VSA arts’ Hosts New York Premiere of Groundbreaking International New Media Exhibition at the World Financial Center

January 24, 2008

WASHINGTON, January 24, 2008 - VSA arts' new media exhibition, Renascence, premieres at the World Financial Center Courtyard Gallery from Feb. 5-March 16. An international juried exhibition of new media by artists with disabilities who use new media to convey personal experience, Renascence brings ideas from international artists that change perceptions both about disability and the role of new media in the traditional art world.

“Renascence is the first new media exhibition that captures the disability experience,” said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. “We're excited to bring this dynamic exhibition to New York, a city long known for redefining artistic boundaries.”

New media allows artists a platform for personal expression and interaction through digital formats that are accessible to everyone. There are 650 million people living with disabilities throughout the world, according to the United Nations, making it the world's largest minority. Digital media opens up a tremendous opportunity for artists with disabilities to express themselves in unique or non-traditional ways.

Highlights include: New Yorker Leon Lim's four-part multimedia installation, Leon Lim’s Silent Story, uses a video format to test the boundaries between the hearing and the Deaf world by flashing contrasting images from the two communities. Video, photography, and a blog depict artist Hans Bernhard's life with a mental disability in Psych/OS cycle. Mary Behr's interactive sculpture MOVE! is a direct response to the invasive nature of airport security checkpoints for those with artificial joints.

The anchor piece of the exhibition is Lihua Lei's 40-foot installation, Phantom Pain. Transparent, butterfly-like wings float over glass casts of the artist's own legs. Lei, who has polio, was recently named a 2008 National Women’s History month honoree and won the 2007 Newhouse Award for artists of excellence.

There will be an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on February 7. A press preview will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. that day. To receive a press pass, contact Stephanie Taylor at (202) 628-2800.

The exhibition will be showcased as part of the arts>World Financial Center program, an innovative series of free performances, exhibitions, installations, and festivals created to showcase emerging as well as established artists. The Courtyard Gallery is located at 220 Vesey St, between West St. and the Hudson river. Gallery hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, please see www.vsarts.org/renascence.

ABOUT VSA arts
VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 55 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information visit www.vsarts.org.

ABOUT arts>World Financial Center
The exhibition will be presented in association with the arts>World Financial Center program, an innovative series of free performances, exhibitions, installations, and festivals created to showcase emerging as well as established artists. arts>World Financial Center, celebrating its 20th Birthday, serves as the leading showcase in Lower Manhattan for visual and performing arts, and is sponsored by American Express, Merrill Lynch, Brookfield Properties and Battery Park City Authority. For more information visit www.worldfinancialcenter.com/ae/.

Media Contact:

Stephanie Taylor/VSA arts
(202) 628-2800 ext. 3883
SKTaylor@vsarts.org