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Exit Art/The First World $30,000
New York, New York
Jeanette Ingberman, Co-Founder/Director
Exit Art/The First World was founded in 1981 to expand opportunities for emerging and mid-career
visual artists of all backgrounds in a non-commercial setting. From the beginning, Exit Art's exhibitions,
which present a wide spectrum of artistic voices, have been enthusiastically received by the art
viewing public. The gallery has become a vital and dynamic center for new art in New York and has
established an international reputation as a place where new and exciting work can be seen. In 1992,
Exit Art/The First World moved into spacious new quarters containing 11,000 square feet of exhibition
space, a 500 square foot museum shop, a cafe, and a 150-seat theater. Since then, attendance has tripled
and the gallery has become downtown's "hottest" venue for cutting edge art. Exit Art has always been
resourceful in its business strategies as well, one of which has been a special events/space rental program
that generates rental income from its two gallery spaces and cafe during off hours. This year staff
will launch a project designed to significantly increase rental income from these spaces. The project
entails a detailed analysis of past marketing efforts, the development of new marketing materials, a
direct mail campaign targeting strong prospects, and on-site promotional tours of the facility. Our grant
will support this effort.
Foundry Theatre $10,000
New York New York
Melanie Joseph, Artistic Director
The Foundry Theatre is a new company dedicated to developing and producing plays that reach out to
diverse audiences and challenge them to reconsider their definitions of theater. Its first production, The
Convention of Cartography, was staged in 1994 to great acclaim. It went on to a sold-out extended run,
won an Obie award for the playwright and garnered a Drama Desk nomination for the company.
Subsequent productions have met with similar outstanding success and the company, young as it is, has
established a reputation for doing high quality, inventive work. This season, the Foundry will present
two new pieces in workshop form and produce a mainstage musical work that it developed last year. As
the company moves rapidly ahead with its artistic agenda, staff and board have made plans to address
three key areas of management. Our grant will support a three-pronged project to develop marketing and
promotional materials, cultivate individual donors, and expand and strengthen the board of directors. It
is expected that these efforts will help to build the infrastructure necessary for future growth.