Mission

Art Shanty Projects is an artist driven temporary community exploring the ways in which relatively unregulated public spaces can be used as new and challenging artistic environments to expand notions of what art can be.

Values

We value respect for the frozen lake community of which we are a part.
We value respect for the environment.
We value artists’ work and strive to pay them a fair wage.
We expand the definition of who is an artist.
We value the importance of artist and community interaction.
We expand notions of what art is and can be.
We believe in the value of artists and art in all communities.

Artistic Goals

The project provides a unique opportunity for artists to interact with their audience, and vice versa, in an un-intimidating, non-gallery like environment. Artists can choose to work in a way that directly engages the audience i.e. knitting or singing Karaoke or in a more passive way.

The focus of this project is on both process and quality of artistic product:

• Artists creating projects that push them and engage the audience.
• The project management providing a flexible structure to work, allowing for the development and realization of an artist’s idea.
• The project must self-govern to respect the environment of the lake and the community of fisher-people and neighbors that already exists, we are bringing a new use to a place that already has an established relationship with its patrons.
• Audience engagement is essential to the success of the experience, for both artist and audience.

The project runs for 4 weekends. Staffing your project during the weekends, and focusing interaction with the audience during these times is encouraged, and should be addressed in your proposal.

A new direction for the Art Shanty Projects

The Art Shanty Projects (ASP) is excited to share some recent decisions relating to our plans for the future and out return to the ice in 2012.

First, co-founder Peter Haakon Thompson will return to a leadership role after Caitlin Hargarten's amazing two-year tenure. Caitlin will remain involved with ASP in multiple ways.

Second, we have re-imagined how we can continue to fulfill and expand upon our mission, values and goals. Consequently ASP plans to transition to a two-year cycle with distinct programming each year.

Starting in 2012 we will begin the cycle with the Art Shanty Projects Biennial. The Biennial will build on the success we have experienced with our past programming on Medicine Lake. We will also be exploring the option of moving the Biennial to another Twin Cities lake in 2014 and rotating to a new lake each Biennial. In this way the Biennial could reach new audiences and artists.

After the 2012 Biennial concludes, we will begin the Disperse Year. We will organize a decentralized project to build connections and expand the lakes and surplus spaces that can be utilized for temporary communities and participatory art projects. This will be a year-long effort and while the exact structure is still evolving, it is meant to disperse critical ideas of ASP into the world. The ideas we are most interested in are re-imagining how to use surplus or "public" space, bringing art and artists to places they are not normally found and facilitating interactions between artists and audience on a personal and neighborhood level. While the Biennial year is an intensely public and well-attended event, we anticipate the Disperse year to involve smaller audiences and varying levels of public visibility.

We envision this manifesting in various possibilities:

• An artist setting up a shanty in his or her yard for interactions with neighbors and friends.
• Utilization of the surplus space of parking lot snow piles.
• Minneapolis neighborhoods each having a Shanty artist-in-residence.
• Art Shanties on lakes all over Minnesota.

Our ultimate goal is to create an Art Shanty Movement that further brings artists into contact with non-artists, expands the idea of who can be an artist and where art can take place. It is our fervent hope that this movement will range from the individual who creates a shanty for a small audience to organizations hosting Shanty projects all over the State, region and nation, on lakes and off.

Further details:

Art Shanty Projects Biennial:

• Will take place on Medicine Lake in 2012.
• Our ambition is to rotate to another Twin Cites lake in 2014.
• Format will be essentially the same: call for entries, four weeks on ice, projects of a participatory nature centered around Art Shanties.
• Artists will receive stipends, and we continue to strive to pay artists a fair wage.

Disperse Year:

• ASP and website will serve primarily as a resource center/clearinghouse for info about individual projects.
• Can function as a trial year for artists to create/experiment/build a portfolio for the Biennial.
• We hope to encourage artists to consider all types of surplus space; backyards, empty lots, snow piles, unused public space and frozen and liquid lakes. Projects could happen during any season.
• ASP can work with other organizations who wish to realize a project of their own.
• Projects could be public on differing scales, from intimate to public.
• A return to ASP's roots and spirit of experimentation.
• ASP will participate in Northern Spark June 4-5, 2011, northernspark.org

The details of the Disperse Year are still being developed but ASP is excited for this opportunity to expand our programming and work in more directions while continuing our already successful programming. Thank you for all your support and we look forward to deepening our connections and engagement as we grow.

Warmest Regards,

The ASP Board:
David Pitman
Jan Elftmann
Karen Kasel
Melinda Hobbs Childs
Mitch Redepenning
Caitlin Hargarten
and Peter Haakon Thompson, ASP Director