BRIC presents Inaugural ArtFP Award to Juan Miguel Marin and UNDER THE INFLUENCE

BRIC, the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, is pleased to announce that Brooklyn-based Ecuadorian artist Juan Miguel Marin is the first of 15 recipients to receive BRIC's inaugural ArtFP commissioning award for the 2017-18 season. The new ArtFP open call supports the creation and presentation of immersive installations by Brooklyn- and New York City-based visual artists to be exhibited in spaces throughout BRIC House, BRIC's arts and media complex in Downtown Brooklyn. Marin's work, part of his ongoing installation and performance series Under The Influence, will be on view in the main Hallway at BRIC House beginning Friday, June 30 through Saturday, October 22, 2017. Marin, who will use self-recorded Brooklyn soundscapes to guide his painting, will engage guests in the creation of the mural during installation on June 21 and 22, and at the opening reception for Under The Influence, Thursday, June 29, 7-9pm.

For his Under The Influence work at BRIC, Marin will use, as a point of departure, pre-recorded sounds from the Fort Greene, Brooklyn neighborhood surrounding BRIC, overheard conversations, and melodies produced by his indie pop band, LEGS. These sounds will play while he listens and paints in what he describes as a "meditative process of sentient creation." The mural will be a spontaneous visual translation of the Brooklyn soundscape, imbued with the energy and lyricism of the city. The resulting imagery is characterized by large, undulating forms comprised of precise line-work; they are simultaneously spontaneous yet intentional, meditative yet precise. The soundtracks used by the artist will be available for visitors to listen to while viewing the work.

The ArtFP commissioning program affords emerging and established visual artists the opportunity to explore and expand the possibilities of their work. BRIC selected the inaugural 15 awardees from close to 250 artist submissions. Recipients will exhibit their work in the BRIC House Project Room, Café or Hallway, or for projection on the Garage Doors at the entrance to the Gallery space. BRIC will also provide assistance with development time, fabrication and installation expertise, marketing and promotional strategies, and an exhibition opening reception.

Other 2017 ArtFP award-winning local artists include: Magali Duzant, Tatiana Arocha, Luiza Kurzyna, Leslie Kerby, Jesse Chun, Elizabeth Riley, Bradly Dever Treadaway, Katharine Shima, Fernanda Mello, Leigh Davis, Sophia Narrett, Kenseth Armstead, Juanli Carrion, and Nora Rodriguez. Project details and placement will be announced later this summer.

About Juan Miguel Marin
Marin is an Ecuadorian artist based in Brooklyn. He earned his BA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, studying visual communications concentrating on graphic design. His work has been exhibited at the Alliance Française, San Jose, Costa Rica; C'Mon Everybody, Brooklyn; Dab Art, Venice, CA; the New Hampshire Institute of Art Biennial; The Billboard Creative Q4, Los Angeles, CA; the Costa Rica International Design Festival; and the OFFF Festival, Barcelona, Spain. He is the drummer with the Brooklyn-based indie band LEGS.

About BRIC
BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. We present and incubate work by artists and media-makers who reflect the diversity that surrounds us. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Our main venue, BRIC Arts | Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio, and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.

BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables us to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.

Support for BRIC
BRIC's contemporary art program benefits from generous private funding from Alloy, Astoria Bank, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Bay and Paul Foundations, Bloomingdale's, City Point, Con Edison, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, The Educational Foundation of America, Ford Foundation, Forest City Ratner Companies, The Hearst Foundations, Lambent Foundation, The Robert Lehman Foundation, Laurence W. Levine Foundation, The New York Community Trust, the Oppenheim Family Fund, TD Bank, Tiger Baron Foundation, Pia and Jimmy Zankel, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, as well as numerous individual supporters.

Generous public support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl; Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams; the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council; New York City Council Members Inez Barron, Robert Cornegy, Laurie Cumbo, Mathieu Eugene, Vincent Gentile, Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, Darlene Mealy, Mark Treyger, and Jumaane Williams.