TRADING PLACES 2 AT MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Knight Exhibition Series
September 13 – November 11, 2012
Artists swap their studios for spaces in MOCA galleries
Meet the artist panel discussions on July 18 and 25, 2012

In 2005, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami launched an experimental program called Trading Places in which South Florida artists swapped their studio spaces for space in the museum’s galleries for the period of two months.  From September 13 through November 11, 2012, MOCA has invited five South Florida artists: Dona Altemus, Onajide Shabaka, Magnus Sigurdarson, Rick Ulysse and Antonia Wright to participate in Trading Places 2, the second installment of this program. Trading Places 2 is part of MOCA’s Knight Exhibition Series program.

The emphasis of Trading Places 2 is on the research and development of projects rather than specifically working toward an exhibition, although works may be exhibited or performed at the museum. The artists selected have reached critical moments in their careers when they can most benefit from the opportunity to work with MOCA’s curatorial and technical staff.

This program provides the artists with studio spacein the museum’s galleries, materials and technical assistants, and opportunities to interact, respond to and investigate each others’ practices and engage in periodic discussions with the public.

A new component of Trading Places 2 is the role these artists will play mentoring the teens and young adults enrolled in MOCA’s free afterschool educationclasses and intern program, as part of the MOCA Art Institute, MOCA’s extensive education program for students of all ages.

Trading Places 2 is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami under the direction of MOCA Executive Director and Chief Curator Bonnie Clearwater. It is made possible by MOCA’s Knight Exhibition Endowment.

Dona Altemus, the youngest artist in Trading Places 2, is a 2012 graduate of New World School of the Arts, where she earned her BFA with a concentration in painting.  For Trading Places 2, Altemus will investigate installation as a tool and explore spatial relationships that are activated when separate works interact.  Altemus first came to Clearwater’s attention when she presented her work at MOCA’s unique Artist Critique program held twice a year, in which approximately 15 students from South Florida art schools present their work to MOCA’s curators for critique at each session. Clearwater notes, “I was impressed by the initial presentation and the maturity of Altemus’s vision. Trading Places will provide her with the opportunity to determine her post-graduate path.”

Onajide Shabaka’s work makes references to the anthropological, geological and biological through a visual aesthetic that is challenging and visceral, with a grounding in African Atlantic culture.  Since 1997, his work has largely moved into the Florida wetlands, upper Minnesota and Oregon woodlands. He will use Trading Places to bring his art practice back into the formal gallery through photography, drawing and sculpture of natural and industrial materials.   Bonnie Clearwater first worked with Shabaka when she selected him for the exhibition New Art: South Florida at the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale in 1993, and notes that his recent body of work based on botanical studies conducted in South Florida marks a new path for him to develop.  “With his extensiveexperience teaching at the college and university level, Shabaka will play an important mentoring role for the teen and young adult students in MOCA’s afterschool programs,” she said.

Antonia Wright’s project will reflect her background in performance art within the mediums of video, photography and installation to explore the environment of MOCA.  A poet and photographer, Wright introduces social critique into a broad conceptual framework with imagination and conviction. She received an M.F.A. in poetry from the New School University in New York and studied at the International Center of Photography.  Wright was one of the finalists in MOCA’s Optic Nerve XIII film festival in 2011.

Clearwater notes, “One of the essential aspects of any art community is the interaction between its artists. Trading Places helps to forge a stronger relationship between multi-generational artists and the students they mentor and to engage the public in the creative process.”

About Trading Places
 This program was launched in 2005 with Miami artists Salvatore La Rosa, Maria Martnez-Canas in collaboration with Alaska artist Kim Brown, and Frances Trombly. The artists occupied the museum’s galleries from July 29 to September 4, 2005.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located at 770 NE 125^th Street, North Miami, Florida.  For information, please visit www.mocanomi.org or call 305 893 6211.

Hours and Admission: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - 11 am to 5 pm; Wednesday from 1–9 pm; and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. MOCA’s galleries are also open on the last Friday of each month from 7–10 pm in conjunction with Jazz at MOCA performances.  Admission is free for MOCA members, North Miami residents and City employees and children under 12; $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and students with ID.

About the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami

The mission of the Museum of Contemporary Art is to make contemporary art accessible to diverse audiences - especially under-served populations - by exploring the art of our time and its relationship to a broader cultural context.  MOCA is internationally recognized as a force in defining new trends and directions in contemporary art. The museum originates most of its own exhibitions, presenting an exciting mix of both emerging and legendary artists.

Visitors from around the world are drawn to its permanent collection reflecting the most important developments in contemporary art.

MOCA presents a continuous calendar of lectures by renowned artists and critics, film screenings, concerts, and cutting edge performances. Its MOCA Art Institute has attracted nationwide attention for highly original education and outreach programs that make contemporary art accessible, understandable, and enjoyable to people of all ages.
Through enrichment programs, cultural travel and social events, MOCA members are provided dynamic opportunities to enhance their understanding of contemporary art and develop relationships with collectors and art enthusiasts from around the world.

Architectural plans for the expansion and renovation of MOCA's current facility will more than double its overall space to 54,000 square feet and more than triple its current exhibition space to 23,150 square feet.    The expansion's concept plan is designed by Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman + Associates.  The expansion will allow for ongoing access to MOCA's permanent collection, provide an education wing for classes and public programs, expanded space to present concurrent exhibitions, new art storage and enhanced public areas. 

In 2007, MOCA received a $5 million endowment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to establish the MOCA Knight Exhibition Endowment. The endowment is part of a $460 million philanthropic initiative created by Knight Foundation to help transform South Florida by bringing the community together through the arts.  The Knight Arts Challenge includes three institutional endowments and an open-invitation community contest to fund the best ideas for the arts.  It enables MOCA to present exhibitions and multi-media projects each year featuring the work of emerging and experimental artists, as well as to develop innovative public and education programs. The Knight Foundation Endowment makes MOCA one of the few contemporary art museums in the nation to have a dedicated source of funding of this nature.  Since its launch in December 2008, MOCA's Knight Exhibition Series has featured the exhibitions: Anri Sala: Purchase Not by Moonlight (2008-09), The Possibility of an Island (2008-09), Luis Gispert (2009), The Reach of Realism (2009-10), Ceal Floyer: Auto Focus (2010), Cory Arcangel: The Sharper Image (2010).  Modify, as Needed (2011), Mark Handforth: Rolling Stop and Ragnar Kjartansson: Song.  For more, visit www.KnightArts.org.

Exhibitions and programs at MOCA are made possible through grants from the City of North Miami. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. The Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami is accredited by the American Association of Museums.