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The Daily Tar Heel, and the OCAC Newsletter. BASEMENT was a <br />welcome addition to the increasingly expanding and thriv ing <br />population of artist-run spaces in Orange County. <br />It should be mentioned that since BASEMENT is in a priv ate house, <br />for the safety of its residents its address is not freely publicized. The <br />space is only open for ev ents that are announced on social media <br />and on our website. Anyone who is interested in attending ev ents <br />can easily subscribe to our mailing list through our website. The <br />residence owner’s liability insurance cov ers only inv ited guests, so <br />we extend our inv itation only through our mailing list for this reason; <br />in our emails we include all the pertinent information, including our <br />address. At present, we hav e almost 300 subscribers, many of them <br />from Orange County. Despite, or perhaps due to these <br />circumstances, BASEMENT prov ides a uniquely safe and intimate <br />space that giv es artists the freedom to experiment with their works <br />and ideas, and to share them with a sympathetic and committed <br />audience. <br />Our current exhibition, “Loose Footing,” with artists Peat Szilagzi, <br />Kate Robinson, and Felicity Palma opened on August 14 with <br />stringent COVID-19 precautions in place. As expected because of the <br />pandemic, the opening reception did not attract as many v isitors as <br />our first show. W e continue to open the show to v isitors by <br />appointment, and will hav e open v iewing hours in the coming <br />months. So far the show and v enue has attracted positiv e reactions <br />for both the quality of the works and their interaction with the singular <br />space. <br />Our proposed 2022 exhibition,“Portal Prayers and Pipedream <br />Prov isions,” will bring together three artists who reside outside NC. <br />The exhibition, opening reception, and closing ev ents will be open to <br />the public although specific v iewing conditions will depend on the <br />state of the pandemic. <br />As the pandemic restrictions ebb, BASEMENT plans to continue its <br />current in-person programming as well as open its space to a greater <br />v ariety and number of ev ents. Of note, are experimental film <br />screenings, art performances, and pop-up exhibitions inv olv ing local <br />artists including UNC-Chapel art students. Interv ening BASEMENT <br />programs will draw from the local and v isiting artists. Our goal is to <br />prov ide a safe, professional, and welcoming space with which to <br />engage with Orange County artists and audiences and thereby <br />promote and showcase the depth of talent existing within our <br />community as well as in the wider Southern region. <br />Please explain your <br />intended use of a <br />Restart the Arts <br />Grant, if awarded. <br />If awarded a Restart the Arts Grant, BASEMENT will prov ide stipends <br />to our fiv e artist-curators (Jonh Blanco, Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo, <br />Laura Little, Chieko Murasugi, and Hồng- An Trương), augment the <br />trav el stipend of exhibiting artist Lily Reev es, and hire a local <br />photographer to document our Spring 2022 in-person show. <br />Since its founding BASEMENT members hav e worked as v olunteers <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: B028461D-0E0E-4A6F-813C-EBF4CEE2496B