Rhizome has opened up their commission cycle for 2009. They plan on funding 7 new art works with awards ranging from USD3K - 5K. Go to Rhizome’s site for the details.

The big news is that they’re not just funding net art anymore. They’ve expanded the scope to encompass all new media art. From the announcement email:

Rhizome has expanded our scope, formerly focused strictly on Internet-based art, to encompass the broad range of practices that fall under new media art. This includes projects that creatively engage new and networked technologies, as well as works that reflect on the impact of these tools and media in a variety of forms. With this expanded format, commissioned works can take the final form of online works, performance, video, installation or sound art. Projects can be made for the context of the gallery, the public, the web or networked devices.

My initial feeling about this is ambivalence.

On one hand, MTAA’s own work has been moving away from strictly Internet-based work for a few years now. Most of the early net artists (and a majority of the new ones) are using all sorts of digital media with the Internet/web as just one part of their practice. So it seems natural as the net moves from the shiny new thing to just another medium, and artists’ change with it, that Rhizome would also evolve.

On the other hand I liked how Rhizome was holding the torch for net art. Is this another nail in net art’s coffin? Is net art relevant or just a blip on the screen as more and more artists evolve to using digital tools and new media?

Guess that just leaves Turbulence… permanent link to this post