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Yes Men Claim Leonore Annenberg Prize For Art Award
01 Oct 2009
Creative
Time has announced the inception of a new, annual, $25,000 award: The
Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change, presented by
Creative Time to an artist who has committed her/his life’s work to
social change in powerful and productive ways.
The first recipient of the prize is The Yes Men, and it will be bestowed during the opening ceremony for The Creative Time Summit: Revolutions in Public Practice, on October 23 at the historic Stephen A. Schwarzman building of the New York Public Library. The ceremony will feature an introduction by Amy Goodman, the host of the award-winning program Democracy Now!. The award is generously supported by The Annenberg Foundation.
The Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change and The Creative Time Summit further Creative Time’s 35-year-long commitment to commissioning and presenting groundbreaking, historically important artwork and fostering a culture of experimentation and change.
The Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change is named in honor of Mrs. Annenberg’s life-long dedication to supporting the artistic voice in our culture, and to the vital role of art in educating and expanding our cultural dialogue. The Yes Men, a legendary group of culture jammers is, through their longstanding practice of invading and subverting modes of corporate communication, at the forefront of a movement to produce substantive change in our world. The Yes Men were selected by a distinguished jury of artists and thinkers.
The Yes Men agree their way into the fortified compounds of commerce, ask questions, and then smuggle out the stories of their hijinks to provide a public glimpse at the behind-the-scenes world of business. Over the years they have also launched some very unconventional products—from the Dow Acceptable Risk calculator (a new industry standard for determining how many deaths are acceptable when achieving large profits), to Vivoleum (a new renewable fuel sourced from the victims of climate change. The gonzo political activists were the subject of a documentary film, “The Yes Men” (2003), and their new documentary film, “The Yes Men Fix the World” (2009), was awarded the prestigious audience award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Their film “The Yes Men Fix the World” recently debuted in theatres in the UK and on HBO in the United States, and will be released nationally in theatres in October. More information about the film and a trailer can be found at theyesmenfixtheworld.com.
The Yes Men perfectly capture the spirit of the award, which honors an artist or artist group for historically significant work that has an expansive impact on society. At the ceremony, they will give an interactive, performative lecture.
These artists, thinkers, and activists range from anarchist collectives to art world luminaries. Their approaches intend to not only reflect, but also act upon moments of historic change, breaking the traditional barriers between art, culture, and politics. The Creative Time Summit will give attendees a chance to see a vast array of artistic practices in rapid-fire presentations, taking place back-to-back all day. These artistic practices defy easy museological categories, and aggressively blend art, politics, and space. Presenters include Okwui Enwezor, Thomas Hirschhorn, Temporary Services, Baltimore Development Cooperative, Not An Alternative, and many more.
The first recipient of the prize is The Yes Men, and it will be bestowed during the opening ceremony for The Creative Time Summit: Revolutions in Public Practice, on October 23 at the historic Stephen A. Schwarzman building of the New York Public Library. The ceremony will feature an introduction by Amy Goodman, the host of the award-winning program Democracy Now!. The award is generously supported by The Annenberg Foundation.
The Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change and The Creative Time Summit further Creative Time’s 35-year-long commitment to commissioning and presenting groundbreaking, historically important artwork and fostering a culture of experimentation and change.
The Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change is named in honor of Mrs. Annenberg’s life-long dedication to supporting the artistic voice in our culture, and to the vital role of art in educating and expanding our cultural dialogue. The Yes Men, a legendary group of culture jammers is, through their longstanding practice of invading and subverting modes of corporate communication, at the forefront of a movement to produce substantive change in our world. The Yes Men were selected by a distinguished jury of artists and thinkers.
The Yes Men agree their way into the fortified compounds of commerce, ask questions, and then smuggle out the stories of their hijinks to provide a public glimpse at the behind-the-scenes world of business. Over the years they have also launched some very unconventional products—from the Dow Acceptable Risk calculator (a new industry standard for determining how many deaths are acceptable when achieving large profits), to Vivoleum (a new renewable fuel sourced from the victims of climate change. The gonzo political activists were the subject of a documentary film, “The Yes Men” (2003), and their new documentary film, “The Yes Men Fix the World” (2009), was awarded the prestigious audience award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Their film “The Yes Men Fix the World” recently debuted in theatres in the UK and on HBO in the United States, and will be released nationally in theatres in October. More information about the film and a trailer can be found at theyesmenfixtheworld.com.
The Yes Men perfectly capture the spirit of the award, which honors an artist or artist group for historically significant work that has an expansive impact on society. At the ceremony, they will give an interactive, performative lecture.
These artists, thinkers, and activists range from anarchist collectives to art world luminaries. Their approaches intend to not only reflect, but also act upon moments of historic change, breaking the traditional barriers between art, culture, and politics. The Creative Time Summit will give attendees a chance to see a vast array of artistic practices in rapid-fire presentations, taking place back-to-back all day. These artistic practices defy easy museological categories, and aggressively blend art, politics, and space. Presenters include Okwui Enwezor, Thomas Hirschhorn, Temporary Services, Baltimore Development Cooperative, Not An Alternative, and many more.
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Umberto Eco Guest Curates At The Louvre
01 Oct 2009
The Louvre Museum has invited Italian writer Umberto Eco to be a guest curator in coming months.
Eco, whose novels include medieval murder mystery "The Name of the Rose," was given carte blanche to propose a series of readings, conferences, concerts and visits at the museum, centering on a theme of his choice.
True to form, the author, philosopher and critic picked a somewhat esoteric theme: the list.
For example, one event is a conference on 16th century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, whose tableaux of multitudes of peasants can be seen as a kind of visual list. Another is a performance art piece featuring lists that have turned up in literary works from Homer to James Joyce to Victor Hugo to Eco himself.
Eco — whose novels often feature historical settings, intricate plots and philosophical musings — loves lists and often puts them in his novels. In "The Name of the Rose" a character declares: "There is nothing more wonderful than a list."
"I'm often asked the most idiotic question in the world — but which generally fascinates journalists — and that's 'what is the book that you would take with you if you washed up on a desert island?'" Eco told reporters Wednesday.
"I say, the phone book. Because with all those names, I can come up with marvelous stories."
Past guest curators at the Louvre have included U.S. writer Toni Morrison, German artist Anselm Kiefer and French composer Pierre Boulez. Eco's series, "Vertige de la Liste" (Vertigo of Lists), runs from November 2 to December 13.
Eco, whose novels include medieval murder mystery "The Name of the Rose," was given carte blanche to propose a series of readings, conferences, concerts and visits at the museum, centering on a theme of his choice.
True to form, the author, philosopher and critic picked a somewhat esoteric theme: the list.
For example, one event is a conference on 16th century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, whose tableaux of multitudes of peasants can be seen as a kind of visual list. Another is a performance art piece featuring lists that have turned up in literary works from Homer to James Joyce to Victor Hugo to Eco himself.
Eco — whose novels often feature historical settings, intricate plots and philosophical musings — loves lists and often puts them in his novels. In "The Name of the Rose" a character declares: "There is nothing more wonderful than a list."
"I'm often asked the most idiotic question in the world — but which generally fascinates journalists — and that's 'what is the book that you would take with you if you washed up on a desert island?'" Eco told reporters Wednesday.
"I say, the phone book. Because with all those names, I can come up with marvelous stories."
Past guest curators at the Louvre have included U.S. writer Toni Morrison, German artist Anselm Kiefer and French composer Pierre Boulez. Eco's series, "Vertige de la Liste" (Vertigo of Lists), runs from November 2 to December 13.