Prospect New Orleans

Prospect New Orleans is the largest biennial of international contemporary art in the United States. Conceived in the tradition of great international biennials that merged city and art, such as the Venice Biennale and the Bienal de São Paulo, the Prospect New Orleans project showcases new artistic practices from around the world and contributes to the revitalization of New Orleans by spurring tourism and bringing international attention to the city's vibrant visual arts community. The first biennial, Prospect , took place from 2008 to 2009; Prospect 2 is slated to launch in October 2011. Prospect New Orleans was founded on the principle that the art of our time can play a significant role in revitalization of an important U.S. city. It is committed to building a contemporary art tourism infrastructure on a signature event that galvanizes local art creation and entrepreneurial activity. The Prospect projects assign mearly equal weight to social progress and aesthetic criteria. Prospect New Orleans is the product of direct ongoing collaboration between artists, residents, neighborhoods, and institutions of New Orleans. Participating artists are provided with dedicated exhibition space in one of 16 to 20 venues - museums, art centers, and municipal spaces - in the metropolitan area. Prospect 1 attracted 42,000 visitors and generated over $23 million in economic activity. Prospect 2 will present artworks that grapple with historical themes, question what it means to live in a global society, explore issues of identity, and impart experiences of beauty. An extensive education program will offer teacher training sessions, field trips, student exhibitions, and an artist-in-residency program in collaboration with schools and other community partners. Prospect New Orleans is organized under the auspices of U.S. Biennial, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in New York with offices in New Orleans. U.S. Biennial, Inc., was launched in January 2007, and its first project was Prospect.1.