Pitch Night Nashville Winners to Install Exhibit Exploring Dance & Architecture at ArtPrize 10

by Alee'a Ulsh-Cherry on May 25, 2018

Greg Pond and Banning Bouldin took home a $5,000 grant at last night's event to bring an exhibit exploring the connection between dance and architecture to Western Michigan University (WMU) this fall.

NASHVILLE (Tennessee) MAY 25, 2018 – ArtPrize, the independently organized art competition heralded as the world’s largest annual public art event, in collaboration with 21c Museum and Hotel in Nashville, last night awarded a $5,000 grant to Greg Pond and Banning Bouldin for their Pitch Night Nashville-winning entry, ‘Guncotton.’ Pond and Bouldin captured the attention of last night’s five judges, earning the opportunity to realize their vision at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Grand Rapids, Michigan during ArtPrize 10 – slated to take place from September 19-October 7, 2018. Pitch Night Nashville is presented by 21c Museum Hotels and Delta Air Lines, and underwritten by Experience Grand Rapids.

Pond and Bouldin’s work was selected from among five artists who presented their ideas for ambitious installation projects at last night’s Pitch Night event. Each artist had five minutes to pitch their idea to a panel of arts professionals including: Donald Desmett, curator at Western Michigan University; Amethyst Rey Beaver, assistant curator at 21c Museum Hotels; Mark Scala, chief curator at Frist Art Museum; Gina Wouters, vice president at Museum Affairs and chief curator at Cheekwood; and Alicia Henry, artist and professor of art at Fisk University, Department of Arts & Languages.

“We are thrilled that Pond and Bouldin are bringing their project to Grand Rapids. We loved their use of sculpture, sound, video, dance, and the intersections between them,” said Beaver, reflecting on the judges’ pick. “We love how it will take up space in the gallery and how it will evolve throughout the course of the exhibition. We also love the sculptural components and how, at first, they seem esoteric, but once you spend time in the space it becomes clearer how it was meant to be.”

The multi-dimensional installation features sculpture, video, dance, and sound aspects that will work collaboratively to illustrate the relationship between improvisational dance techniques and the concepts of architecture. Pond and Bouldin will use 3D technology to scan points on the bodies of individual and group dancers to be reinterpreted into sculptures, drawings, and sounds.

“I’m most excited about realizing the big space within the gallery at Western Michigan University,” said Pond. “The biggest challenge will be figuring out how I’m going to cohesively incorporate all aspects of my multi-dimensional exhibit within the space, but I’m ready to tackle it and succeed.”

ArtPrize Pitch Night launched in 2013 as a means of discovering and supporting ambitious, exciting projects and to reduce the barriers to bringing them to the annual competition. Since its inception, the Pitch Night program has continued to expand and in 2018 includes events in six cities across the country. Following tonight’s event, 21c Museum Hotels will host the next Pitch Night event on May 29 in Cincinnati, OH. Bank Suey will host the final Pitch Night event on May 31 in Detroit, MI. Each event will award the winning artist $5,000 and a spot in a prominent ArtPrize venue during the tenth annual event.

ArtPrize 10 will take place across downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan from September 19-October 7, 2018. Artist registration for the world’s largest art competition is underway and will remain open through June 7.

http://www.artprize.org/blog/pitch-night-nashville-winners-to-install-exhibit-exploring-dance-and-architecture-at-artprize-10