DCCAH 2008 Young Artist Program Awardee - The Daily Render by Nikolas R. Schiller

DCCAH 2008 Young Artist Program Awardee
|| 12/1/2007 || 6:33 pm || Comments Off on DCCAH 2008 Young Artist Program Awardee || ||

exerpt from the award letter by DCCAH executive director Anthony Gittens

Yesterday I receieved this great news in the mail! I submitted the Young Artist Program grant proposal in September and it turns out that the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities liked proposal enough to grant me $2,500 to have an exhibition next year. I won this award in 2006, and had an exhibition/installation in my neighborhood playground, and donated 8 maps to the Library of Congress Geography & Mapping Division. I have two ideas for what I’d like to do for this year. I’ll definitely be posting updates as they come.

Here is the official description of the award from the DCCAH website:

The Young Artist Grant Program is an initiative which offers grants of up to $2,500 to individual artists between the ages of 18 and 30, is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America program. The Challenge America Program provides state arts agencies with funds to support activities that visibly demonstrate the benefits the arts bring to their citizens. The Young Artist Grant Program is an investment in the city’s future that will develop a new generation of arts leadership in the District of Columbia.

Below is the project description that I submitted for the grant:

Young Artists Program Project Description by Nikolas R. Schiller

In a world where every aspect of life is increasingly dependent upon scientific & technological progress, promoting capacity-building and education in science and technology is indispensable for all nations not only to achieve sustainable development but also to create a scientifically and technologically literate citizenry in the interests of ensuring true democracy. (UNESCO 2004)

These words of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization underscore the critical links between education, science, technology, and artistic achievement. Fortunately, Washington, DC is the home to a diverse landscape of spaces, places, people, and a history that provides an ideal setting for both the discovery and creation of new artistic methods and promoting new spatial modes of thought.

In the last 4 years I have created over 600 different maps featuring locations throughout every state in America, including over 150 maps Washington, DC. However, the cost involved in printing these maps in a large format has stymied my efforts towards sharing these beautiful creations with others. The Young Artist Program Award will provide me the funds to print a small selection of my maps.

My project involves the printing of 8 maps at 60″ x 40″ on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl paper, the purchase of 8 Poster Hangers, 2 framed maps printed on canvas, and the purchase of flyers for the promotion of a gallery exhibit during the grant period.

Starting in January, I will begin the process of selecting the 10 maps that will be printed. Once they have been selected, I will have them printed by Imagekind, Inc. Once the maps have been printed and are ready to hang I will have an exhibit at a local art gallery. Since the publication of the Washington Post article (3/14/07 – attached), which documents my cartographic creations, I have been approached by numerous galleries within Washington, DC to exhibit my work. However, I have chosen to focus on the creation of new maps instead of showcasing my portfolio. The YAP funds will allow me to ensure that as many DC residents as possible are able to see my artwork.

Unlike my 2006 YAP proposal, which concentrated on making maps from each of the wards of Washington, DC, this proposal focuses on the printing of selected maps from around America as well as Washington, DC. With so many maps to choose from, the process involved in the selection will be rigorous but rewarding because there will be the opportunity to show the diversity of my cartographic portfolio.

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