April 12–August 30, 2017
Site-specific practices of Soto and Martinez expand in the context of a new city
Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S Cornell Ave
Chicago, IL 60615
Project Row House
2521 Holman St
Houston, TX 77004
Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC) and Project Row Houses (PRH) are pleased to announce the second iteration of their artist residency exchange program. The initiative, titled 2:2:2 Exchange, features an interchange between two artists, one based in Houston, TX, and one based in Chicago, IL.
The 2:2:2 Exchange sends Chicago-based artist Edra Soto to Project Row Houses in Houston from April 12 through May 26, 2017 and will conclude with Houston-based artist Gabriel Martinez participating in the Jackman Goldwasser Residency at Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago from July 13 through August 30, 2017. Additional programming announcements to follow.
“2:2:2 Exchange offers a transformative opportunity for artists and community-focused institutions in different cities to work together to advance the field of social practice,” said Megha Ralapati, Residency Manager at Hyde Park Art Center. “The empowering, community-based work taking place in Houston is both sympathetic and distinct from what we are doing in Chicago and we believe that each artist will benefit from experiencing these different perspectives.”
This collaboration brings artists who work directly inside communities in socially engaged, site-specific practices to new communities with the goal of expanding their artistic practice in the context of a new city. Both Houston and Chicago provide a dynamic, diverse urban space that is rich with artistic engagement. Through the second iteration of this residency exchange, Project Row Houses and Hyde Park Art Center aim to provide an opportunity for artists to research localized ways of thinking and creating in a different city to enhance their practices at home.
“Creating environments that foster resilient artist networks is central to the mission of both Project Row Houses and Hyde Park Art Center. Through 2:2:2 Exchange, Edra and Gabriel are given the opportunity to diversify their networks and deepen the ways in which they work and collaborate,” said Ryan N. Dennis, Public Art Director at Project Row Houses. “I am excited to see how the artists work together throughout their time in each city.”
Artist biographies
Edra Soto is a Chicago-based artist, educator, curator, and gallery director. She obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2000, as well as attending Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Beta-Local in Puerto Rico, and most recently the Robert Rauschenberg Residency Program in Captiva, Florida though a 3Arts Fellowship. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.
Gabriel Martinez lives and works in Houston. He graduated with an MFA from Columbia University and attended the Whitney Independent Study Program before moving to Houston as a Core Fellow and artist-in- residence at Project Row Houses. He is the director of Alabama Song and a Friend of Angela Davis Park.
About the organizations:
Hyde Park Art Center
Hyde Park Art Center is a nonprofit visual arts organization founded in 1939 dedicated to advancing the quality, equity, and engagement of contemporary visual art in Chicago through education, exhibitions, artist residencies, and events. The Art Center’s mission is to stimulate and sustain the visual arts in Chicago.
Project Row Houses
Project Row Houses (PRH) is a community-based arts and culture non-profit organization in Houston’s northern Third Ward, one of the city’s oldest African American neighborhoods. The mission of Project Row Houses is to be the catalyst for transforming community through the celebration of art and African-American history and culture.
