Programs
New Commissions Program
Eastern European Residency Exchange
The Musée Miniscule
Publicly launched in 2005, Art in General’s New Commissions Program centers on developing and exhibiting new and challenging projects by artists who are interested in creating new work. We commission visual artists to create new projects in any medium or form—from painting to sculpture to performance to video to other, perhaps undefined, types of art or interdisciplinary work.
Since the program’s launch, Art in General has invited and commissioned new works from four-six artists every year. Artists are chosen through an annual open call competition reviewed by Art in General and an Advisory Panel; as well as by Art in General’s curator after extensive research, studio visits, and meetings with local artists.
The organization works closely with artists to provide curatorial and logistical support to help them to develop their work from idea to final form. The high level engagement means that the process can involve an extended phase of research and development for the artists and Art in General. Through the New Commissions program, we hope to challenge artists to work beyond the scope of their customary practice and to take risks, away from the marketplace, in a supportive environment. Past New Commissions are archived on our website by year here, along with other projects and exhibitions.
As part of the New Commissions program, Art in General also publishes a small publication, documenting the artist’s project to reflect the unique nature of each endeavor. Our New Commissions publications can be viewed and purchased here, as well as in our gallery
Eastern European Residency Exchange
In 2001 Art in General initiated its Eastern European Residency Exchange (EERE), creating a unique program whose main aim is to counteract the imbalance of artistic exchange between the East and the West. The residency program allows artists from partnering institutions in Eastern Europe to spend time in New York, facilitating and aiding them in the production of new work in a new context. At the same time these institutions host New York-based artists for a similar residency, creating an ongoing dialogue that results in concrete public projects such as exhibitions, publications, workshops, and performances. The program’s goals are to support artistic growth, encourage critical dialogue, commission new work, and create dynamic interactions between artists and the public, while building a greater understanding of diverse cultures.
Art in General’s current partner institutions include Pavillion Unicredit in Bucharest, Romania, and the Croatian Association of Artists in Zagreb, Croatia. The selection process for the EERE program is by nomination. Art in General solicits nominations by curators, artists, and arts professionals in conjunction with the EERE partners.
Please visit our blog, Art Production Notes, to read about the experiences of our recent artists-in-residence. Blog entries from artists who have traveled on the EERE program are categorized as International Journal.
As Art in General turns 30 and looks to the future, the question of what an alternative space means in today’s context looms large. Pioneering spaces of art production have transformed, with some institutions forced to close their doors and a new generation of alternative projects emerging in their wake. As a gesture to those who came before us, Art in General opens its doors to house a piece of history, breathing new life and giving a new home to the Musée Miniscule.
The Musée Miniscule started in 1981, when New Langton Arts opened up shop at 80 Langton Street in San Francisco and found that the entrance to their new space had a small street level window. Capitalizing on this unusual aspect of the architecture as a way to engage a public, artist Nayland Blake suggested using it as an exhibition site. It became an important program for New Langton Arts, allowing younger, emerging artists to present their work alongside New Langton’s innovative and experimental programming. New Langton’s history was closely tied to the emergence of new art forms – performance and time-based art, video, installation, and just like Art in General, it was committed to presenting artists at early and pivotal points in their careers. Unfortunately in July of 2009, New Langton was forced to shut its doors and the Musée Miniscule went dark.
In 1990 Art in General also benefited from an instance of architectural anomaly, as a new hydraulic system replaced the original freight elevator in General Tools building (where Art in General is located). The new system was set in place, but some parts of the old technology remained in operation, causing the elevator ride to run at a much slower pace than normal. The ride from the street level to the 6th floor, where the gallery is located, takes 38 seconds. Inspired by artist Ed Tomney, Art in General decided to use this gift of time as an opportunity to utilize the elevator as an exhibition space, and the Audio in the Elevator program was born.
The Musée Miniscule and Audio in the Elevator are programs born out of creative solutions. They both utilize a unique site as a means to create a new form of engagement, capturing the essential spirit of what alternative spaces have always set out to do, create a situation where the artist’s voice is heard. It is in this spirit that Art in General folds its Audio in the Elevator program into the Musée Miniscule.