First off, two things may come to mind when reading this post:
1. What is KOI? KOI stands for Kitchen of Innovation. Exact definition follows, text from a post on the KOI blog.
2. Art/Crafting in DC? Are you kidding me?
Save the date: April 9, 2011. More details coming soon, but if you’re an independent artist interested in presenting a project for community funding, we’d love to have your application. See below!
Kitchen of Innovation (KOI) invites artists to submit project proposals for its next networking fundraiser to take place April 9, 2011. The deadline for submissions is
FEBRUARY 25, 2011.KOI is an open-ended experiment that invites DC culture-lovers to invest in artists’ creative processes. It is a fundraising event that gathers like-minded people and promotes artists and initiatives. We are looking for projects that may not comfortably fit into conventional funding grants and artists who are not receiving steady income from galleries, theaters, universities, or non-profits.
KOI encourages creativity and investment: people who attend pay admission, share a meal, each artist gives a brief presentation, everybody votes, and the winner gets the money.
At the next KOI there will be 7 to 8 artists presenting their projects. If you are someone working with performance, sculpture, sound, visual arts, dance, puppetry, theater, web-based art, installation, or any combination thereof, please tell us about your plans. We are looking for projects by independent artists, meaning people who are neither in school nor working as full-time teachers. Recent graduates, adjuncts, and freelance artists are strongly encouraged to submit their ideas. We seek to fund proposals that are in need of creative investors and enrich DC’s artistic landscape.
We will ask the artists who fit KOI’s criteria to present their proposals in person in March and then choose people to present at our next events (there are 3 more KOI fundraisers planned for 2011). The first KOI (held in October 2010) generated networking opportunities, contacts and ideas for artists and participants, plus two artists split the income of $1000.
If you want to be a part of KOI, send answers to these questions to kitchenofinnovation@gmail.com
Include your name, email address, phone number and mailing address:
1. What is your project? (please answer in 150 words or less)
2. How will your project benefit people besides yourself? (answer in 150 words or less)
3. How would you spend the money received from KOI? (using 150 words or less)
4. Tell us if you are NOT available any of these dates/times: March 4 between 6-9 p.m. and Sunday, March 6 between noon-3 p.m. These are the dates we will meet with artists who fit KOI criteria and hear more about the project proposals.
The deadline for sending in your answers to the 4 questions: February 25, 2011
2. The DC thing. Yes, there are politicians here, and weird motorcades, and lots of people who carry special badges for work. But there is a directly opposite force of creativity (Pink Line Project comes to mind?) that, to me, fits perfectly. Creating in a place that’s too far left or too far right doesn’t feed me with what I need, the sharp contrast, playful opposition, open discussion and bizarre juxtapositions that result.
I know that that’s just my opinion, though. I’m still settling into the city, finding my way around, meeting more people (I know like 10 now! So much better than the previous 3… who were mostly related to me!), watching what sets DC apart from other places I’ve lived. Creativity exists in the push and pull binary that brings up questions, never settles and is always transforming.
So, yeah, we may not be NYC or Paris or London or LA. (Or Portland!) But, we have a vast collection of unique strengths and differences, free museums and people itching to create. I think DC’s magic is that the true creativity (art or craft) lies somewhat undiscovered underneath its politics and elections and senators. From there, it’s unbounded by rules or expectations or political sides, which is a mighty fine place to be.