Ann Hamilton

Ohio-born artist Ann Hamilton has been selected to represent the United States at the 48th Venice Biennale, June 12-November 7, 1999. With the assistance of a grant from the Ohio Arts Council's International Program she will create a site-specific installation at the United States Pavilion.

Hamilton, one of the most important artists of her generation, is known internationally for an impressive body of work that has included sculpture, photography and video. She is best known for complex installations that frequently involve massive amounts of unusual materials including honey, horsehair, birds, books, shirts and soot.

Hamilton's installations stem from her deeply personal and visceral response to the specifics of each site. In the case of the U.S. Pavilion, a neo-classical structure designed in 1929, she responded to the plan of the building, with its central courtyard, domed rotunda and symmetrically flanking galleries as emblematic of a human body's two embracing arms. Hamilton also responded to the pavilion's resemblance to Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia, with its symbolic ties to American social theory and Jefferson's philosophy of democratic social space.

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Stuart Pimsler Testifies Before Congress in Support of NEA

Stuart Pimsler Testifies Before Congress in Support of NEA The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), heard witnesses speak in support of the National Endowment for the Arts at a public hearing in April. In his FY2000 budget, President Clinton proposed $150 million for the NEA - $52 million more than the agency's FY1999 funding level of $98 million.

Stuart Pimsler, artistic co-director of Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater, based in Columbus, testified on behalf of the dance field and the American Arts Alliance. Pimsler discussed how support from the NEA has enabled his company to implement and expand Out of This World/The Life After Life Project.

Pimsler emphasized the essential role that arts organizations play in their communities, and told how projects like Out of This World have transformed the professional and personal lives of caregivers who participate in them. For a copy of Pimsler's testimony phone Dance/USA at 202/833-1717.