment after 22 days, 5) She has instructions for her funeral posted on Youtube, 6) She enjoys the taste and texture of scabs, 7) Her favorite movie is The Marriage of Maria Braun, 8) She is terrified of dandelions and small planes. 9) She bagged nearly every arguably attractive guy in her high school, 10) She does not regret even one of them, 11) There was this one guy though - Chris Smith - who she always thought she would get around to eventually but never did. That she regrets, 12) She does not like to have scabs on her body. They break up the clean lines. So she eats them, 13) She has eaten her dog's scabs, 14) She has a sister who lives in Montreal who has a very troubled history with drugs, 15) The Stanford Band created some of the best performance art she has ever seen, 16) Her favorite book is Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett, 17) She is a defense lawyer's dream juror, 18) As a child she was certain that she had been dropped on earth by her home people as part of some kind of secret mission, 19) She was asked not to return to her confirmation class for doubting the possibility of a virgin birth, 20) Her first celebrity crush was Sammy Davis Junior. She had all the details of their life together worked out in her head, 21) They would have three daughters - Sugar, Candy, and Cinnamon, 22) She has only had sex with one woman, 23) She is pretty sure that she is smarter most people, 24) She is not always a good listener, 25) She believes that she should be more famous than she is.

The Biennial Project has most changed our art careers (using that term in a very loose sense) by giving us an excellent vehicle to piss off boring people. We didn't realize when we got started to what extent our little construct would so effectively sort the world into those with a sense of humor and those without. A few sad souls here and there either don't get the joke or find their reflection so unflattering that it gets them mad as hens. This helps us immeasurably by giving us a never ending source of new material. On the flip side, The Biennial Project has allowed us to develop an international network of just incredibly amazing artists that appreciate what we do – folks that we would never have gotten to know otherwise. It has also forced us to continually develop our technical skills so we can maintain The Biennial Project's well-known level of professional presentation.

To answer your last question, we do not ourselves have clear memories of The Time Before The Biennial Project, but our elders tell us that is was a dark and frightening world governed by primitive superstitions, command hallucinations, and the Spanish Inqusition. (You weren't expecting the Spanish Inqusition, were you? Don't worry, no one does.)

3) When did the project start? What was the first art work you did together?

We get asked that a lot. Here is a statement we wrote to help people understand how we got started:

How, you may ask, did we get started on such a project?

Well, the beginning was like this: in the fall of 2007, one of our cool globe-trotting friends had just returned from the Venice Biennale, where she had been inundated with Biennial Art – the great, the good, the bad, and the really really bad. She, like other members of our really cool artist community before her, had several conflicting reactions to seeing all this stamp-of-approval art in one place. First, that much of the art was inspirational, second, that much of it sucked, and finally, that much of the stuff that we and our really cool artist friends were doing was better.

So why weren’t WE there, sipping chianti and chatting up pretty young things at the openings?

To answer this question, we have had to look deeply and honestly into ourselves, and upon so doing, frankly, we like what we see, and feel we have the qualities necessary to achieve major success.

WE’ve read a little art history,

WE have the sense of ironic detachment mandatory in today’s environment,

WE know enough not to inject our work with any real emotion or technique,

WE are careful to always include the suitable current buzzwords when describing our work,

WE have cool black outfits,

WE never make much sense when asked direct questions, and WE suck in the straight world.

So why haven’t WE become the Art Rock Stars we so clearly deserve to be?

What is preventing us from fulfilling our dreams, and how can we change it?

From these profound existential questions came the work group that came to be known as The Biennial Project. We hope you will travel with us on this ongoing journey of discovery.

The Biennial Project formally began work in 2008.

To answer the second part of your question - the first work of art that we created together was our now well-known logo with our trademark slogan - 'It's About Us!".

4) If I get it right, your goal was to get to as many biennial exhibits as possible. How successful have you been so far?

You are exactly right about our goal. We want - no, need - to be famous international art rock stars so that the world can be exposed to our important work. We have a god-given gift of enormous artistic talent, and it is just so not acceptable that we are not allowed to share it with a larger audience. We are working on rectifying this injustice by presenting our important art work directly at the most fabulous Biennials and Biennales, although we have not technically been invited to participate in any of them as of yet. But it is just a matter of time until this changes.

5) What did you learn on your self-discovery? Have you changed your opinion on biennial exhibits?

Another excellent question. Well, among other things, that is is extremely fun to take pictures of ourselves and make fools of ourselves in public places. It even has a name. It is called Performance Art. We love telling people that our practice used to be object based, but now involves Durational Performative Installations with Aspirational Themes.  Pretty cool huh?

6) You co-operate with many artists. On your FB page you have a photo with Eva and Adele. Where did you meet them and what was it like to meet artist from the future?

Yes indeed, we have many co-conspirators, and some of them are with us......freedom soon will come! But we digress.

Yes, our Artistic Collaboration with Eva&Adele at this year's Venice Biennale was a high point of our Performative Practice. They are naturals for collaboration with us - like us their names start with E and A, they are smart dressers, crave attention, and have turned an obsession with attending art events into a lucrative career. Plus they follow our lead in favoring gender and sexual freedom and being ahead of their time. We honored them by designing couture original square dance dresses and having our personal seamstress execute our designs in custom Biennial Project fabric. We attended Eva&Adele's Swatch Pavilion Gala Opening Reception dressed in our custom outfits and bald wigs and pearls. Most of the press in attendance seemed more interested in photographing Eric&Anna as Eva&Adele than in paying attention to what Eva& Adele were doing. Eva&Adele were of course extremely impressed with our homage to their practice.

7) If I’m right then- your art is, that you make ..situations? Next you take photos about it and after that is it a material for exhibitions? ? 

YES! That is it exactly. Could you be our publicist?

Can anybody support you in your art? For example when I buy a t-shirt with your logo and I start making what you do and saying that I’m from The Biennial Project, is it ok? I am trying to say, if anybody could start to be your "art friend" for example from the Czech Republic who is really interested in your idea? 

OMG! YES! YES! YES! Now we are thinking that you must be our publicist. Eric&Anna are the Skippers of this great big boat, and the more like-minded fools we have on board the better. Anyone can work with us - we fucking LOVE collaboration! Propose a project that we can do together with you. Or do your thing, and send documentation to us and we can promote it as coming from a Biennial Project Collaborating Artist. Just one thing though - no boring still life paintings - there are other groups for that shit.

8) What message would you like to send to people who also want to get to biennial exhibits?

Well, wait your turn, damn it!, because we were in line way before you, and there's no way we're letting you cut in front of us!

No seriously, if we have a real message (the jury is still out on this), if is probably that as artists we have been given the most profound gift in having something that we love to do that makes our lives interesting and meaningful. Such things don't usually make one rich or famous, but who cares. As our buddy (american Art Critic) and fellow provocateur Jerry Saltz put it to us "your lives are so so much bigger than mine. I envy you for these lives lived in art… (He really said that! To us!) Just live, make the art that you have in you, and enjoy other art and artists. That's it. As another dear friend summed it up - "How in the world you gonna see? Laughing at fools like me. Who on Earth do you think you are? A superstar? Well, right you are!"

8) What do you think an ‘art’ is?

Art is freedom, art is fun, art is attending to the joy of childhood with the rigor of a research scientist. A working artist is something to be.

XXOO,

The Biennial Project

Follow Christine Recrue on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/christinerecrue

The artistic community is used to defending ourselves against attacks on our freedom of expression from outside our ranks. Things that life clearly teaches us artists – that freedom of expression is essential, that censorship is wrongheaded, and that it is necessary to distinguish between representation and endorsement – are not always understood by those outside the arts.

As such, artists have a long and proud tradition of leading the fight for the unfettered expression of ideas that is central to any kind of society worth living in.

So it comes as especially disturbing news to have such censorship come from within an institution that exists so close to New England’s artistic soul – The Massachusetts College of Art and Design - the only publicly funded free-standing art school in the United States, and the place that many of us got our start down this merry path of poverty and good times.

We wish it weren’t true, but unfortunately it is. Talented Biennial Project collaborator and friend Maj-Britt Pedersen has been hard at work honing her considerable skills studying in the fashion department at MassArt, only to be censored in the presentation of her work by her own teachers.

This is just sad. In Maj-Britt’s own words: 

“For the Spring semester of Sophomore year (mine was this past Spring), MassArt all fashion students are given an assignment to create a non-textile garment. This means a garment made out of something that is not fabric.

After brainstorming for some time, I chose cigarette packs. I have been a smoker since I was 13 so they play a part in my daily life. I didn't want to choose something "cute" or too easy. I feel cigarette packing holds incredible, ornate, iconic graphic design.

We were supervised closely throughout the process. Upon completion I received an "A" on my dress. I also received the honor of having it chosen to be in the 2015 MassArt Vision fashion show at The Park Plaza Castle.

At the end of the semester, we were advised to hold onto our garments because we would have an opportunity in the fall to have them displayed in a storefront in Copley Place.

This past Wednesday I attended my department's fashion forum to gain information on the upcoming year. While there, some students were instructed to leave their dresses on the dress forms. I raised my hand and said how I was never informed to bring my garment, perhaps it wasn't chosen? Jane Avery of the fashion department responded that they decided that the material of my dress made it too controversial for display in a public space. But it's a beautiful dress. I shook my head and laughed it off.

The following day I was more perturbed about the decision. In today's world of Donald Trump and heroin overdoses, how could a dress constructed of cigarette packs be deemed too controversial? Cigarettes are not illegal. Nowhere on the dress does it tell anyone they should smoke. In fact, the bust is made up of the warnings. I asked Jane Avery that afternoon for a specific reason. She replied she couldn't give me one. She mumbled something about children, said the faculty had decided. Mentioned if a dress had been made from guns, they would have decided the same thing. Then she said sorry in a sing song voice as if I were in kindergarten.

I personally don't think my dress is offensive, I don't think it would negatively affect children. I think it might make people laugh or perhaps strike up a conversation. Anyhow, I am being denied a great opportunity for exposure as well as losing confidence in my mentors' artistic integrity.”

So, basically, the faculty of the fashion department at MassArt deemed Maj-Britt’s cigarette pack dress "too controversial for display in a public space". Denying her an opportunity to exhibit her work that is such a valuable part of art school. After choosing it for display in their fashion show. Thoughts?

“Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.” Truman Capote

We clearly run with a pretty cool crowd. And none is cooler than our long-time collaborator – artist and writer Kelly Stevens - pictured above  left at The Biennial Project’s reception at the Venice Biennale in May. And we are ever so proud to share with you her reactions to the 2015 Venice Biennale:      

                                                                                                                          “As tourists flock to see the spectacles of the World’s Fair in Milan, another “must-see” event is only minutes away in Venice, Italy. The Venice Biennale is considered the World’s Fair of art with 53 countries participating and presenting extraordinary pieces of work. Originating in 1895, the Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition which takes place once every two years.

This year’s Biennale experience was again exceptional. On my visit through the national pavilions, each country approached the Biennale’s theme “All the World’s Futures” in unique ways. Some art installations triggered deep emotions while others offered a more whimsical experience. And others clearly had expressive political statement.

Needless to say, a diverse range of emotional experiences can be expected as one makes their way through the Biennale.

Among my favorites this year, the large scale installations appealed to me the most. France’s “Revolutions” by Celeste Boursier-Mougenot included trees which subtly moved through the art space in front of patiently waiting onlookers lounging on nearby foam steps.

The eclectic Canadian pavilion similarly was intriguing as I experienced a transformative journey beginning within a convenience store before eventually ending in a life-sized Pachinko game where the curious can put a quarter in the slot and see its path.

The art which struck me the most deeply, however, was “A Key in the Hand” by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota. The massive art work gave me a feeling of intense connection with humanity and the world with its spider web of red yarn, keys and ancient Japanese fishing boats. This installation reminded me that life and death are about the journey and the connection of stories and people. In essence, everything is significant and matters because we all have the power to make the world a better place.

Of all the amazing installations present in this year’s Biennale, this one allowed me to best connect with the theme of this year’s event. In a world which is becoming increasingly smaller, the relevance and importance of human and natural connections is likewise increasing. And indeed, all the world’s futures depend on how we respect, cherish, and act upon these connections. Being able to visualize this concept in such dramatic fashion was certainly powerful, and one of the many reasons this year’s Biennale is an event not to be missed.”

Kelly Stevens, 2015

The Biennial Project Venice Biennale 2015 Artist Trading Cards have arrived! Created by the internationally-feared minds behind The Biennial Project – these cards are a must for those wanting a behind the scenes look at the art and artists of the 56th Venice Biennale! Whether you are lucky enough to go to the Venice Biennale and see the art for yourself, or just want an insider’s look into today’s “it” artists, these guides are your must-have accessory of the season. The Biennale Project profiles 56 of the lucky bastards who currently define success in the art world. From drinking with Damien Hurst to making art from your collector’s breast milk – learn how these artists made it to the top, and gain valuable tools that you can put to use in your own artistic practice. Available now for a limited time for the incredible price of $40 – these limited edition mini-masterpieces won’t last long! And because we’re nice, here’s a sneak peak of a few of our artist profiles, beginning with Yvonne Apiyo from KENYA – the ONLY artist from KENYA chosen to show her work in the KENYAN pavilion in Venice – who came to our fabulous party in Venice and did an interview with Biennial Project Press – and is so goddamned nice and talented and wonderful that we have to think less of the Swiss for not electing her to office. Feast your eyes………….

It's rough being an american if you are not a total asshole.

Violent racism, economic desperation, hideous drone armies killing children in our name, blind kittens without homes - you know, none of this is the sort of stuff a normal person can get too excited about.

Well, tomorrow we promise to go back to watching the endless rivers of blood flow, but for today, for fucking once, we have something profoundly wonderful to celebrate.

"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed. It is so ordered."

And yes we know it is jut a start, but hey, let us have our moment here, OK?

XXOO,

The Biennial Project

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Its been half-a-year since the Opening Champagne Reception for ArtVenice Biennale 3. We, The Biennial Project only just realized that we haven’t told you, our loyal supporters, about our time in Venice. Well, in case you were wondering, ArtVenice Biennale 3 was an astonishing success! The location on VIA GARIBALDI was better then imagined. Every big gun in the art world meandered up and down this street looking for dinner and then found us or maybe they were looking for us and then found dinner. The art work being exhibited digitally drew the best glitterati into our gallery.  The attendees got the must have Biennial Project bag, a free glass(or two, or three, or four…) of prosecco  and then stayed to admire all the art that was on view. We met hundreds of art loving hoi polloi from all over the world, ideas were exchanges, connections were made and maybe one or two people found romance. An immense triumph!!

The evening started off with The Live Art Performance by The Biennial Project’s ArtVenice Biennale 3 Artist in Residence, Tom Estes called ‘'Parallax: Other Realms’. We were thrilled, with the help of the entrants on AVB3, to give this artist from London an opportunity and a venue to express his creativity. The performance coincided with Estes' time at the newly founded The Biennial Project Residency Project at the V70 building in Venice.

Yvonne Amolo gave an enthralling and capitvating talk, presented a video and even yodeled for us.  Yvonne Amolo, the only actual ethnic Kenyan in this Kenyan pavilion  has won awards for her film about racism. Being the only ethnic Kenyan representing Kenya in this year’s Biennale was the hottest topic of conversation during the Opening week of The 56th Venice Biennale. This very issue that sparked the debate on the socio economic and nationalistic issues involved in the process of putting together an evenly and fairly represented global art exhibit.Yvonne was kind enough to take a lot of questions from our attendees regarding this hot button issue.

We also had a stimulating and spurring performance from Leslie Rogers brought to life 'Wesley Wodgers: Camera Cop'

Leslie Rogers performs 'Wesley Wodgers: Camera Cop':

https://youtu.be/w0KA3_0SEbQ

Though, clearly, the highlight of the show was seeing all our entrant's images shown in a digital display that ran for the entire reception. Many of the ArtVenice Biennale 3chosen artists came to Venice to attend the gala and many of them spoke about their work. Some of these included Artemis Herber, Finishing School, James Lipovac, Justin Augspurg, Katherine Sweetman, Lauren Gidwitz, Markus Blaus, Matthew Keller, Rebecca Potter,Victor Salvo, Walter Kopec and Zebbler Peter Berdovsky and a few others.

Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.

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300 ans d'errance by Christine Comeau

The ArtVenice Biennale 3 attracted an extraordinary amount of exceptionally strong art from artists from every corner of the world.

Feast your eyes on all the superlative work included in the show:

ArtVenice Biennale 3 Selected Artists

Jurying such strong work was extremely satisfying but difficult. Even more challenging was picking the winners from so much excellent work. We say all of these artists deserve prizes!

Fortunately we had the support of our illustrious group of international jurors – one chosen from each of the continents – to help us with this.

Each of these successful artists poured over all the accepted art and spent a lot of time picking their winners. As artists themselves, they took this process very seriously, and we are proud to announce their decisions:

Sui Jianguo (Asia), internationally acclaimed Chinese sculptor, represented by Pace Gallery.  pacegallery.com/artists/459/sui-jianguo

“I have reviewed all the works in the collection several times. My second choice goes to artist Szilvia Gyorgy.

My final pick goes to Hubert Dobler.  I mostly appreciate his work for combining the elements of body, space, video and other objects, with an underlying imagination, to express unique and regional characteristics, with cultural spirit, romantic yet concrete."

Marlene Sarroff (Australia) well-known artist, critic and gallerist. marlenesarroff.com

“What a fantastic line up of entries. I have chosen these two favorites:

1.  Tamara Van San. Very impressed by the organic nature of the work, the incredible play and freedom, within what sometimes is thought to be quite a rigid medium. The successful spatial arrangements of the works come together to make a most exciting installation.

2. Hubert Dobler. The marks are powerful. The suggestion of some quite aggressive action having taken place. The  unrestrained abandonment that disrupts the pristine space like a juvenile crime scene. Very masculine and youthful, but at the same time the marks have a mesmerising attraction that exudes rhythm, and movement."

Francisco Bassim (South America) 2011 Venezuela Representative to the  Venice  Biennale.  facebook.com/bassimarte

“I have chosen the work of Rachel Shatil, because it feels to me warm-hearted and it breaks with formality. It is like the summation of many things in few words; it captures a wonderful moment, causing this simple and wild image to hold all the humanity possible in an inanimate object.”

Zsolt Asztalos (Europe) 2013 Hungary Representative to the Venice Biennale, as well as a member of The 2015 Biennial Project Venice Biennale Entourage.   asztaloszsolt.com

“I choose Moira Agius. In her work the material and the inmaterial world come together in the same time. We can realise how the everyday life melts into transcendence. The artist demands the viewers to contemplate and to complete their deep absorption.”

Aissa Deebi (Africa) 2013 Palestinian Representative to the Venice Biennale and co-curator of the Palestinian Pavilion. aissadeebi.com

“This is my selection. Christine Comeau’s performance work, that has a social practice aspect. She is dealing with issues of exile, displacement and nomadism. I think her work is outstanding and she deserves to be selected for the award.”

Ian Boissonnault (North American) –  Artist and gallerist  on staff at Art New England.  facebook.com/i.boissonnault

"The Ian Boissonnault Biennial Project Its About Us North American Great Justice Primary Number One Prize goes to Christine Comeau  for her Cone People. We all wanted to know so much more about this piece, we were really drawn in, and the people involved for the most part looked like they were into the fact that they were in big conical orange outfits on carts. was it a part of a video? or a performance? the image haunted us for days in a good Patrick Swayze way. TELL US MORE.”

In addition to the work thoughtfully chosen by our esteemed international jurors, We The Biennial Project are proud to announce the following additional winners: Dara Lorenzo, Graehound,  Hildy Maze, Justin Augspurg, Megan Michalak, Paul Weiner, Svetlana Swinimer, Vladimira Sedlakova, and Walter Kopec.

Check out all the winning work:

AVB WINNERS SLIDESHOW

And it’s probably clear by now, but the AVB3 Grand Prize Triple Platinum Super Winners Best in Show Awards must go to Hubert Dobler and Christine Comeau for being the fav’s of so many.

More on both of them to come!

GASOLINE 2 by Hubert Dobler

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The Biennial Project presents

ArtVenice Biennale 3 Champagne Reception

Monday, May 4, 2015 6:00pm - 10:00pm 

VIA GARIBALDI 1791 Sestiere Castello Venezia, Italia

           image by Adamo Macri  http://adamomacri.blogspot.com/

The internationally renowned artist collaborative The Biennial Project is pleased to announce the  ArtVenice Biennale 3 Champagne Reception.

The ArtVenice Biennale 3 Champagne Reception is a large screen digital presentation being held at a delightful gallery space between The Arsenale and The Giardini in Venice, Italy during the Prestigious Press Preview Week of The Venice Biennale 56!!

All the  work from selected our international call for work will be displayed all night long via large screen video projections. The Biennial Project received over 1200 entries from more than 35 countries for this exclusive show!

image by Christine Comeau   http://christinecomeau.com/

Unlike most exhibition opportunities, this one is actually organized by ARTISTS – people who totally comprehend that you put your goddamned heart and soul into your work.

In addition to the winners that have been selected by The Biennial Project, ArtVenice Biennale 3 has 7 special prizes chosen by 7 internationally successful jurors representing each of the seven continents.

image by Szilvia Gyorgy  http://www.szilverworks.com/

Come early at 5pm and see The Live Art Performance by Tom Estes at ‘'Parallax: Other Realms’. The performance will coincide with Estes' time at the newly founded Biennial Project Residency Project at the V70 building in Venice.

Also included in our reception will be a brief talk and images from the only actual ethnic Kenyan in this Kenyan pavilion — Yvonne Amolo, who has won awards for her film about racism.

The Biennial Project, your host of this event, is an artist collaborative whose goal is to explore the nature and understand the perception of biennials within the art world and, in so doing, to develop a collective body of work that will be exhibited in as many biennials as possible – especially the really cool ones.

ARTISTS SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN THE ARTVENICE BIENNALE 3

      image by Michael St.Germain  http://mikesartnook.blogspot.com/

ARTVENICE BIENNALE 3 FACEBOOK INVITE