ART SANTA FE PRESENTS, INC ANNOUNCES $5,000 FAÇADE COMPETITION WINNER

Santa Fe, NM – The Façade Committee of ART Santa Fe Presents, the non-profit arm of the biennial art fair, ART Santa Fe, slated this year for July 12-15 at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, is pleased to announce the phenomenal success of a competition to develop a façade for the east exterior wall of the building that houses El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, a respected anchor of the emerging Railyard Arts District.

WINNER:
“Shifting Lines”
Peter Elsbeck, Cristina Greavu and Eric Rans

FIRST RUNNER-UP:
“Los Coyotes”
Jaron Lubin – Somerville, MA

SECOND RUNNER-UP:
William Coburn – Santa Fe, NM

THIRD RUNNER-UP:
MP Foundry (Robert Mezquiti and Drura Parrish) - Brooklyn, NY

Originally, according to Charlotte Jackson, President of the ART Santa Fe Presents Board of Trustees, the committee thought they’d be lucky to receive a dozen or so entries, most likely from local applicants, for this façade competition.

What happened was a long shot beyond ART Santa Fe Presents’ anticipation. Nearly 100 entries came in from all over the world: Munich, Milan, Seattle, New York, Anchorage, Istanbul, Hong Kong, and Sydney; Japan, Vietnam, and Mexico. There were local entries as well. The caliber of the applications was, almost without exception, incredibly high—making the judging process quite a feat.

What the committee hadn’t anticipated was that the façade competition would develop a life of its own. It appeared on Death By Architecture.com, “the preeminent site for architecture competition information,” according to its web pages, which include reviews on how to contend globally in architectural competitions. Some of the best graduate schools of architecture, including those at Yale and Harvard Universities, also circulated word of the Santa Fe competition. Open to architects, artists, and designers of all types, the committee even received an entry from a group of young students.

The façade competition finalists and the winning design are to be announced at the Center for Contemporary Arts on Wednesday, April 25, at a reception there from
5-7 p.m.

Works of art in themselves, all entries will be on display at El Museo’s exposition hall during the month of May, and during ART Santa Fe from July 12-15.

A public unveiling ceremony of the façade will be held on Thursday, July 12, 2007.

About ART Santa Fe Presents, Inc.
ART Santa Fe Presents, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the public’s knowledge and understanding of contemporary art.

About El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe
El Museo is a center of Hispanic culture and learning. El Museo lies in the heart of Santa Fe’s new contemporary arts district, across the street from Site Santa Fe. El Museo will house ART Santa Fe 2007. For further information, please visit www.elmuseocultural.org.