PULLMAN, Wash. — The Washington State University Museum of Art has received a $50,000 grant from the Allen Foundation for the Arts in support of a performance/installation exhibition “Still Live” in the fall of 2004, according to museum and Washington State University Foundation officials.
The Allen Foundation for the Arts, founded in 1988 in Seattle and administered through Vulcan Inc., has created the momentum for the WSU Museum of Art staff to work with multiple talents and artistic styles that will be featured in this unique, multi-media exhibition, combining the visual and performing arts. The exhibit will be a part of the benchmark of excellence established by past Allen Foundation for the Arts recipients, Anna-Maria Shannon, museum spokeswoman said.
In addition to the Allen grant, the museum is working to raise the remaining funds needed to meet the full potential of the “Still Live” performance/exhibition. Roger Rowley, Museum of Art curator and collections manager, has spent the better part of this year working on bringing together four artists to perform and through their performance create an installation exhibit. The exhibition is in its working phase. With the boost of The Allen Foundation for the Arts grant, the museum has the momentum to move forward with this imaginative concept and bring it to the public, along with a variety of workshops and lectures, Shannon said.
Chris Bruce, the newly appointed director for the Museum of Art, noted that receiving the grant provides “a tremendous opportunity to bring an extremely innovative and exciting exhibit to the Palouse, as well as a terrific acknowledgement of the Roger Rowley’s curatorial talent and the abilities of the museum’s outstanding staff.”
“This contribution from Allen Foundation for the Arts underscores the excellence in the fine and performing arts at Washington State University,” WSU President V. Lane Rawlins said. “We recognize the arts as an essential component in the university’s world-class undergraduate educational experience. The ‘Still Live’ performance/exhibition will enrich that.”
“The Museum of Art project demonstrates the innovation and drive of small museums to deliver the most contemporary art experiences to their community,” said Susan M. Coliton, senior director, the Paul G. Allen Foundations.
The Allen Foundation for the Arts strengthens the Pacific Northwest’s cultural community and encourages its creativity and vitality, said Shannon. The foundation supports projects and organizations that advance the visual, performing and literary arts; feature local, regional and national artists in a variety of disciplines; and encourage public participation and the promotion of critical thinking. Past grant recipients include 911 Media Arts Center, On The Boards, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Funding for museum exhibitions and programs for this fiscal year is provided by Washington State University, the Friends of the Museum of Art, the WSU Foundation and private donors. Additional support for educational programs has been provided by New Garden Restaurant, Pullman Child Welfare, Pullman Heating and Electric, Pullman Kiwanis Club, Pullman Lions Club, Pullman Parks and Recreation, Sims Glass, Windshield Doctor and private donors.
