Networked Realities: (Re)Connecting The Adamses

Over the past several months, Greylock Arts (Adams), MCLA Gallery 51 (North Adams) and Turbulence (a Net Art organization) have been working together to bring forward a series of exciting events, 
exhibitions, and opportunities to Northern Berkshire County. This collaboration, entitled "Networked Realities: (Re)Connecting the Adamses,"  has been made possible through the generous support of 
Turbulence with funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

As part of this project we are exploring the concept of re-connecting the Town of Adams and the City of North Adams through the Internet.   

Adams and North Adams, once a single settlement in Western Massachusetts with communities in north and south Adams, split in 1878. Through Turbulence, we will connect physical spaces in the two locations with virtual spaces on the Internet. 

MCLA Gallery 51, Greylock Arts, and Turbulence have been collaborating with local  artists, including Ven Voisey, Sean Riley and Matthew Belanger, as well as other local arts organizations, to make these upcoming events and exhibitions a reality.

Today we are pleased to announce several aspects of this project with more to come throughout the year. Today's announcements include: commissions for local artists to produce Net Art; a web exhibit of 
previous Turbulence Net Art commissions; and a workshop with Tom Igoe for artists to learn basic electronics and programming.

Turbulence Commissions
As part of Networked Realities Turbulence is offering commissions to artists living or working in Adams and North Adams, Massachusetts to produce Net Art for an upcoming exhibition on the Turbulence website and at Greylock Arts gallery in Adams. The subject matter and medium is open and projects need not only exist online. However, projects must include an important and compelling internet experience or component. Commissions will range from $300 – $1000 depending on the scope of the proposal. Selected projects will be featured in a future exhibit at Greylock Arts and on Turbulence. Proposals should include: a paragraph describing the project; the technical needs of the project; a budget; an artist bio; and a link to the artist’s website (if you have one). Group projects are welcome. Selections will be made by Turbulence. Submit your proposal by email to: turbulence@turbulence.org. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Greylock Arts at info@greylockarts.net.  The 
deadline is March 31st, 2008.

Turbulent Works
http://greylockarts.net/turbulent-works
Greylock Arts is also announcing today our first ever web exhibit with Turbulent Works, featuring 10 works of Net Art previously commissioned by Turbulence. Turbulent Works, represents the broad 
spectrum that is Net Art. In these works you will experience new interfaces for sound expression, art created within virtual worlds, art which is politically and socially motivated, video performances, 
photographic explorations, and websites re-interpreted through painting.

Arduino Workshop with Tom Igoe
Date & Time: Saturday April 5th 2008, 1 - 5 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Location: Greylock Arts, 93 Summer St. Adams, MA
Note: Reservations are extremely limited. Contact us at: info@greylockarts.net to reserve your spot today.
Tom Igoe is area head for Physical Computing classes at New York University's Tisch School of The Arts Interactive Telecommunications Program. Igoe is also a coveted technology consultant and guest speaker at technology conferences around the world. Igoe’s recently published book, “Making Things Talk”, is a do-it-yourself guide to networking ordinary household items. Ardunio is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. In this workshop Igoe will demonstrate the basic techniques and concepts needed to get started with an Arduino. The workshop is FREE, however, If you wish to go home with your own Arduino kit (which we recommend if you want to continue your work) the cost is $65.

Turbulence
http://turbulence.org
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. was founded in New York City in 1981 to foster the development of new and experimental work for radio and sound arts. In 1996, it extended its mandate to Net Art and 
launched its pioneering web site, Turbulence. Now celebrating 12 years, Turbulence has commissioned over 150 works of Net Art and exhibited and promoted artists’ work through its Artists Studios, 
Guest Curator, and Spotlight sections. As networking technologies have developed wireless capabilities and become mobile, Turbulence has remained at the forefront of the field by commissioning, 
exhibiting, and archiving the new hybrid networked art forms that have emerged. Turbulence works have been included in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial (‘00, ’02, ’04), and its Bit Streams and Data Dynamics exhibitions; Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea; C-Theory, Cornell University; Ars Electronica, Austria; International Festival of New Cinema and New Media, Montreal; European Media Arts Festival, Germany; and the Sundance Film Festival, among others.

MCLA Gallery 51
http://www.mcla.edu/Gallery51/
Gallery 51 on Main Street in North Adams is the result of a unique collaboration between area business and community leaders, the City of North Adams and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Located 
at 51 Main Street, Gallery 51 is operated by MCLA and features the works of international, national and local artists, including MCLA faculty and students.

Greylock Arts
http://greylockarts.net
Greylock Arts is an arts organization located at the foot of Mount Greylock in the town of Adams, Massachusetts. We are committed to showing the work of compelling artists, with an emphasis on 
underrepresented forms of interactive and new media arts, in our Summer Street gallery. We see community involvement and education as a key component of our future plans in Berkshire County and beyond.