cHURCH OF MONIKA

cHURCH OF MONIKA – Rumsey Street, 2016, desanctified church, performance series, Art Prize audience, curated by site:lab

During the famous Art Prize in Grand Rapids the cHURCH OF MONIKA at Rumsey Street took place within a desanctified Catholic church, converting the space into a music venue. The project offered both professionals and amateurs the opportunity to use the stage by scheduling their own 20 minute performances. All performers received the same amount of time, same equipment, and same level of support. Through collaborations with local organizations, the project presented a diverse array of performers and music from the communities surrounding Grand Rapids.

The cHURCH OF MONIKA is an ongoing, art conversation series based out of Open Source Gallery in Brooklyn, New York that seeks to communicate and demonstrate the role that art can and should play in communities. Complete with its own art-related commandments, that scrolled through in neon letters above the entrance door at Rumsey Street, and conceptually indebted to the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, a profound monument to self-reflection, the cHURCH OF MONIKA gathers artists, academics, community leaders, and neighbors for conversation and exchange.