Art Basel’s Crowdfunding Initiative reaches milestone of USD 1 million, helping to fund 37 non-profit art projects from 16 countries around the world
Art Basel is pleased to announce that over USD 1 million has been raised to support outstanding international art projects since the launch of its Crowdfunding Initiative in September 2014. Thanks to pledges from over 6,700 backers around the world – comprised of supporters from each organization’s local community, the vibrant online Kickstarter community and Art Basel’s highly engaged global audience – 37 art projects have been successfully funded via Art Basel’s curated page on Kickstarter.
The international scope of the Crowdfunding Initiative speaks to the artworld’s increasing diversity, with participating non-profits from around the world – all but one are based outside of Art Basel’s three show locations. Funded projects have come from Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam, and have been supported by backers from 92 countries.
Spanning a variety of formats, topics and geographies, these wide ranging projects demonstrate the critical role that non-profits play in providing a platform for artists and creative thinkers to sustain a thoughtful, cutting-edge artistic practice. The funds raised through micro-donations have supported projects including studios and residencies in Chiang Mai and Chicago; public art works in Detroit and Rome; a new dance commission in Vancouver; a series of programs exploring the history of performance art in the Arab world in London; and several exhibitions, including an interactive installation in Kabul and the expansion of the first photography festival in Lagos. Additional projects entail artist books, monographs and other education programs in cities such as Colombo, Port-au-Prince, San José and Yangon.
Marc Spiegler, Art Basel’s Global Director, says, ‘We strongly believe that thriving non-profits – particularly outside of the major art centers – are vital to the health of the artworld ecosystem. The Art Basel Crowdfunding Initiative provides a platform beyond our three main shows and within the digital sphere to connect non-profits with potential funders, allowing these organizations to develop innovative projects that might otherwise not have been realized.’
Patrick Foret, Director of Business Initiatives, adds, ‘We launched the Crowdfunding Initiative to address the urgent need for alternative funding in the arts, and have been inspired by the response. While Art Basel has dedicated resources to the creation and promotion of the initiative, it is truly due to the backers and their generous support that have made it such a success. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Kickstarter to help these organizations flourish and realize exciting new projects.’
Kendel Shore, VP of Communities at Kickstarter commented, ‘Our partnership with Art Basel is shining a light on inventive arts initiatives from around the globe, representing the breadth and diversity of voices in today’s artworld. We’re thrilled that our on-going collaboration with Art Basel to advise on and amplify the work these non-profits are bringing to life has reached such an important milestone.’
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Sydney, Australia)
The Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh, United States)
The Art Gallery of Windsor (Ontario, Canada)
ACRE (Artists’ Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions) (Chicago, United States)
The Chinati Foundation (Marfa, United States)
Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver, Canada)
Dallas Contemporary (Dallas, United States)
Delfina Foundation (London, United Kingdom)
East of Borneo (Los Angeles, United States)
FLORA ars+natura (Bogota, Colombia)
Gasworks (London, United Kingdom)
The Ghetto Biennale (Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
LA><ART (Los Angeles, United States)
LagosPhoto (Lagos, Nigeria)
the land foundation (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Librería Donceles (Brooklyn, United States)
Locust Projects (Miami, United States)
LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division) (Los Angeles, United States)
The Mosaic Rooms (London, United Kingdom)
MOCAD (Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit) (Detroit, United States)
MARCA (Myanmar Art Resource Center and Archive) (Yangon, Myanmar)
NuMu (Nuevo Museo de Arte Contemporáneo) (Guatemala City, Guatemala)
Occasional Papers (London, United Kingdom)
The Queens Museum (New York, United States)
Raking Leaves (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
Residency Unlimited (New York, United States)
Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation (New York, United States)
Sàn Art (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
The Sculpture Center (New York, United States)
The Soap Factory (Minneapolis, United States)
SASSAS (The Society for the Activation of Social Space Through Art and Sound)
(Los Angeles, United States)
SOMA (Mexico City, Mexico)
Swiss Institute (New York, United States)
TEOR/éTica (San Jose, Costa Rica)
TEVERETERNO (Rome, Italy)
Threewalls (Chicago, United States)
Turquoise Mountain (Kabul, Afghanistan)
