Andy Warhol Foundation Awards GCAC $100,000

Grant to support Grand Central Art Center
Artist-in-Residence Program

Santa Ana, California, July 1, 2014 – Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center has been awarded a $100,000 grant (over two years) from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to support its artist-in-residence program.

â“It is an honor for Grand Central Art Center to receive funding support from this important foundation that continues to focus its resources on forward-thinking institutions, initiatives and artists,â” said GCAC’s Director and Chief Curator, John D. Spiak.

The Warhol Foundation’s grant making activity is focused on serving the needs of artists by funding the institutions that support them. Grants are made for scholarly exhibitions at museums; curatorial research; visual arts programming at artist-centered organizations; artist residencies and commissions; arts writing; and efforts to promote the health, welfare and first amendment rights of artists.

GCAC’s artist-in-residence program is artist driven, with a focus on discovery, creative process and relationships through collaborative and socially engaged practices. â“The generosity of The Andy Warhol Foundation’s financial support provides the opportunity for the Grand Central Art Center to continue forward momentum for the artist-in-residence program, empowering artists to realize their visions,â” Spiak said.

Residency lengths are determined on a project-by-project basis. GCAC residencies to date have lasted from three weeks to longer than a year, including the ongoing project by Cogâ•nate Collective (Amy Sanchez and Misael Diaz) currently moving into year two. Residencies are not required to occur on-site, but provide the openness and opportunity for projects to be realized at off-site locations throughout the community, region and beyond.

GCAC presently is partnering with Social Practices Art Network (SPAN) on a new podcast series. Carol A. Stakenas, SPAN curator, will be interviewing artists and collectives that are participating in GCAC’s artist-in-residency program, with numerous conversations from the time artists are invited through the completion of their residency. This project is dedicated to capturing and cultivating creative voices in the field to deepen critical understanding and share methodologies.

Artists confirmed to realize projects through an artist-in-residence with Grand Central Art Center include: Lisa Bielawa, Paul Ramirez Jonas, Aida Ã…  ehović, Joseph Delappe, and Vincent Goudreau.

Presently in residence/exhibition, through her Wild Times off-site journey on the Pacific Crest Trail, is artist Susan Robb. Upcoming artist-in-residence event activities include: Daniel Tucker‘s ongoing project Future Perfect: Times Capsules in Reagan Country, returning July 11-13 to present a time capsule ceremony in collaboration with the Teen Program of the Santa Ana Public Library; Heather Layton and Brian Bailey’s ongoing project 59 Days of Independence, returning August 8-17 to present a project in collaboration with students from Orange County School of the Arts, Orange County Pakistani Parents Association, and youth in Pakistan via Skype – with materials presented in Spanish, English, and Urdu.

About Grand Central Art Center
Established in 1999 as a joint venture with the City of Santa Ana, Grand Central Art Center, a unit of California State University at Fullerton’s College of the Arts, is dedicated to the investigation and promotion of contemporary art and visual culture: regionally, nationally, and internationally through unique collaborations among artists, students and the community.

The Grand Central Art Center Artist-in-Residence program provides a dedicated apartment and studio to creative individuals through the invitation of the center’s director/curatorial team. The current emphasis of the residency program focuses on artists working in social engaged practices. GCAC residencies provide time and space away from one’s normal work environment and community, creating the opportunity for expanded collaboration, exchange, growth, resources, knowledge and discovery.

MORE INFORMATION ON GRAND CENTRAL ART CENTER CAN BE FOUND AT GRANDCENTRALARTCENTER.WORDPRESS.COM