Prospect New Orleans, the contemporary art triennial, will receive $2.5 million in grants from the Mellon Foundation and the Open Society Foundation to support work about monuments in its Prospect.5 expo.
"It's transformative for Prospect," says executive director Nick Stillman. The grants will will allow the organization to present public art more regularly. "For Prospect to be successful, it has to be visible and active all the time," Stillman says.
The Mellon Foundation's Monuments Project is providing $2 million. The Open Society Foundation is providing $500,000. Mellon announced in October 2020 that the foundation would commit $250 million to its Monuments Project over five years. Grants support construction of new monuments, memorials and storytelling spaces; contextualizing existing monuments through installations, research and education; and relocation of existing monuments and memorials.
The grants support commissioned work by seven artists in Prospect.5. New York artist Glenn Ligon is creating neon light installations incorporating the dates of removal of monuments to the Confederacy in New Orleans, says Stillman. Anastasia Pelias is creating a monument to Greek heritage in a park on Esplanade Avenue near Bayou St. John. Other work being supported by the grant is by Adriana Corral, EJ Hill, Simone Leigh, Dave McKenzie and Nari Ward.
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