BY MOUKHTAR KOCACHE   DIRECTOR OF VISUAL ARTS

MCC has a long tradition of leadership in visual arts programming downtown. This includes public art placements, arts and business alliances, education and residencies. The newest member of LMCC's visual arts portfolio is World Views which, in a little over two years, has established itself as one of the most prestigious and sought-after artists' residency programs in our area. The program has garnered international media coverage by The New York Times, National Public Radio, the BBC, National German TV, CNN, WNET/Thirteen and others. Studio visits have drawn 1,500 professionals and students to meet the artists. And a retrospective of 37 World Views past and current residents last fall, which was staged on the World Trade Center's Tower One Mezzanine, featured 150 works in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, sound and new media and attracted more than 3,000 attendees.

An Artist-In-Residence Program at the World Trade Center

"If ever there was a likely project for public attention...this is it." Cityscape News,

Currently, with 10,000 square feet of uncluttered studio space on the 91st floor of World Trade Center Tower One, World Views gives artists king-of-the-mountain vantages and the comradeship of an urban artist colony for inspiration. Nearly 70 traditional and new media visual artists or collectives have been in residence to date. Alumni are regularly selected for shows at New York galleries and in major exhibitions like the upcoming Whitney Biennial and PS 1's Greater New York. Our mission is, to facilitate and promote the creation and dissemination of new work by emerging and mid-career artists; to act as a platform for the exchange of information from and about the field and in particularly concerning emerging and small organization; to provide opportunities for both the art going public as well as for the general public to experience and learn from new situations.

The Fund for the City of New York, summer 98 Studios In The Sky Every year approximately 30 artists who work in painting, photography, sculpture, installation and new media are selected to occupy unused spaces in the World Trade Center that are converted into vibrant artists' studios with city, sky and river views.

This residency offers artists the rare opportunity to experience the intense rhythm and environment of the financial district and to produce new work from studios located in one the world's most renowned landmarks.

World Views is a unique and innovative studio residency program that emerged from a creative collaboration between a public agency and an arts council.

The program not only serves artists by providing desperately needed studio space in Manhattan, but also strengthens ties between the art and business worlds. It gives artists and corporate employees rare opportunities for interaction and spontaneous exchange, both informally and through events such as this exhibition. In a way, the residency functions as an urban artist colony where artists engage in dialogue, exchange ideas and perspectives about their practices and their careers and reflect on the issues that arise from their experiences of the residency.

Most importantly however, World Views promotes the creation of new and exciting works of art that emerge from within the World Trade Center. "Urban master-of-the-universe vistas in all directions from so high up you look down on helicopters..." NYT New York Times, April 30, 1998

The Project World Views was launched by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) with artists Carl Scorza as a pilot project in 1997. Nineteen 'perceptual artists' were selected by Graham Nickson, Dean of the New York Studio School, to paint some of the most inspiring views in the city from direct observation. As a site that is loaded with historical, symbolic and metaphorical meaning,

The World Trade Center offers an unparalleled vantage point from which both artists and others may examine and reflect on our ever-expanding contemporary global landscape. Therefore, since November 1998, World Views has been open to both emerging and mid-career artists with diverse backgrounds and interests who work in a variety of mediums and disciplines. The residency's emphasis has evolved to encompass the artists' experiences of the environment and the aesthetic dynamics that are created by the specificity of the site. In a sense the studios function as project space.

World Views was expanded to include artists who use new media and technology in the summer of 1999. A jury of artists, curators and critics select the artists for five-month residencies that culminate in open studio events for the general public. Artists have access to the studios 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. LMCC is committed to bringing the works created by resident artist to the attention of both the public and the contemporary art community. LMCC works with resident artists to provide technical and personal support on a one-on-one basis.

Throughout the residency, visits by critics, curators, arts professionals and students are organized to encourage dialogue and provide exposure to resident artists. "...this latest marriage of art and commerce is ripe with promise." New York Times, April 30, 1998 Press Coverage World Views has received impressive coverage in The New York Times (April 30, 1998), on National Public Radio's Morning Edition (Summer 1998), on BBC's USA Direct (Summer 1998), in The Fund for the City of New York's Cityscape News (Summer 1998), on ABD, National German TV (Fall 1998), on CNN News and Newsroom (Fall 1998) and on Channel Thirteen's City Arts (Spring 1999).

Atists and Jurors

1997-1998
Artists: Gwinn Alderson, Donald Bracken, Lois Dodd, Rackstraw Downes, John Dubrow, Jessica Goodyear, Richard Haas, Susanna Heller, Diana Horowitz, Yvonne Jaquette, Elisa Jensen, Pamela Lawton, Eleanor Magid, Ron Milewicz, Marjorie Portnow, Carl Scorza, Torild Stray, Pola Wickham.
Jurors: Graham Nickson, Dean of the New York Studio School.

Winter 1998-1999
Artists: Joellyn Duesberry, Matthew Geller, Terence Gower, Tim Hailand, Jennie C. Jones, Diana Kingsley, Daniel Kohn, Sonya Sklaroff, Taylor Spence, Patrice Sullivan, Mette Tronvoll, Micki K. Watanabe. Special project with Nicole Carstens.
Jurors: Bruce Ferguson, Curator, Critic and Dean of the Arts Department at Columbia University; Christian Haye, Curator, Critic and Director of The Project and Rita McBride, Artist.

Summer 1999
Artists: Adriana Arenas, Olive Ayhens, Jennifer Bolande, Wendy Chisholm, Mary Jane Dean, Adrian Doura, Myong Hua Jeong, Kevin and Jennifer McCoy, Mick O' Shea, Paul Pfeiffer, Nadine Robinson, Robert Selwyn, Taketo Shimada, Mi Young Sohn and Stephen Vitiello. Special Projects with Nicole Carstens and John Long.
Jurors: Lynn Cooke, Senior Curator, Dia Center for the Arts; Zhang Ga, Artist and Faculty Member at Parsons Digital Design and Pratt Interactive Media departments; Antonio Muntadas, Artist; Carol Parkinson, Director of Harvestworks; Lorna Simpson, Artist; and Franklin Sirmans, Independent Curator and Critic.

Winter 1999-2000
Artists: Taleen Berberian, Bruce Bosnan, Patty Chang, Geoffrey Detrani, Martina Gecelli, Gelatin, Kelly Hashimoto, Emily Jacir, Susan Kelly, Diane Ludin, Tamara Mewis, Slink Moss, Prema Murthy, Marcos Rosales, and Kimberly Tomes. Special projects with Nicole Carstens and Eiko & Komo.
Jurors: Lawrence Chua, Writer and Critic; Amada Cruz, Senior Curator, Center for Curatorial Studies Museum, Bard College; Kevin McCoy, Artist; Warren Neidich, Artist and Independent Curator; Carol Parkinson, Director of Harvestworks.
LMCC Jurors: Kathy Brew, Director of Thundergulch, LMCC's Art & Technology Initiative and Moukht

A Retrospective Exhibition of Selected Works In November of 1999, a World Views retrospective exhibition of selected works was held in the World Trade Center. The show, which opened on the 16th and closed on the 28th, featured selected works from all past residencies. 37 artists presented 150 works in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, sound and new media.

The works assembled for the exhibition illustrate the many ways artists have responded to the environment and the site. These works are often inspired by the views from the studios, the scale and urban complexity of New York City, the modernist architecture and design of the Center, the politics and systems of corporate culture as well as by the artists' practices and experiences as a community.

Approximately 2,600 people visited the exhibition over the two-week period.