High Concept Labs Announces 2019 Institutional Incubation Artists

High Concept Laboratories NFP (HCL), a Chicago-based artist residency and arts service organization, today announced that artists Andy Slater, Matt Bodett, and Joanna Furnans have been accepted to HCL's Institutional Incubation program, which supports the development of fully realized art works and performances.

"As part of High Concept Labs' ongoing mission to connect artists and audiences, the Institutional Incubation program provides a comprehensive platform for established artists to share their work with audiences in Chicago," said Sharon Hoyer, director of HCL. "The artists selected for the 2019 Institutional Incubation program have already demonstrated the ability to achieve exceptional work, and thanks to the support of our partners, this program provides them with the resources they need to bring those works to life."

Artists selected for HCL's Institutional Incubation are alumni of HCL's, Sponsored Artist Program (SAP), a four-month residency that invites multidisciplinary artists to develop new projects through workshops, performances, and other public events. While the SAP supports works-in-progress, artists invited to the Institutional Incubation program receive additional organizational support to develop and finalize projects through a long-term residency that includes rehearsals, demonstrations, and culminates in final showings and performances.

The three SAP alumni accepted to HCL's 2019 Institutional Incubation program include:

• Andy Slater, a legally blind musician, audio engineer, author, and disabilities advocate. His Sound As Sight field recording project features contributions by people who are blind or visually impaired, and provides a basis for audiences to explore the unique relationships that blind people have with sound. http://highconceptlabs.org/andy-slater/

• Matt Bodett, a performance artist and disability activist, exhibiting his work widely and promoting the telling of personal stories, centered openly on those whose lives are directly affected by mental illness. His multimedia project and performance, we are, we are, seeks to change the public conversation about mental health. http://highconceptlabs.org/matt-bodett/

• Joanna Furnans, a Chicago-based independent dance artist, whose work has been supported by a 2019 Schonberg Fellowship at the Yard, a 2018 Chicago Dancemaker's Forum Lab Artist award, and others. Her dance project, Doing Fine, is an evening-length solo created and performed by the artists in collaboration and international group of performers and dancers. http://highconceptlaboratories.org/Joanna-Furnans/

To learn more about the HCL's Institutional Incubation program and upcoming artist events and performances, visit http://highconceptlabs.org/iip/.

High Concept Laboratories NFP supports artists and facilitates dialogue between artists, audiences, and staff members. This increases access and transparency to the artistic process and fosters transformational experiences in an environment of experimentation and discovery.

HCL is supported in part by the generosity of The Chicago Community Trust, The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, Illinois Arts Council Agency, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation, The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, The Martha Struthers Farley and Donald C. Farley, Jr. Family Foundation, N.A., The Norwottuck Charitable Trust, The Samuel J. Baskin Charitable Trust, Mana Contemporary and individual donors.

For more information, visit highconceptlabs.org.

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