Visionaries
MISSION
The Performa Visionaries is an international group of patrons dedicated to supporting and enhancing Performa’s mission to produce cutting-edge performance across disciplines. Visionaries members are offered year-round involvement with Performa, from research and development through to fundraising, production, and promotion of performances, events, screenings, and previews, as well as exclusive access to artists and curators involved with the Performa biennials. Most importantly, the Visionaries function as a kind of post-graduate think-tank, where ideas are freely exchanged and rigorously examined, and where the spark of an idea can become a performance, a lively panel discussion, a film screening, an in-depth interview with an artist, or a late-night salon.
HISTORY
The Visionaries was founded in 2007, in the lead-up to the Performa 07 biennial, as an invitation-only group of young professionals in the arts. That year, through a series of public and private events, the Visionaries raised funds to support the production of Sanford Biggers’ Performa Commission The Somethin’ Suite, presented at the Box. Special Visionaries events presented in 2007 included: a sneak preview of Yvonne Rainer’s Performa Commission RoS Indexical at the Baryshnikov Arts Center; a private dinner with Turkish artist Serkan Ozkaya and his edible art at Freemans restaurant; a night of karaoke at Winnie’s with Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli; a world-premiere screening of Christian Jankowski’s Rooftop Routine (2007) and Nathalie Djurberg’s Untitled (Working Title Kids & Dogs) (2007) at Soho House, New York; and a series of salons at the home of Performa’s Founder and Director, RoseLee Goldberg.
In 2008 the Visionaries presented The Metal Shop: a pop-up store for young jewelry and fashion designers installed in the Frank Gehry-designed Issey Miyake store in Tribeca, providing a one-stop shopping experience for patrons attending Performa’s Oskar Schlemmer-inspired benefit, The Metal Ball. For the Performa 09 biennial, the Visionaries helped support Wangechi Mutu’s Performa Commission Stone Ihiga by hosting an intimate dinner in the artist’s honor. Other special Visionaries events presented during the Performa 09 biennial included: a biennial kick-off party sponsored by Fendi and W Magazine; by-invitation-only talks with Performa 09 Commission artists Guy Ben-Ner and Yeondoo Jung at the Performa Hub; after-parties at the Norwood Club, including those for Jennifer Rubell’s Creation, Performa 09’s Opening Night Benefit Dinner, and Mike Kelley’s Performa Commission; an evening of ping-pong and karaoke in honor of Korean artist Yeondoo Jung at SPIN, NYC; and a celebration for all Performa 09 artists at 105 Rivington at Hotel Rivington.
2010 will be a very active year for the Visionaries, and has already gotten off to an exciting start. Programming highlights so far include: a special walk-thru and discussion of Tino Sehgal at the Guggenheim; a conversation between artist William Kentridge and General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Gelb leading up to Kentridge’s debut at the Met; a guided walk thru and conversation with RoseLee Goldberg of 100 Years at PS1; and the first in a series of Visionary Meet-Ups at the Norwood Club.
HOW TO JOIN
Membership is subject to review by the Visionaries Steering Committee. If you would like to be considered for membership, please download an application below or contact Patricia Pinto at visionaries@performa-arts.org. Membership to the Visionaries is $500 per year. Information about other levels of membership or individual contributions can be found here.
Performa Visionaries
Hope Atherton
Matthew Bangser
Karen Boyer
Chris Brant
Felicitas Brant
Candice Breitz
Roxanna Bruno
Alexandre Carel
David Carson
Geoffrey Chaiken
Nicholas Coblence
Gil Doran
Carolyn Drake
Justine Fisher
Peter Friedland
Leslie Fritz
Natasha Graham
Rachel Greene
Brad Greenwood
Emma Hall
Sarah Hoover
Kristopher Houser
Alex Israel
Pierce Jackson
Zoe Jackson
Jennifer Joy
Jesper Just
Esther Kim (Chair)
Grace Kim
Jisoo Kim
Alexis Klein
Terence Koh
Yina Luo
Maggie Lyko
Candice Madey
Lauren Messelian
Paul D. Miller
Mai Nozoe
Adam Pendleton
Brian Phillips
Rob Profusek
Kate Robinson
Michael Robinson
Charlotte Rudge
Erica Samuels
Jaime Schwartz
Jenny Salomon
Jeremy E. Steinke
Yvette Tang
Joanie Tom
Dan Tanzilli
Joanie Tom
Imani Uzuri
Joseph Varet
Sarah Varet
Lina You
Burcu Yuksel
