NEWS RELEASE

INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION OF VISUAL ARTS AT THE
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS

MARCH 6 - APRIL 6, 2008
Thursdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

February 11, 2008 - Over eighty paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations, and works on paper by thirty contemporary artists will be exhibited at the galleries of the American Academy of Arts and Letters on historic Audubon Terrace (Broadway between 155 and 156 Streets) from Thursday, March 6 through Sunday, April 6, 2008. Exhibiting artists were chosen from a pool of more than 150 artists nominated by the 250 members of the Academy, America's most prestigious society of architects, artists, writers, and composers.


Jack Whitten
Tracking Code (detail), 2008
Acrylic on canvas, 48'' x 48''
Courtesy of Alexander Gray Associates, NY
The Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts will feature many new works on view for the first time in New York, including installations by Heide Fasnacht, Ann Hamilton, and Gillian Jagger; paintings by Susanna Coffey, David Moreno, John Torreano, Marc Trujillo, and Jack Whitten; sculptures by John Beech, Chris Hanson & Hendrika Sonnenberg, Justen Ladda, and Ledelle Moe; and photographs by Bruce Davidson.

EXHIBITION ARTISTS

Painters: Susanna Coffey, Anna Conway, Llyn Foulkes, Ron Gorchov, Mark Greenwold, Eric Holzman, Anna Hostvedt, Ying Li, Judith Linhares, Gordon Moore, Susan Smith, Andrew Spence, John Torreano, Marc Trujillo, Jack Whitten, Trevor Winkfield, and Robert Yasuda.

Installation and mixed-media artists: John Beech, Mel Chin, Heide Fasnacht, Ann Hamilton, Gillian Jagger, and David Moreno.

Photographer: Bruce Davidson.

Sculptors: Chris Hanson & Hendrika Sonnenberg, Justen Ladda, Charles Long, Ledelle Moe, and Lee Tribe.


Ledelle Moe, Memorial (Collapse), 2005-2006. Concrete and steel, 5' x 7' x 6'. Courtesy of Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA.

John Beech, Coated Drawing #82, 2006. Enamel, black and white photo, 74'' x 50'' x 2''. Courtesy of Peter Blum Gallery, New York.

Heide Fasnacht, Jump Zone, 2006. Tape, urethane, foam, and Styrofoam, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist; Kent Gallery, New York; Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston.

Justen Ladda, Brocade Nose (Maria Callas), 2007. Brocade fabric over batting, steel wire frame, 36'' x 18'' x 22''. Courtesy of the artist.

Mel Chin, SAFE (for the Congo), 2005-2006. Wood, nails, oil on Belgian Linen canvas, 144'' x 84'' x 18''. Courtesy of the artist.

Bruce Davidson, Parc Montsouris, 2005. Silver gelatin print, 21'' x 21'' x 1''. Courtesy of the artist and Magnum Photos, New York.

David Moreno, Quietly Oscillating (detail), 2004. Slinkys and audio speakers. 117'' x 40''. Courtesy of the artist.

Anna Conway, Enfield, MA, 2006. Oil on canvas, 46'' x 68''. Courtesy of Jacob and Suzanne Doft, New York.

The Academy's Art Awards and Purchase Programs

The art awards and purchase programs serve to acknowledge artists at various stages of their careers, from helping to establish younger artists to rewarding older artists for their accumulated body of work. All artists in the exhibition are eligible for the nearly $70,000 in cash awards to be given in 2008. Paintings and works on paper are eligible for purchase and placement in museum collections nationwide through the Hassam, Speicher, Betts and Symons Funds. Works by Clytie Alexander (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO), Juan Gomez (The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY), Sally Mann (The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA), and Emna Zghal (Flint Institute of Arts Museum, Flint, MI) are among the seventeen placements made last year. Reginald Marsh and Guy Pene du Bois were some of the program's earliest beneficiaries. Since the purchase program's founding in 1946, through the legacy of Childe Hassam, more than one thousand works have been purchased and donated to museums throughout the country.
Click here for further information about awards.

Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts

Admission Free
Dates   Thursday, March 6 through Sunday, April 6, 2008 (Closed Easter weekend)
Hours   Thursdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Location   Audubon Terrace on Broadway between 155 and 156 Streets
Directions   Subway: #1 to 157 Street; Bus: M4, M5 to 155 Street and Broadway

Press Contact: Cecilia Bonn Marketing and Communications (212) 734-9754, Cbonn@nyc.rr.com.
JPEG images available upon request.