New Board Members, Franklin Boyd and Victor Friedberg,
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New Grants Totaling $500,000
Add More Wattage to ZER01’s Transformation of SV’s Cultural Landscape
ZER01: The Art and Technology Network is pleased to announce the fourth quarter success of the organization, with the addition of two new Board Members and a combined $500,000 in grant awards. Through the generosity of ZER01’s funders and the organization’s ability to recruit a compelling mix of influential individuals to its board, this end-of-year injection of professional expertise and financial support further boosts the organization’s ability to transform Silicon Valley into a global epicenter for art, technology, and digital culture—in part via the 01SJ Biennial, the first art and technology biennial in North America.
On the funding front, ZER01 has received grants from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation for $250,000 and the James Irvine Foundation for $200,000 in addition to $50,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Packard grant builds on the foundation’s commitment to invest in innovative people and organizations that trade in big ideas designed to make a unique and lasting contribution while the Irvine and NEA grants underwrite programming for the 2010 01SJ Biennial with the Irvine grant specifically supporting work by California artists.
During a period when securing funding for non-profits has been particularly challenging, this latest series of grants—on the heels of an earlier Knight Foundation grant—is significant because they validate both the organization’s vision and its plans for execution. All three infusions sustain ZER01’s goal to be regionally responsible yet internationally significant.
Shaping the trajectory of the organization is equally critical to ZER01’s success. Two new board members, Franklin Boyd, founder and CEO of Boyd Level art consultancy in New York City, and Victor Friedberg, former Executive Director of Wired’s NextFest whose recent projects include orchestrating the unveiling of Sir Richard Branson’s latest venture – Virgin Galactic – will play important roles in driving engagement with the organization on a broader national level as well as providing strategic insight around marketing and development.
“It is well known that Silicon Valley is the epicenter of technology and entrepreneurial creativity, yet no arts organization or effort exists to bring the two together to reap the rewards of this unique combination,” said Joel Slayton, ZER01’s executive director. “That is, until now. The vote of confidence expressed through these three new grants, and the addition of two stellar individuals to our board, translate into proof positive that we have the wattage needed to continue our quest to achieve ZER01’s audacious and compelling vision.”
About ZER01’s 01SJ Biennial
San Jose-based ZER01 has served as a catalyst and platform for the world’s most innovative artists since 2000. The nonprofit focuses on inspiring creativity at the intersection of art, technology and digital culture.
As producer of the 01SJ Biennial, a multidisciplinary, multi-venue event of visual and performing arts, the moving image, public art and interactive digital media, ZER01 has showcased the work of 350 artists from more than 40 countries using such media as GPS-equipped pigeons, interactive platform shoe devices, mobile phone and surveillance technologies.
A celebrated success in the region, the 01SJ Biennial attracted 65,000 visitors and generated $15 million in economic revenue for San Jose. Between biennials-the 3rd 01SJ Biennial takes place Sept. 15-19, 2010-ZER01 nurtures Silicon Valley’s cultural landscape with events such as the June 2009 SubZERO Festival. Produced in partnership with SoFA, it drew 10,000 people to downtown.
About ZER01: The Art and Technology Network
The Art and Technology Network is an independent 501 c (3) nonprofit whose mission is to inspire creativity at the intersection of art, technology, and digital culture. ZER01 is the producing organization for 01SJ Biennial, North America’s newest and largest multi-disciplinary, multi-venue event of visual and performing arts, the moving image, public art, and interactive digital media. For more information about ZER01, visit www.zero1.org.
