The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden made a huge announcement yesterday; they have partnered with MTV and Smithsonian Channel to present The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist. A six episode docuseries that follows 7 different artists from all over the United States. The winning artist receives $100,000 and the chance to exhibit their work in a show at the Hirshhorn.
The competing artists are
- Jamaal Barber (b. 1980, Richmond, VA)
- Frank Buffalo Hyde (b. 1974, Santa Fe, NM)
- Clare Kambhu (b. 1988, New York, NY)
- Jillian Mayer (b. 1984, Miami FL)
- Misha Kahn (b. 1989, Duluth, MN)
- Baseera Khan (b. 1980, Denton, TX)
- Jennifer Warren (b. 1988, Cleveland, OH)
Each week the artists are tasked with creating a “commission” for the museum inspired by a work of art in the Hirshhorn collection. The show’s judge is Hirshhorn Museum Director, Melissa Chiu, and the show’s host is journalist and MTV News host, Dometi Pongo.
The Exhibit is a “first-of-its-kind show highlights how seven rising artists create original paintings, sculptures, prints, mixed-media works in response to some of the most important ideas of our time.” The show airs on Friday, March 3rd at 9 pm on MTV and Tuesday, March 7th on Smithsonian Channel.
“This TV partnership was really about an expansive idea of art — radical accessibility,” Chiu said in a telephone interview, adding that the show will be “bringing new light to artists and artwork.”Whether audiences find the making of art compelling television remains to be seen. Chiu said she hopes the show will help “demystify what it means to be an artist.”
The New York Times
Principle Gallery 