Grant Proposal to Support the Berlin Phase of the IMPACT International Printmaking Conference
SUBMITTED TO:
Embassy of the United States of America
Kulturabteilung, Amerika Haus
Hardenbergstr. 22-24, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Richard Aker, AkerR.x@state.gov
Kirsten Reichert, ReichertK@state.gov
Dr. Roy S. Weatherston, WeatherstonRS@state.gov
Dr. Barbara von Bechtolsheim, BechtolsheimB@state.gov
Weatherston Tel: +49 (030) 31107-439
Bechtolsheim Tel: +49 (030) 31107-421
Fax: +49 (030) 31107-409
SUBMITTED BY:
Beauvais Lyons, Ellen McClung Berry Professor of Art,
School of Art, 1715 Volunteer Blvd.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2410
voice: 865-974-3202, fax: 854-974-3198
email: blyons@utk.edu
School of Art web: http://art.utk.edu/
UTK Printmaking: http://art.utk.edu/printmaking/index.html
IMPACT 4: http://web.utk.edu/~imprint
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the Fall of 2002 I was a Fulbright Lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland. During my semester in Poznan I taught an interdisciplinary printmaking course, lectured at eight academies and galleries across the country, and presented exhibitions of my prints at the Fine Art Academies in Gdansk and Krakow. I also made several trips to Berlin where I established professional contacts. As a result of my Fulbright Fellowship I am working with the Academy of Fine Arts, Poznan and the Universität der Künste Berlin in planning the Impact 4 International Printmaking Conference in Poznan and Berlin September 5-10, 2005.
Over 300 printmakers, educators, students and related professionals from the Poland, Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, South America and elsewhere, will attend this six-day, two-city conference. By February 15, 2005 (our proposal deadline) we received over 80 proposals for panels, papers, technical demonstrations and exhibitions representing over 20 countries. The proposals are generally of high quality, and about 65-70 will be able to be included on the program.
The Trust for Mutual Understanding is supporting participation in the conference by three of the leading American artist-educators in printmaking and one distinguished print curator. Over twenty-five Americans are expected to participate in the conference including faculty from the University of Michigan, University of Southern California; University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Purdue University; Tulane University; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Minnesota, Duluth; Kansas City Art Institute; and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The conference web site (http://web.utk.edu/~imprint) has served as the primary organizational and communication tool for the conference since this project was initiated two years ago. It includes sections listing all conference activities, the conference schedule, hotel resources, budget and other information. Abstracts of all of the proposals received as well as short bios on each individual who submitted a proposal are also included.
This request to the United States Embassy in Germany is to seek support for to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to administer funds for printing the conference program and banners. All design, editing and pre-press work for these will be contributed by myself and colleagues organizing the conference. Our projected costs for printing related to the conference is $6,200. I am requesting $3,000 in support from the US Embassy to represent the German phase of the conference. The US Embassy will be credited for its support for the conference on the web site and the conference program.
PROJECT NARRATIVE
1. The IMPACT Printmaking Conference
IMPACT is an international conference for print artists, educators, students, curators, critics, collectors and suppliers of art printing materials and presses. Held every other year in August or September, the conference is modeled on annual programs held by the Southern Graphics Council in the United States. The conference sessions and publications are in English. I was a keynote speaker at the first IMPACT Conference that was held at the Centre for Fine Print Research at the University of West England in Bristol, England in 1999. Subsequent conferences have been held in Helsinki, Finland and Cape Town, South Africa. Links to these conferences are included in the “background” section of the conference web site.
IMPACT conferences have been attended by 200-450 delegates, and conference organizers publish full-text proceedings of the conference papers. Conferences are funded through registration fees, grants and institutional support.
2. The Origin of this Project and its History to Date
The concept of hosting the conference grew out of my Fulbright semester in Poznan. I have extensive experience organizing conferences in the United States, including Southern Graphics Council Conferences in 1992 and 1995 in Knoxville, Tennessee and in 2002 in New Orleans, Louisiana: http://web.utk.edu/~gumbo. Southern Graphics Council conferences are the largest meetings of printmakers in the world, with as many as 900 delegates, of whom one-third are students. Hosting the IMPACT 4 Printmaking Conference in Poznan serves as a way to build on our institutional linkage between Academy of Fine Art, Poznan and the University of Tennessee, and to better connect the historical legacy of graphics in Poland with an international community of printmakers. Since Berlin is a viable airport destination for many international travelers attending the conference, we decided to expand the conference to include activities in Berlin as well as Poznan. In the Fall of 2002, I formed a conference advisory committee consisting of representatives in Poznan and an aligned group in Berlin. Berlin is a 3 hour train ride west of Poznan, and represents an important cultural and economic link, especially with the expansion of the European Union.
In 2003 I developed a web site and list-server to assist in planning the conference and to facilitate communications. With a small grant ($550) from the Goethe Institute in Krakow and a Professional Development Grant ($3,850) from the University of Tennessee, we were able to hold planning meetings in Berlin and Poznan in June and July of 2003 to develop a conference theme and finalize our proposal. In August 2003, through additional funding from the University of Tennessee ($2,200) I was able to travel to IMPACT 3 in Cape Town, South Africa to present our proposal to hold IMPACT 4, which has been approved by Stephen Hoskins, from the Centre for Fine Print at the University of West England. Hoskins is the Chair of the IMPACT Conference Board of Directors.
Through international mailings of a “call for proposals” and listings in newsletters and internet listservers information about the conference has reached a significant audience. By February 15, 2005 we received over 80 proposals from 20 countries. The final program is currently be determined and an up-to-date schedule is posted on the website.
Participating institutions in Berlin include the Universität der Künste Berlin; Druckwerkstatt Bethanien; Käthe Kollwitz Museum; Kupferstichkabinett and the Kunstbibliothek at Kulturforum.
3. The Conference Theme
The conference theme for IMPACT 4 is "Kontakt." This theme was developed by members of the conference planning committee during meetings held in the summer of 2003. The word is the same in both Polish and German, and is readily understood by an English speaking audience. “Kontakt” stresses the collaborative and populist nature of the printed multiple. “Kontakt” also implies the bridging of cultures and nations. We think of the term in the context of the connections between history and the present, connections between artists and systems of patronage, and connections between curatorial practice and the artist. “Kontakt” also poses the issues of trans-nationalism and regionalism in the context of the expanding European Union. Given the rich history of graphic arts in Poland and Germany, the proximity of Berlin to Poznan, and the newly expanding European Union, the time and place for this conference is right. Based on attendance at previous conferences, and the fact that this will be the first time IMPACT has met in Central Europe, we expect about at least 300 delegates to attend the conference.
4. Evaluation and Dissemination of the Conference
All delegates to the conference will receive a conference evaluation form with their conference program. A summary of these forms will be distributed to the conference planning committee following the conference and to the group hosting IMPACT 5 in 2007.
IMPACT conferences result in full-text proceedings of the conference papers within two years of the conclusion of the conference. In addition to the text of all papers, the conference proceedings will include curatorial statements for exhibitions being planned in conjunction with IMPACT 4. We plan to publish the conference papers in a web-based format and on CD to allow for broad access to the conference papers. We expect articles about the conference to appear in European and American art journals, including Art On Paper and the Southern Graphics Council newsletter Graphic Impressions.
5. American Participation in the Conference
We anticipate significant participation in the conference by American print artists and educators. There are twenty US citizens on the conference program, and we anticipate participation by up to 40 Americans in attendance. The conference is being promoted through the College Art Association and the Southern Graphics Council newsletters. Paid participation by these and other foreign delegates will play a significant role in funding the conference.
6. About Myself
I am a Professor of Art at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where I have taught printmaking since 1985. Our graduate program in printmaking is ranked #3 nationally by US News and World Report. My one-person exhibitions have been presented at over 40 galleries and museums across the United States. My prints are in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Museum of American Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum. From 1994-96 I was the President of the Southern Graphics Council, the largest printmaking organization in North America. In the Fall of 2002 I received a Fulbright Fellowship to teach printmaking at the Fine Arts Academy in Poznan, Poland.
7. Preliminary Schedule of Activities for the Berlin Phase(s) of the Conference
Saturday-Sunday Sept. 3-4, 2005: delegates arrive in Berlin
Monday Sept. 5, 2005: events at printshops in Kreuzberg and the Druckwerkstatt Bethanien, special presentations at the Kupferstichkabinett and the Kunstbibliothek at Kulturforum. and an evening reception at Käthe Kollwitz Museum.
Tuesday Sept. 6, 2005: Lectures, exhibitions and receptions at the Universität der Künst Berlin.
Wednesday Sept. 7, 2005: Afternoon train to Poznan
Thursday-Friday September 8-9: Poznan phase of the conference.
Saturday Sept. 10, 2005: Morning Train to Berlin, Closing social event in Berlin
Sunday September 11, 2005: Conference Delegates depart Berlin
ITEMIZED PROJECT BUDGET
Funding for the conference, with a listing of potential conference sponsors is described on the conference web site at: http://web.utk.edu/~imprint/budget.html. This budget is conservative, as over 200 regular paid registrants are expected.
INCOME TOTAL: $48,800
Regular Registration (200 delegates x $120) $24,000
Student Registration (30 delegates x $60) $1,800
Complimentary Registrations for 70 delegates (UdK and ASP Poznan), $0
Trust for Mutual Understanding (dedicated) $10,000
Piekowski Art Workshop Grant to MNP: $1,000 (dedicated)
University of Tennessee $3,000 (Summer Graduate Research Assistant Shaurya Kumar)
Other Grant Support $10,000
EXPENSES TOTAL: $46,700
Call for Proposals Cards $300
Prospectus Cards $400
Poster $1,000
Conference Program (printing and design) $4,000
Translation Services for Poznan phase of the conference: $4,000
Audio Visual Support: $2,000
Honorariums: $5,000
Exhibition Program Support in Berlin and Poznan $6,000
Trust for Mutual Understanding Grant (dedicated) $10,000
6 Conference Banners $1,200
Conference Signs, Graphics $500,
Badges $300
Administration Expenses/Bookkeeping $3,000 (Summer Graduate Research Assistant Shaurya Kumar)
Bank Transfer Fees: $1,000
Committee Support in Berlin: $2,000
Staff Support for Registration Desk, etc: $ 2,000
Receptions and Banquet Support $4,000
Conference Proceedings $10,000 (published during the two years following the conference)
Note: International Postage for the "Call of Proposals" and "Prospectus Cards" have been donated by the Centre for Fine Print at the University of West England. The "Prospectus Cards" were placed in 1,000 information packets at the Southern Graphics Council Conference in Washington, DC March 30-April 3, 2005. There are numerous in-kind forms of support for the conference from the University of Tennessee, the Universität der Künste Berlin, the Academy of Arts in Poznan and the Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu. Any surplus funds from the conference will be designated for travel grants for delegates from Poland and Germany and students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville interested in attending IMPACT 5 (location to be determined). The Trust for Mutual Understanding Grant funds 3 trips to Berlin and Poznan by Beauvais Lyons and travel for four American representative designated in the grant proposal. The grant is being administered through the University of Tennessee School of Art. Shaurya Kumar, a Graduate Student in printmaking at the University of Tennessee has received a summer research assistantship to support some of the administrative duties related to the conference.
MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE SCHOOL OF ART
The University of Tennessee School of Art's first mission is to serve our students by teaching. We are dedicated to being the best teachers we can be by continuing to be active and productive scholars and artists. We strive to contribute to the liberal education of the student artist / designer / art historian as well as to offer courses in the visual arts to the broader student population. The School of Art recognizes its responsibility to reach out to the community, region and beyond. Students and faculty members fulfill this responsibility by exhibiting their work, publishing their research, and offering their artistic, scholarly and design expertise to area schools, museums and community organizations. We believe that faculty have an obligation to serve an active role in our campus, local, and regional communities as well as in national and international academic and professional associations.
ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATING BUDGET AND TAX STATUS
The University of Tennessee is a public university (Federal tax ID #: 62-6001636) The University is governed by the UT Board of Trustees. For more information, see their web site at: https://san4.dii.utk.edu/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/BOT/HTML/INDEX.HTML