FREEZE 2009: 2008

FREEZE

An Outdoor Exhibition of Art and Architecture

Opening January 3, 2009

Anchorage, Alaska

I would like to invite you to participate in a special installation

in Anchorage.  This will be a winter event where architects and

artists of international standing work in collaboration to create

outdoor installations using snow and light - elements that

characterize winter in the north.  The event and exhibition will

feature the work of six “teams” each consisting of an architect and

an artist.  Participants may select their own collaborator or,

alternately, the curators of FREEZE will be able to match them with a

partner firm or artist.  Please note that this is not a general, open

call.  We are approaching you because we admire your work and because

we think you might be willing to experiment within this forum.

FREEZE is organized and hosted by the Alaska Design Forum, the

International Gallery of Contemporary Art, the Anchorage Museum and

the celebration committee for the 50th anniversary of Alaska’s

statehood.  The association with the statehood celebrations allows

for the opportunity of thousands of international visitors to

Anchorage viewing the exhibition.

Materials and supplies will be provided in Anchorage and an on-site

team will be available to work with each team.  Participants will be

given an honorarium.

Team members will be present for installation and at the opening

ceremonies and will present a public lecture. The installations will

open to the public on January 3, 2009 and will run through that

month.  The project will coordinate and offer airline travel and

hotel accommodations to participating artists/architects/designers.

Opportunities for participation in a satellite project in Fairbanks

and Juneau are also available. In addition, a catalogue will be

published.

Polar regions are receiving increasing attention in these times of

climate change and environmental awareness.  They have unique

challenges with regard to weather, resources, design and the built

environment.  This exhibition will help to bring renewed attention to

life in the arctic.

The exhibition is being curated by Julie Decker, a board member of

the Alaska Design Forum and director of the International Gallery of

Contemporary Art,  and a frequent guest curator for the Anchorage

Museum; and Brian Carter, Dean of Architecture and Planning for SUNY

Buffalo, an architect and award winning author of numerous books on

modern architecture.

If you are interested in participating in this exhibition, please

email me at julied@alaskalife.net.  We can discuss partnerships,

schedule, a working method, and answer any other questions you might

have.  We’re hoping that a unique Alaskan experience might pique your

interest in this project.

I eagerly await your reply.

Sincerely,

Julie Decker

julied@alaskalife.net

www.alaskadesignforum.org

FREEZE 2009