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ICA Announces Winter Programming

January-April, 2004

WHENEVER WEDNESDAY SERIES EXPANDS

December 11, 2003

(Philadelphia, PA)- The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the ICA Winter 2004 exhibition schedule, continuing its 40th season of presenting diverse programming in conjunction with some of the most exciting artists in contemporary art. The winter exhibition schedule includes the first East Coast solo museum survey of Japanese sensation Nara, "Yoshitomo Nara: Nothing Ever Happens"; the first solo museum exhibition by Philadelphia painter "Sarah McEneaney"; an ICA Ramp commission by 2004 Whitney Biennial participant Alekdandra Mir entitled, "Aleksandra Mir: NAMING TOKYO (Part III)"; and a special installation of a conceptual building material,"SmartWrap", in the ICA Lobby. Brief exhibition descriptions follow these programming listings.

Whenever Wednesday Series Expands
ICA is also pleased to announce an expanded Whenever Wednesday series of events. These lectures, films, book signings, and other special events take place on Wednesday evenings throughout the winter. Whenever you're looking for something fabulous to do on a Wednesday night, check out ICA's Calendar (ICA Calendar). Highlights of Whenever Wednesday events include a Japanese Anime Festival with International House on February 4th; ICA's 40th Anniversary Lecture Series events with Richard Artschwager (February 11th) and Laurie Anderson (March 24th); a special open video call on February 18th, Open Video Race; and a lecture with noted Joseph Cornell collector Robert Lehrman on February 25th. Please see the following pages for a complete listing of all events at ICA this season including the Whenever Wednesdays Series.

Programming: January-April, 2004

JANUARY

Exhibition Walkthrough
Friday, January 23, beginning at 5pm
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
"Yoshitomo Nara: Nothing Ever Happens": With exhibition curator Kristin Chambers and Lewis Harrington, Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania.
"Sarah McEneaney": With artist Sarah McEneaney and ICA Senior Curator Ingrid Schaffner.
"Aleksandra Mir: NAMING TOKYO (Part III)": With artist Aleksandra Mir and Associate Curator Bennett Simpson.
"SmartWrap": With Stephen Kieran, FAIA of KieranTimberlake Associates, LLP.

Opening Reception
Friday, January 23, 6-8pm
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
"Yoshitomo Nara: Nothing Ever Happens"
"Sarah McEneaney"
Ramp: "Aleksandra Mir: NAMING TOKYO (Part III)"
"SmartWrap"

FEBRUARY

Lectures on Contemporary Art: Sarah McEneaney
Sunday, February 1, 1pm
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)

Film: Japanese Anime
Whenever Wednesday, February 4, 7pm
International House, 3701 Chestnut Street, 7pm, Now Free! (One block from ICA) www.ihousephilly.org
An evening of anime film at International House featuring Gainax Productions, creators of Evangelion, FLCL and Mahoromatic. Join us for a free tour of "Yoshitomo Nara: Nothing Ever Happens" prior to the screening at ICA at 6pm.

40th Anniversary Lecture Series
Richard Artschwager and Suzanne Delehanty
Whenever Wednesday, February 11, 6pm
ICA Auditorium
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
One of the pioneers of contemporary object and installation art, Richard Artschwager creates three-dimensional paintings and two-dimensional sculptures that wittily evoke associations with commonplace objects such as furniture and household appliances. In form and theme Artschwager's work continues to stand on its own. Artschwager talks with Suzanne Delehanty, currently director of the Miami Art Museum. Delehanty was director of the ICA from 1971-1978 and co-curated "Richard Artschwager's Theme(s)" in 1979.

Lecture: Michael Lazarus
Thursday, February 12, 5pm
Michael Lazarus's paintings and drawings systematically challenge convention and form. Using oil, enamel, and collage on irregularly shaped wood panels, Lazarus creates dynamic compositions through the play of recurring visual motifs and formal devices. Sponsored by Penn Design.

Lectures on Contemporary Art: SmartWrap
Whenever Wednesday, February 18, 6pm
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)

Open Video Call: Video Race
Whenever Wednesday, February 18, 6:30 sign up, 7pm screening
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
A special edition of Open Video Call. One week before the open call, on February 11, ICA will release a list a theme and a list of key ingredients that all submitted videos must contain. Check ICA's website for more details on this project.

Lecture: Robert Lehrman
Joseph Cornell's Worlds of Wonder: Voyaging across the Digital Divide
Whenever Wednesday, February 25, 5:30pm
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
Robert Lehrman, President of The Voyager Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, demonstrates the first project of the Voyager Foundation, a state-of-the-art DVD-ROM that offers unprecedented, virtually hands-on access to Cornell's work, as well as unique insights into the artist's materials and methods. The works are presented with multiple views, animation, and video and explicated in audio and video interviews with world-renowned experts, scholars and those who knew Cornell. The DVD-ROM is accompanied by a book-Joseph Cornell: Shadowplay...Eterniday-with essays by Lehrman and others.

MARCH

Architecture Tour and Conversation
Whenever Wednesday, March 3, 5pm
3330 Walnut Street, Levine Hall Lobby at 5pm followed by conversation at ICA at 6pm
Free with gallery admission
A tour of Levine Hall, designed by KieranTimberlake, with KieranTimberlake's Richard Maimon and Fernando Pereira, Chairman of University of Pennsylvania's Department of Computer and Information Science. Followed by a conversation on the development of SmartWrap with Christopher Macneal, AIA, of KieranTimberlake and Dave Cadogan of the engineering firm ILC Dover.

Lectures on Contemporary Art
Sunday, March 7, 1pm
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
Beck Feibelman lectures on Aleksandra Mir

Conversation: Sarah McEneaney and Sheila Pepe
Whenever Wednesday, March 17, 6pm
Free with gallery admission
"Sarah McEneaney" catalog contributor Nathalie Anderson reads her poetry followed by a conversation between artists McEneaney and Pepe.

Teen Video Festival
Saturday, March 20, 1pm
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
Teens ages 13 -19 submit your video. Deadline for entry is Saturday, February 14, 2004. Entry form and guidelines available at www.icaphila.org. Event includes open panel discussion with special guest video artists and ICA Associate Curator Bennett Simpson.

40th Anniversary Lecture Series
Laurie Anderson and Janet Kardon
Whenever Wednesday, March 24, 6pm
Meyerson Hall Auditorium, 210 South 34th Street
Free and open to the public (no gallery admission)
Referred to as a "modern renaissance artist and agent provocateur" by Philadelphia Daily News, Laurie Anderson is a performance artist as well as musician, poet, writer, and visual artist, and one of the most important contemporary artists of the later 20th century. In conjunction with ICA's Benefit 2004, Anderson talks with Janet Kardon, director of ICA from 1979-1989 and curator of a mid-career survey of Anderson's work at ICA in 1983.

Lecture: Aleksandra Mir
Whenever Wednesday, March 31, 6pm
Free with gallery admission
ICA
Founded in 1963 as part of the University of Pennsylvania, ICA presents a year-round exhibition schedule that defines, analyzes, and explores the contemporary visual arts. A non-collecting museum, ICA offers one-person, thematic, and group exhibitions, including commissioned works. ICA diversifies its examination of art to include interdisciplinary work such as film, video, performance, architecture, and design. ICA plays a vital role in introducing American audiences to rising international artists and is also committed to the regional arts community. ICA has been at the forefront of contemporary art for nearly 40 years, presenting the first museum solo exhibitions of artists Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Lisa Yuskavage, Charles LeDray and many others.

The ICA is located at 118 South 36th Street at the University of Pennsylvania. The ICA is open to the public, except during installation, from 12:00pm to 8:00pm on Wednesday through Friday and from 11:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $3 for adults; $2 for students over 12, artists, and senior citizens; and free to ICA members, children 12 and under, PENN card holders, and on Sundays from 11:00am to 1:00pm. For more information, call 215-898-7108/5911.

Photo: John McInerney, Opening Reception "Space 1026: Scratch Off the Serial"

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