Kickstarter

In June 2011 the Mona Lisa Project opened at the Austin Museum of Art, a collaborative effort two years in the making. The collaboration was based on an exchange with 16 female artists who sat for a photographic portrait posing as Mona Lisa, and then transformed the prints according to their visions and techniques. The participating artists are Connie Arismendi, Ellen Berman, Valérie Chaussonnet, Faith Gay, Judy Jensen, Germaine Keller, Emily Little, Beili Liu, Beverly Penn, Margo Sawyer, Nancy Scanlan, Julie Speed, Jana Swec, Liz Ward, Sally Weber, and Sydney Yeager. Each individual piece is extraordinary in its approach, and the show was very well received by both audiences and critics. Please see coverage in The Austin Chronicle, The Austin American Statesman, Austin Woman Magazine, and KUT Austin (NPR).

Recently the project was accepted to participate in the international art competition ArtPrize, in Grand Rapids, MI from September 21 to October 9, and we are honored to be hosted in the new building of the Grand Rapids Art Museum. 

Neither the ArtPrize organization or the Grand Rapid Art Museum provide funding for the shipment, installation and promotion of the show. I need to fund these expenses, which our already stretched budget cannot cover. The initial expense is the rental of a cargo van to deliver the artwork to Michigan. We opted for this solution because the time frame between the de-installation of the show in Austin (September 12) and the installation of the work in Grand Rapids (September 21) did not allow for any available professional shuttle services. We'll be able to use a professional service when we'll de-install the work and ship it back to Austin. 

ArtPrize awards are determined by public votes. Each entry has a voting number assigned that will be used by the public to express their preferences and funds will be needed for promotion. The unique nature of the ArtPrize competition is such that publicity and PR are crucial to the success of the show. I designed cards with the voting number and I need to print about 2,000 of them. I will also need to print a new batch of the self-published catalog for the Museum store (click here to preview the catalog). Finally, the artists' presence during the event is crucial because of the media and public involvement. Although I am lucky to be hosted by one of the Museum supporters, funding will be needed to cover my basic expenses.

Artprize is a great opportunity to bring greater visibility to the innovative ideas and experiments of this project. Please consider supporting our new adventure, and should you be in Grand Rapids for the event, please remember that the voting number for the Mona Lisa Project is 41941.