We believe that meaningful communication is possible through art.  Strong, new relationships can be made through images, surpassing a barrier of different languages. We are committed to establishing greater international understanding, and we invite our artist colleagues in Liuzhou/Nanning, PR China, and Munich, Germany, to join us in this drawing exchange.  We wish to discover what is most important to you, reply with our drawings, and hope to form new friendships through art.  We send you this invitation to participate in a drawing exchange, as described in the proposal that follows.

We greet you with our sincere highest regard and respect,

The Cincinnati Artists

• Lead Artist: Jan Brown Checco
• Farron Allen
• Amanda Checco                       
• Saad Ghosn
• Kymber Henson                                                                                   
• Terri Kern

 

Proposed to Six Artist Partners in Munich, Germany

• Lead Artist: Traude Linhardt
• Gabi Huber Thoma
• Gabi Stolz 
• Johannes Veit 
• Arno Backhaus
• Birthe Blauth

 

Proposed to Six Artist Partners in Liuzhzou/Nanning PR China

• Lead Artist: He Zhenhai
• Qin Jigang
• Huang Jing
• Huang Chao Cheng
• Liu Xin
• Lei Wu Wu 

The Proposal from Cincinnati  (offered by Cincinnati on April 15, 2007)

Step One:  Making the Original Drawings

Six artists from each participating city each create one original two-dimensional artwork.  Size of page is a slightly modified standard letter-sized paper (trimmed to 210mm wide x 279mm tall) on cover paper weight (65 lb).  Subject matter, materials, tools and techniques will be chosen by each artist.  Images in color, or black and white, are welcome.  Each artist will write a text that relates to their image.  (English will be used for this phase of the project.  For publication of the finished project, we will also use translations in Mandarin and German for inclusion in the online visual report.)

Step Two:  Sending the Original Drawings to the Other Cities by Email

The 6 original drawings created in each city will be scanned by the Lead Artists, and sent by email as 100% size, 300 dpi, jpg files to the Lead Artists in the other two cities. The artists’ texts will also be sent by email.  Each jpeg of a drawing will be laser/inkjet/color photocopied at 100% size, 6 times each drawing, to a good representation of the original.  The Lead Artists will distribute 6 sets of 12 drawings (6 coming from the each of the other two cities) to each participating artist in their own city, accompanied with the artists’ texts.

Step Three:  Making the Re-Drawings

Using any material, technique and/or process the artist chooses, the artists will create 12 new images by working directly on, or with, the images created by the artists from the other cities.  This will result in 12 new images (“re-drawings”) created by each artist.  The artist may choose whether or not to read the text provided by the artist of the original image.  The artists may write texts about their experience in making the re-drawings, and can also write about each image they make.

Step Four:  Communication of the Results

The internet be the location of all project information.  A designer will format the images, and input the texts.  The catalogue will be loaded up to websites of participating artists and organizations, including our cities’ websites, universities and institutes, cultural exchange groups, etc.  A print version of the catalogue can be output on local color printers, collated and distributed as needed at the time and location of the exhibitions.

For internet publication, the Lead Artists from each city must produce a 10.5 cm tall, 72 dpi resolution jpeg file of each redrawing by their participants (72 re-drawings per city). All statements and biographies of the participating artists will be formatted in a Word electronic file, and sent to Cincinnati for upload on the project website.

Step Five:  Preparing an Exhibition of All Drawings and Texts

An exhibition will be organized in each city for the total 234 drawings, including the18 original drawings and the 216 re-drawings.  The location would ideally be in a public-accessible space for at least one month.  Framing is not necessary, but use of archival mounting tape or corners is requested to protect these works of art.  Each city may decide how best to display the artworks to their respective audiences.

The participating artists in each city will help with the installation, publicity, hosting, and cover the costs of the exhibition in their own city.  The artists from the other cities will try to travel to the cities of exhibition (ideally for the opening ceremonies) to meet their artist partners and visit the city, and eventually other parts of the country.

Proposed Schedule:

Creation of the Artworks – May 15 – March 1, 2008

Drawing of Originals begins on May 15, 2007.  Participating artist in all cities would have approximately 4 weeks to make their first drawing. June 30 – exchange by email of scanned original drawings and texts to the Lead Artists in the two other cities.

Copying the Originals: The originals will be scanned and color copied on cover stock weight white paper. Lead Artists will distribute the 6 sets of 12 copied drawings to their artists.

Re-drawings should be completed by March 1, 2008.  These will be delivered by hand or by mail to the Lead Artist in the city of the first exhibition.