CUTTING EDGE ARTISTS AND CURATORS TO BE FEATURED
DURING GREENFIELD PRIZE WEEKEND
The Hermitage Artist Retreat, along with the Greenfield Foundation, is pleased to announce that Saturday, April 2nd will be a day highlighted by creative conversations and the presentation of the Greenfield Prize with a focus on visual art. The lineup of artists and curators include this year’s Greenfield Prize recipient Coco Fusco, photo conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum Rujeko Hockley, Curator of Art at the Andy Warhol Museum Jose Carlos Diaz, Executive Director of Aspen’s Anderson Ranch Arts Center Nancy Wilhelms and The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art’s Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Matthew McLendon. The Greenfield Prize events include two FREE Creative Conversations involving all of the aforementioned art superstars, as well as the Award Presentation Dinner, which requires a ticket. Creative Conversations, which are sponsored in part by an Opportunity Grant from the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, will begin at 1:00 in The Ringling’s newly-opened Chao Lecture Hall. The dinner will be at Michael’s On East, 1212 East Avenue, Sarasota. Reservations are required for all programs.
“The Greenfield Prize Weekend is upon us and we are very excited by all the terrific national figures who will join us this year,” remarked Hermitage Executive Director Bruce E. Rodgers. “We will share all the artists and curators with the public at afternoon Creative Conversations that we think will challenge and inspire the audience. Following the two free presentations, will be the Greenfield Prize Award Dinner where Coco Fusco will receive her Prize, after an exciting keynote address by Hank Willis Thomas, whose work is exhibited and collected throughout the world. We could not be more pleased and proud to share these inspiring and exciting artists with our Sarasota community. No matter what the level of participation, visual art enthusiasts will want to attend some or all of the weekend events.”
This year’s Greenfield Prize recipient is Coco Fusco, an interdisciplinary artist and writer, who is presently serving as the Andrew Banks Endowed Professor of Art at the University of Florida. She will kick off the FREE Creative Conversations beginning at 1:00 pm with a discussion of her work, after being introduced by Jose Carlos Diaz, newly appointed curator of art at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Beginning at 2:15 pm, there will be a panel discussion on the place of activism in art. Panelists for Creating in the Active Voice include Fusco, Hank Willis Thomas, Rujeko Hockley and Matthew McLendon. Nancy Wilhelms will moderate the discussion.
The Greenfield Prize Presentation Dinner, co-chaired by Beverly Bartner and Renee Hamad, calls for a 6:30 pm arrival. The program for the dinner will include an introduction to the highly regarded work of Coco Fusco, including snipets of some of her films. Hank Willis Thomas, whose photographic work is highly sought after, will be the keynote speaker. Willis Thomas’ work primarily involves themes related to identity, history and popular culture. He has been exhibited throughout the world, including Berlin, Paris and South Africa. His work is also in numerous private and public collections such as NYC’s MOMA, Guggenheim, Whitney and Brooklyn Museums, Atlanta’s High Museum and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
“We will have some of the biggest names in visual art with us at this year’s Greenfield Prize events,” continued Rodgers. “We are very excited to share these amazing artists, as well as new ideas and challenging thoughts, with the community. Reservations are a must, as space is limited for both the Creative Conversations and the dinner. We look forward to welcoming everyone who can attend another inspiring schedule of Greenfield Prize events.”
To reserve for the Creative Conversations, call 941-475-2098, ext. 8 or email [email protected]. For reservations to the Greenfield Prize Award Dinner, call Linda Mansperger at 941-475-2098, ext. 2 or go to www.GreenfieldPrize.org. To find out more about the Hermitage Artist Retreat, visit the website www.HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
