(de)Constructing Chinatown - Artist Application

The Chinese American Museum (CAM) invites visual artists to participate in (de)Constructing Chinatown, a new exhibition that re-examines Los Angeles’ Chinatown to open in October 2011. Stipends of $3,000 will be awarded to selected artists to help support and subsidize the completion of the project to be exhibited at the museum.  Selected artists can apply for additional funding of $1,500 for projects larger in scope*. 
Application deadline: 3:00PM October 6, 2010.

Overview:
For years the world’s Chinatowns have long been the subject of the artist’s gaze. Through this lens, their works of art have created lasting impressions of Chinatowns, often reducing it to an exotic tourist destination filled with mystery and intrigue. Unfortunately Los Angeles’ Chinatown is not exempt from this Orientalist legacy. These representations have overshadowed its critical role as both a cultural center for new immigrants and a conduit for their access to the larger surrounding communities.

Los Angeles’ Chinatown as a geographic space has always been in flux, from its original location in El Pueblo to its second home on Broadway/Hill. The communities that reside within them also continue to shift and diversify. Chinatown’s landmarks are representative of these shifts from the second oldest school in Los Angeles to a statue of Joan of Arc and a replica of Saigon’s famous clock tower to today’s influx of contemporary art spaces. Chinatown continues to be an evolving landscape where 15,000 residents call home, where diverse communities intersect, and where arts and culture thrive.

Objectives:
CAM invites local artists to submit project proposals for an upcoming exhibit entitled (de)Constructing Chinatown opening in July 2011. This exhibition aims to provide an alternative to the commonly held preconceived notions about Los Angeles’ Chinatown and aspires to re-envision a new perspective that includes real understanding and appreciation of Chinatown as an essential part of Los Angeles’ changing landscape.

Background
The mission of the Chinese American Museum (CAM) is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of America’s diverse heritage by researching, preserving, and sharing the history, rich cultural legacy, and continuing contributions of Chinese Americans.

Since it’s opening in 2003 CAM has been committed to showing contemporary art from both established and emerging artists. Over the past seven years the museum has exhibited over 10 visual art exhibitions from artists such as Jake Lee, Milton Quon and Tyrus Wong. (de)Constructing Chinatown will be exhibited at CAM in several galleries with a total exhibition space of approximately 3,000 square feet. It is recommended that perspective artists visit the museum to evaluate any site-specific space considerations or restraints.

Criteria:
• Artists must currently reside in Southern California, and preferably Los Angeles County
• Artists of all ethnicities/backgrounds are encouraged to apply
• Collaborative proposals will be considered
• Proposals must be for a visual artwork including painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, photography, printmaking, experimental film and video. Interdisciplinary/mixed media and performance art will also be considered but visual art must be an integral component.

Projects that engage with Chinatown residents, workers, small businesses, and community based organizations are encouraged.

* Additional funding of $1,500 is available to artists participating in (de)Constructing Chinatown and is not guaranteed. Additional funding will be considered based on material costs and scope of work for the project. Applications for additional funding will be considered only after the selected artists have agreed to participate in the exhibition.


How to Apply:
Download the application here: MSWord / PDF.
You can also request the application form by email Please email your request to: curator@camla.org.

Applications can be submitted electronically by email or by mail. All Applications must be received by 3:00PM October 6, 2010. Please send all application materials to:

Email: curator@camla.org. Please use the subject line – DCCFP

Mail:
Chinese American Museum
Attn: (de)Constructing Chinatown
125 Paseo de la Plaza, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90012

For questions/inquiries, please call 213.485.8344 or email curator@camla.org