<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div>On Jan 31, 2016, at 8:45 AM, Renate Terese Ferro wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------<br>Hello all, <br>On the 1st of January we opened the empyre discussion board up to invite all of our subscribers to post their recent bio’s and project updates. It has been great to hear from many of you. Today is the last day to make those posts. Hope to hear from more of you. <br><br><blockquote type="cite">Happy New Year empyre.<br></blockquote></div></blockquote></div><div><div><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Thanks Renate for this invitation. And here it is, Jan 31 already!! Where did the month disappear?<div><br></div><div>Working as a freelance curator, as I have over the last few years, my hats are unsurprisingly varied, but here are some of the things that I am currently most excited about:</div><div><br></div><div><u>Art and Food:</u><br><div><div><br></div><div>For the last few years I've been working as an independent curator. One of the topics on which I have been focussing my attention is art that intersects with our food systems. I've done this under the umbrella of what I've titled <a href="http://publicartaction.net/arttechfood/">ArtTechFood</a>. </div><div><br></div><div>Next month (next week, actually), I'm opening an exhibition called <a href="http://publicartaction.net/food-nostalgia/">food nostalgia</a> at Radiator gallery in Long Island City, Queens New York. Its a super fun take on looking at American junk food and food trade. Not actually all new media art at all, but I believe, a relevant conversation and some great artists. Please come along to the opening, New Yorkers!!</div><div><br></div><div>I will also be working with the artist Mary Mattingly over the next few months, helping her to develop and realize public programs for her <a href="http://www.swaleny.org/default.html">Swale</a> project: "<span style="color: rgb(46, 125, 128); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">a collaborative floating food project, is dedicated to rethinking and challenging New York City's connection to our environment". </span>It will literally be a floating food forest that will be docking around New York City over the summer of 2016 (and hopefully into the future). </div><div><br></div><div>I'll also be working towards an exhibition to coincide with a conference in New York called <a href="http://www.changefood.org/">Change Food</a> later in the year, so that will, not surprisingly, look more at food justice issues.</div><div><br></div><div><u>Community Engagement:</u></div><div><br></div><div>My interest in community building also continues (in the real world, and online :) ). One of the projects I am currently working on is the development of an online community platform with <a href="http://pointb.org/">PointB</a>. Having worked with them to help launch <a href="http://publicartaction.net/pointb-virtual/">Point B Virtual</a> platform and act as curatorial advisor on three (virtual) exhibitions in December last year, I'll be continuing to work with them as they vacate their physical space in Brooklyn and move towards an international network of physical locations, and further develop their online network.</div><div><br></div><div><u>Residencies and Related Programs:</u></div><div><br></div><div>I guess related to community engagement is that I continue to have a deep passion for fostering and developing various residency programs and opportunities for artists to develop new bodies of work, as they also engage with diverse communities. I am in the final throws of writing up a report for Kathy High and the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, New York, as they develop a sustainable model for their truly brilliant <a href="http://www.mediasanctuary.org/naturelab">NATURE Lab</a> initiative. (Kathy, if you're lurking here, its nearly done, I promise!! -- its overdue, I know!)</div><div><br></div><div>There are other projects that are related to these areas that are still a bit more nascent, or in development, but hopefully that gives a bit of a broad view on some of the things that currently preoccupy my thinking and my time.</div><div><br></div><div><u>Super Brief Bio:</u></div><div><br>Amanda McDonald Crowley is a cultural worker and curator who creates new media and contemporary art events and programs that encourage cross-disciplinary practice, collaboration and exchange. Her current research at the intersection of art, food and technology, ArtTechFood, has been conducted as residency projects at Santa Fe Art Institute (2015), New Media Scotland, (2014),Helsinki International Artists Program (2013) and Bogliasco Foundation (2012). </div><div><br></div><div>Many of you probably also know me from previous roles with organizations such as Eyebeam, ISEA, Adelaide Festival or the Australian Network for Art and Technology, so you'll know I have a long history of working in the art + technology sector. If you'd like a link to a more fulsome bio, you'll find one <a href="http://publicartaction.net/amc-brief-bio/">here</a>. <br><br></div><div>And in a shameless plug, I'm in the process of building an email list for *occasional* updates on things I'm working on, so if you're interested, please do sign up <a href="http://publicartaction.net/contact/">here</a>.</div><div><br></div><div><div>Happy 2016 everyone! May it be BRILLIANT AND SHINY</div></div><div><br></div><div>Amanda</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>--<br>Amanda McDonald Crowley <br>Cultural Worker / Curator<br><a href="http://publicartaction.net">http://publicartaction.net</a><br><br>@amandamcdc<br><br></div></div></div></body></html>