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.

Rick Ulysse, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1983 and grew up in Philadelphia where he attended Tyler School of Art.  Newly relocated to Miami, he is especially interested in continuing his research for his latest series of drawings based on Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution.  Imagination, cartoon realism, ethnography and historical fiction all combine in a non-linear fashion and avoids direct story telling in the traditional sense.  Ulysse notes that he uses “an open form to negotiate/infuse the everyday and current events into a broad conversation about history. Using this process allows me to garner a variety of sources from Japanese anime and Walt Disney, to Christian iconography and African symbolism.” One of the aims of his work is “to communicate to my younger cousins about Haitian history and identity. Theirs is a generation that views cartoons as reality.” He will have the opportunity to work directly with the teens and young adults in MOCA education programs, approximately 70 percent of whom are Haitian, and he will have access to South Florida’s centers for Haitian historical research, including the Haitian Historical Museum and Archives in North Miami.

Magnus Sigurdarson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1966.  He will further explore the concept of identity and his search for “Miami Melancholy,” which has been ongoing since his move to Miami in 2004.   “As a true blood Northerner with deep roots in Melancholy and the poetic enclose or angst as an artistic motivator, I have been searching for the ‘Tropical Melancholy’ and the ‘Subliminal in the flatness of Florida.’  This has of course opened my heart to all the other emotions,” Sigurdarson notes.  In Iceland, Sigurdarson mentored many younger artists, including Ragnar Kjartansson who had a recent exhibition at MOCA.  
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.”

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.