May 26, “Atmósferas” Exhibition of  Gonzalo Maciel and Iván Enquin at

ProyectArte’s Prima Gallery

Since February, ProyectArte has added three young international voluteers to its workforce who are passionate about the fine arts and the mission of ProyectArte.
Anne Phillips-Krug from Berlin, who specializes in Cultural Studies, is in charge of organizing and documenting the art that belongs to ProyectArte and Galería Prima. Noah Gordon of the United States, who is a student at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College , has collaborated in the design of this newsletter, the ProyectArte blog, and flyers for Galería Prima. He is currently redesigning the ProyectArte website. Soon he will be collaborating with  the professional development seminar for our graduates, helping the artists learn to design their portfolios. Victoire Dewaegeneire of France, a political science student, has dedicated herself to fundraising and development, as well as collaborating with the Communications area by updating our contact lists, printing flyers, and preparing presentation folders.

Whatever your specialty or skills may be, the staff of ProyectArte would like to offer you a unique opportunity to work as a volunteer in a dynamic workplace with people who are committed to the mission of the school: to offer each talented young person the opportunity to develop their artistic potential.

In 2009, as in past years, ProyectArte will continue to exhibit the works of its graduates in New York. As part of the selection process for the forthcoming exhibitions (dates/times TBD), during the month of April 19 graduates from ProyectArte presented over 120 works to be considered for future Proyectarte events and exhibitions in New York.
Of the works presented, 48 were selected to be exhibited and available for sale in upcoming exhibitions and other ProyectArte events in New York. As usual, 50% of the proceeds from all sales will be used to fund ProyectArte’s current Scholarship students (and as such is tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law), with the  other 50% going directly to the artist.
If you would like to receive more information about works available for purchase, please contact us at info@proyectarte.org, or call ProyectArte in New York at +1 718 775-9143 or Buenos Aires in +54 11 4899-0444.

On Saturday, May 2nd, Argentine artist Mariano Sapia visited ProyectArte and led a discussion with the students and graduates about the historical links between the existence and practice of fine arts.
The exchange was energetic and obviously raised more questions than it answered: why does art exist? is art necessary? for whom? for what? is art the result of individual or collective expression? does art reflect only intrinsic aspects of the individual artist who produces it or is it a synthesis of key moments of their era? can anyone be an artist? who is an artist? who defines what is an artist? are all artistic expressions equally valid? are there established and objective criteria to define what is art and what is not? what is the relationship between art and the emotional impact on the observer?
Mariano stimulated the young artists to reflect and to think boldly about the practices of artists in different times. The participants enjoyed the discussion and later continued the debate among themselves.
And of course while none of the questions raised were resolved that night, ProyectArte’s aspiring artists  will continue to find their own ways of answering these difficult questions as they continue their studies at ProyectArte.

On April 28th ProyectArte’s Prima Gallery innaugurated an exhibition of artist books curated by distinguished Argentine artist Juan Carlos Romero. ProyectArte graduates participating in the exhibit include Iván Enquin, Mercedes Peñalba, Julieta Orliacq, Gonzalo Maciel, Damian Stendelis, Julian Pesce, Rocio Sztrum, Clara Desimone, Florencia Buezas, and Nestor Burgos. These young artists were inspired by a seminar on artist books given by Romero at ProyectArte between November and December  2008.
Over 100 people came out for the opening, including well-known artists such as Mariano Sapia and Ernesto Pesce, as well as celebrities such as model Raquel Mancini.
“The artist book exists only when it is conceived not only as a book,” said Juan Carlos Romero. “There are many attributes that give each work a sense of play and interaction. When you can touch, see, smell, turn, break and feel each work of art, then the artist book is a work of art.”

In 2009, ProyectArte is offering a wide array of activities for its graduates. Now, in addition to existing components of our graduate program such as studio time and clinics (currently taught by Argentine artist Andres Labake), monthly visiting artists program, and exhibition opportunities at ProyectArte’s Prima Gallery, ProyectArte is also offering a new professional development seminar. The seminar is designed to educate the graduates about the different aspects of becoming a professional artist. The program, slated to begin on May 9th,  will cover topics such as exhibitions production, fundraising, and creative strategies to promote an artist’s work. The seminar is being created in collaboration with Substantive Management, an organization specialized in arts and culture management and development.

On March 23 Proyectarte’s founders, staff, teachers, assistants and alumni received the new class of scholarship students. It was the first of 6 meetings in which the incoming 18 students would familiarize themselves with their classmates and ProyectArte as an organization. The pre-classes seminar, which included one session with the students’ parents, allowed students to introduce each other to themselves and their work. Students were also given an opportunity to dispel doubts and discuss specific aspects of the programs. The introduction ended with an overview of the ProyectArte Scholarships, including rules and expectations for the program, as well as practical matters  such as use and storage of tools and materials. To conclude these introductory sessions and promote solidarity within the group, the students collaborated on a group work.

With the introductory sessions behind them, in April, the students started their formal classes, working with their distinguished teachers Horacio D’Alessandro and Karina Pesisaiovich, two professors who will accompany them on their studies during their first year of study at ProyectArte.