Machine Project

the application period is now over. Applicants will be notified by April 30th

We are pleased to announce a new free summer program for humans interested in event programming as a form of curation. During the first half of the course, students will participate in theoretical and practical discussions on the philosophy and logistics of producing events as a form of cultural practice. In the second half, students will pursue individually directed research culminating in the production of two events by each student, one at Machine Project and one off-site.

Six participants will be selected to participate. There is no fee for this program. Applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of educational background or previous experience. Undereducated? Overeducated? No problem!

Application: To apply send an email by April 15th with the subject line [How to make friends and influence culture] to m@machineproject.com. The email should cover why you want to take the class and how it fits into your future plans. Briefly describe your background, with less emphasis on your career achievements and more emphasis on your narrative backstory. Please address the following topics:

* Three areas of curatorial interest. For example: “Right now, Mark is interested in gambling, bioscience, and sound poetry.”
* Previous events or really good parties you’ve thrown. What made these events successful?
* What else?
* And something else.

Applicants will be notified by April 30th

Meeting dates+times

WHO+WHAT: Sunday June 3rd 11am to 4pm
* Working with ideas
* Working with artists
* Working with institutions

WHY: Sunday June 10th 11am to 4pm
* A philosophy of events
* An ideology of experimentation
* An embrace of process

HOW: Sunday June 17th 11am to 4pm
* Logistics
* Funding
* Evaluation

BEFORE+DURING+AFTER: Sunday June 24th 11am to 4pm
* Communication
* Empathy
* Documentation

Research discussion and event planning
Sunday July 15th 1pm to 4pm
Sunday July 29th 1pm to 4pm
Sunday August 12th 1pm to 4pm

FAQ

Q: Who is eligible for taking part?
A: Anyone who has the time and interest. MFA or college degree not required. Six participants will be selected based on the applications.

Q: How can I apply?
A: Send an email of interest with the subject line [How to make friends and influence culture] to m@machineproject.com by April 15th

Q: What happens after I apply?
A: We will read all the applications and make selections based on how participants can form a collective group. Applicants will be notified by April 30th.

Q: Who is teaching this class anyway?
A: Mark Allen (Machine Project founder) and Charlotte Cotton (curator and writer) are the ringleaders. Each meeting will also feature a guest artist/organizer. Here are their bios:

Mark Allen is an artist, educator and curator based in Los Angeles and the founder and executive director of Machine Project. Under his direction machine has produced over 500 events, workshops and installations. He has taught at the California Institute of the Arts and the University of California San Diego, and is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Pomona College. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York, and previously served as a member of the Artist Advisory Board of the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Mark received his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts, following a residency with the Core Fellowship of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Charlotte Cotton is a curator and writer who has worked mainly in museums and non-profit spaces in the UK and the US. Most recently, she was the creative director of Media Space, which will open at The Science Museum London in 2013. She has also been a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (1992-2004) and The Photographers’ Gallery (2004-5) in London and was the head of the Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography at LACMA (2007-9). Charlotte is the author of The Photograph as Contemporary Art and was the founder of wordswithoutpictures.org. Charlotte is also the Mentor Curator of the Krakow Photomonth (May 2012) and the curator of the main exhibition at the Daegu Photo Biennale (September 2012). She is currently learning about the potential of epublishing for communicating cultural ideas and is a hands on board member of The Resilience Space (theresiliecespace.com) in the UK, a not-for-profit organisation sret up to provide resources, learning and skills for individuals and groups seeking to cope with difficult situations.

Q: why are you doing this?
A: We like going to interesting events. We think what happens at Machine is a good example of how to organize and curate events but believe that you will come up with better/different ideas than we can imagine.

Q: I’m not interested in participating but I would like to organize an event at machine.
A: If you have an event idea you’d like to propose, email m@machineproject.com a casual, brief description by with the subject line [I didn’t take your class but whatever I have an idea anyway]. Please note because of scheduling limitations we don’t end up doing most of the stuff we want to.

Q: I would like to do this but I can only attend some of the meetings because I’m traveling this summer.
A: To participate you should plan to attend all the meetings. If you know you will be unable to attend some of the meetings please alert us to that in your application.

Q: Is there a fee for this program?
A: There is no fee to participate in this program.

Q: Is there a budget for the events?
A: Each participant will have a total budget of $250 to do two events. Fundraising will be covered in the workshop and participant will be encouraged to explore different fund raising options if they wish to use larger budgets.

Q: Where will these events take place?
A: Each participant will be expected to produce one event at the machine storefront space and at an offsite location of their choice.