Étant donnés Contemporary Art is the only French-American fund for contemporary art. Initiated by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and FACE Foundation, with the support of leading partners and sponsors, it aims to foster collaborations between visual artists, curators and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. American institutions and curators, as well as French artists are encouraged to apply to the Étant donnés Open Call that will open in the Fall of 2020.
We are happy to announce the 15 grantees selected this year by the Étant donnés jury:
Artistic Projects
7 American institutions will receive a grant for exhibitions involving French or France-based artists:
-Noguchi Museum (New York, NY) for the exhibit Spaces of the Mind, presenting works by designer Pierre Charpin (curator: Dakin Hart);
-Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY) for the group show Garmenting: Costume and Contemporary Art, including works by Karina Bisch, Rafael Barontini, Cécile Bome, Louise Bourgeois, and Annette Messager (curator: Alexandra Schwartz);
-Aurora Picture Show (Houston, TX) for the solo show of French-Congolese artist Michele Magema (curator: Mary Magsamen);
-Blaffer Art Museum (Houston, TX) for L’amour à la machine, a solo show of Caroline Mesquita (curator: Steven Matijcio);
-Beall Center for Art and Technology – University of California (Irvine, CA) for Variations, a solo show of Vera Molnar (curator: David Familian);
-Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, CA) for Witch Hunt, a group show including commissioned works by Franco-Moroccan artist Bouchra Khalili (curator: Connie Butler);
-Hunter East Harlem Gallery (New York, NY) for the touring of the group show Dust Specks on the Sea: Contemporary Sculptures from the French Caribbean & Haiti at 516 Arts (Albuquerque) & Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), which presents the works of French artists from the Caribbean.
Curatorial Fellowships
4 curators will receive a grant for upcoming research trips in France:
-Selby Nimrod (MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge) for the collaborative project Collecting Digital Art: Institutional Precursors in France at the Turn of the Millennium, a Case Study, in partnership with the Espace Multimedia Gantner in Bourgogne-Franche Comte;
-Stevens Mckenzie (Visual Arts Center, University of Texas-Austin) for the project Art Norac Award, in partnership with FRAC Bretagne, Rennes;
-Dean Daderko (CAMH - Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Texas) for research on The Politics of Freedom: Claude Cahun and Bouchra Khalili, in partnership with the Musée des Beaux Arts de Nantes;
-Mary Magsamen (Aurora Picture Show, Houston, Texas) for Research on the artist Michèle Magema, in partnership with Light Cone and the International Short Film Festival of Clermont Ferrand.
Artists Residencies
4 French artists will receive a residency grant with the support of Institut Français - Paris and CPGA:
-Theodora Barat for her project Four Corners with Mayeur Projects (Las Vegas, NV);
-Eva Barto for her project The Legal Loopholes Society with SculptureCenter (New York City, NY);
-Simon Ripoll-Hurier for his project The Targets with Kadist Foundation (San Francisco, CA);
-Jean-Charles de Quillacq for his project Corporeal Commons with the Coalesce Center for Biological Art, University of Buffalo (NY) and the Bemis Art Center, Omaha.
The applications were reviewed by Étant donnés’ Artistic Committee, comprised of independent American and French contemporary art professionals: César Garcia, director of The Mistake Room – Los Angeles; Jamillah James, curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art - Los Angeles; Hendrik Folkerts, curator at the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago; Emma Lavigne, president of the Palais de Tokyo - Paris; Paula Aisemberg, president of Trampoline & executive and artistic director of the Fondation Emerige – Paris; and Adeline Blanchard, program officer for visual arts at the Institut français - Paris.
Étant donnés Contemporary Art is a program of FACE Foundation, developed in partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, with lead funding from the French Ministry of Culture, Institut Français-Paris, Florence Gould Foundation, Ford Foundation, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Chanel USA, ADAGP, and CPGA.
