by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Conservative cities lean towards conservative art. Jacksonville is one such example. With a dearth of unconventional performance venues, one local artist decided to create her own.
Shannon Chmelar, a dancer and administrative aide at spiller vincenty gallery, has established the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary and Virtual Experimentation or L.I.V.Encounters.
The program’s aim is to facilitate opportunities for experimental performance artists. Its niche will be live, experimental performances. All genres of performance art is acceptable: music, interactive video, dance, theater, voice, film and multi-media.
“We’re looking for anyone who practices their medium through live performance — someone who has a solid grasp of their craft,” said Chmelar. “We want to see an area that has not been gone over before in content, format or the position the audience is placed in. It’s about pulling from 10 different sources and merging it into one space for one night. The person has to be able to really utilize the space. We’re not a traditional, proscenium stage performance space. We want our artists to really grasp what we do have, which is an unorthodox gallery space, and use it to make art really come alive.”
Through the gallery, artists submit work for review to a panel consisting of the program director (Chmelar) and the gallery’s owners and management staff. If the artist’s ideas are accepted, they are given the space, the funding and the marketing efforts to get in front of an audience. The gallery will host the event, design and distribute promotional materials, handle marketing and public relations and serve refreshments. For up-and-coming artists, the program could mean an opportunity to greatly enhance their visibility in the art world.
L.I.V.E. is designed to supplement the existing visual arts spiller vincenty showcases.
“This is a way to infuse the gallery, and the dynamic around it, with new energy,” explained Chmelar. “It sets us apart from other galleries.”
The first show, “Determining Independence,” is scheduled for Aug. 25, featuring two pieces by Chmelar. The second is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 10. Performances are expected to number between five to a maximum of 10 annually and will take place Sunday evening at spiller vincenty.
For those artists who meet the review criteria and are accepted by the committee, a merit-based grant ranging from $200-$1,000 (depending on the artists expenses) will be awarded to produce the work and, if they are from out of the area, to cover room and board.
Review criteria includes four elements: clarity of intention and execution of craft, originality and risk-taking, quality and maturity of technique and the capacity for innovative and provocative thought, action and development.
“We designed the program similar to Diverse Works in Houston, PS122 and The Kitchen in New York City,” said Chmelar. “What we’re going to do is for artists who produce work in a live format. They can either mail in a submission or audition live for a spot. [They must] go through the whole application process.”
Artists are required to present a written proposal outlining their performance, technical specifications and equipment, estimated set-up and disassembly time, the motivation behind the work and what artists will be involved.
Emphasis is placed on works that dispense with barriers between the performers and the audience and works that stretch the limits of a particular medium.
“The dates are preassigned because we have to set our calendar way in advance,” explained Chmelar. “I have to insert dates in between the visual arts openings.”
Productions are booked four months in advance.
“There has to be time to clarify what the artist is doing and generate promotional material,” she added.
Performances will last between 45 minutes and two hours, although it may be more than one piece being performed or more than one artist in the spotlight. The program encourages use of the entire space, except the walls. Next year, the gallery intends to place movable walls in front of current exhibitions so that artists can install pieces they wish to incorporate into their act.
“When I started out [as an artist], I was surrounded by dancers,” said Chmelar. “As time passed, I felt a greater affinity with other performing artists. In wanting to do that for myself, I realized artists around me who were doing the same thing needed a place to exhibit — a solid place that’s not going to disappear and a solid program. In the last couple of months we’ve seen Brooklyn [Arts Center] disappear and a new Brooklyn emerge; we’ve had The Loft torn down and now we have the emerging art base in Springfield. It’s been so transient lately. I felt this is a good spot for this program.”
L.I.V.E. will not be limited to local artists. A search is underway in the Southeast for fresh talent. The goal is to have one well-established artist visit each year from anywhere in the nation to garner prestige for the program. The remaining shows will pull from regional and local talent. Preference is given to artists who have performed before.
“I would be really happy if L.I.V.Encounters is part of the network or web of alternative spaces in the United States that other artists around the nation know about,” she said. “I don’t have ambitions to make this thing go through the roof. It’s just great to be able to offer to others the same thing that I depend on when I go to other cities and perform.”
Tickets for each event will range from $10 to $25 depending on the artist. During performances with traditional (or seated) arrangements, 250 patrons can be accommodated. Interactive performances where the audience moves through the space can hold almost twice as many.