2019-688-E Arts - George Jenne arts grant

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DocuSign Envelope ID:958F66FD-8DOE-4C00-B332-F3B2059111 F1 Project/Program My Room is an artist run exhibition space, in downtown Chapel Hill, Summary that was started in October 2018 by artist, Amanda Barr. The project is Amanda's remedy for the dearth of experimental exhibition spaces in the area. It exists as part of a microcosm of art spaces above the Local 506 music club, on Franklin Street, known as Attic 506. The mission of My Room is to give artists exhibition opportunities that foster maximum creativity and experimentation, with absolutely no market pressure. The space is small, at roughly 150 square feet, and offers artists a blank slate that allows for bold exhibitions that feel larger than the confines of the room. So far, seven local artists have exhibited, and the schedule is booked, several months out. Each show opens on the second Friday of the month, while the adjacent spaces, two art studios and The Concern Newsstand, are open to the public. Each show runs for one month, open by appointment only. George Jenne, another Chapel Hill artist, has joined forces with Amanda in order to help keep the space alive. Because Amanda and George volunteer their time and and talents, the only costs incurred by My Room are rent and the nominal material expenses of maintaining a small space. My Room operates according to a yearly lease and has no specific start and end dates, so the application budget is structured for a year of expenses within the grant calendar. If the financial pressures of maintaining My Room were reduced, this would allow Amanda and George to focus on more ambitious programming and creating consistent walk in hours, thus giving each exhibiting artist more consistent exposure for the duration of a show. The plan, moving forward, is to establish a calendar for open hours and a network of volunteers to manage those hours. This grant would also make possible, a small materials budget that exhibiting artists would use as they see fit. Amanda and George also plan to add Mystery Meat, during warmer weather. This is a movie screening organized by George, on the roof deck behind My Room. It starts after sunset as each My Room opening winds down. The program taps George's background in film and video, offering a movie that is, until showtime, a mystery to everyone - something hard to find, if not impossible to see otherwise. It includes a brief essay, in form of a printed handout, that frames that evening's communal viewing experience. My Room is an efficient project. Amanda and George are focused solely on creating a platform by which artists can create small, conceptual exhibitions, without compromise. The support and sense of family that My Room offers to artists and to the arts community, looks huge in proportion to its tiny footprint. It is arguably the only game of its kind in town, for now. If My Room is able to continue, its possible that other spaces will follow. Then My Room will have truly succeeded.