Art In Place 2022 

100 ARTISTS RESPOND TO THE VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/1/2022
Cortney Lederer, cortney@cortneylederer.com
Owner and Director of CNL Projects 
cnlprojects.org

Chicago, IL. Over 100 artists nationwide are participating in the relaunch of ART-IN-PLACE (AIP),  a collaboration between CNL Projects and Terrain Exhibitions September 1-October 15, 2022. AIP invites artists to display a public performance or artwork in response to the violence epidemic in the United States.

Over two years after the first iteration, ART-IN-PLACE continues its efforts to bring people together and call us to action through the experience of public art. This summer, our teams at CNL Projects and Terrain Exhibitions once again felt compelled to respond to the state of our country. We invited artists to consider the relentless, ongoing violence epidemic —not only overt gun violence, but the continued multifaceted violences of anti-Blackness and racism, transphobia and homophobia, gender-based violence, violence and harm done to Disabled people, and the exploitation of the environment. ART-IN-PLACE provides a structure to amplify artists' voices in public space around these urgent, complex topics. We look to public art as a tool to engage us in thoughtful dialogue, community connection, and much-needed action to promote change. We are using art as a means to reclaim our human rights.

Artists of any medium and experience level were invited to respond to the current state of our country by exhibiting an original work of art or performance in public. Over one-hundred artworks/performances are displayed outside a home, on a lawn, from a window visible to the public, or through an artist-formed partnership with a local business across the globe.

The ART-IN-PLACE initiative began with three goals in mind:

• Create opportunity to connect artists with each other around a collective action;

• Use art as a way to build community for people walking around the area; and

• Serve as a catalyst for conversations in response to the violence epidemic using art and performance as a tool to drive impact.

Artists across the country were invited to submit to ART-IN-PLACE and represent all skill levels—from hobbyists to trained professionals. Participating artists documented their installations locally and shared images with organizers digitally. While a majority of the 100 submissions came from Chicago neighborhoods, the project’s organizers were pleased to have participation outside of the country, including in Ireland and Jamaica. The spotlight on local artists creates an immediate platform for communities to engage with art and to use it as a lens through which to understand culture, especially a culture in crisis, while the international participation points to the interconnected and global nature of our struggle.

Final images have been published at www.artinplace.net. The organizers intend to partner with a local political organization to print a series of postcards featuring a selection of the exhibited works to make available for purchase and/or distribution locally to use as a platform to encourage folks to vote in the midterm 2022 elections. Original artwork is available for sale with proceeds benefitting participating artists and organizations identified by each artist.

Visit www.artinplace.net to view all participating artists and to learn more about the project.

CNL Projects (CNL) was founded in 2016 by Cortney Lederer to provide artists and organizations with a platform to creatively produce impactful art experiences. CNL’s work is deeply centered on their unique, collaborative approach to working with artists, businesses and organizations to advocate for the value of art and culture in our daily lives. We partner with our clients to create dynamic art programs that serve an organization's mission and aesthetic vision. We deliver curatorial expertise to individual clients, organizations and businesses on both an ongoing or by-project basis. We offer consulting to organizations with a specialization in program design, marketing, team-building and strategic development in the arts. We facilitate workshops and provide individual consultation to artists to help them to realize their vision and build a sustainable career. CNL Projects is committed to working closely with their clients to create dynamic art programs that reflect an organization's vision, while capturing the imagination and innovation of contemporary artists. https://www.cnlprojects.org/ 

Terrain Exhibitions makes private space public through sculpture, installation, performance and interventions. Terrain Exhibitions re-purposes private spaces such as front yards, porches, or windows and turns them into public spaces to foster dialogue between neighbors and provide opportunities for artists and viewers alike to experience new perspectives. Terrain Exhibitions is a 501c3 Not for Profit organization established in the State of Illinois. Founded in Oak Park Illinois by artist Sabina Ott and author John Paulett, the "Terrain Biennial" has produced three editions in 2013, 2015 and 2017. With each edition the biennial has grown in size and reach. The 2017 biennial featured installations and events in 23 locations around the United States of America, Sweden and France with over 130 participating artists and curators. https://terrainexhibitions.org/