High Concept Labs Announces Spring 2018 Sponsored Artists

High Concept Labs (HCL), a Chicago-based arts service organization, today announced the Spring 2018 lineup of its flagship Sponsored Artist Program, which promotes the growth of artists and their work through the donation of customizable, no-cost support services. Eight local and national artists and collectives representing a diverse artistic disciplines will develop, rehearse and present new work for Chicago audiences this season.

"The Spring 2018 Sponsored Artist cohort is a mix of eight incredibly talented emerging and established artists and collectives who work in various mediums," said Billie Howard, artistic director for HCL. "It is a privilege and a core part of our mission at HCL to support the growth of Chicago's artistic community by giving these Sponsored Artists the resources and encouragement they need to create new and impactful art."

Now entering its ninth year, HCL's Sponsored Artist Program provides artists with rehearsal and performance space and a range of specialized artist support services, including administrative, marketing, graphic design, production, documentation and development assistance. The Spring 2018 cohort welcomes artists representing dance, music and performance. In a continued partnership with 3Arts, this season also includes two artists who successfully funded their projects on 3Arts Projects (3AP), a crowdfunding platform with a built-in match that helps Chicago artists finance new creative work.

The Spring 2018 Sponsored Artists and their projects are:

• Jan Bartoszek (3AP) (Dance): Futura
  (highconceptlabs.org/jan-bartoszek)
  

• Aquil Charlton (Music): RIP Left Rev McD
  (highconceptlabs.org/aquil-charlton)
  

• Aram Han Sifuentes (3AP) (Performance/Installation): #exsanguination, A process of mourning and cleansing
  (highconceptlabs.org/aram-hansifuentes)
  

• Annie Kielman and Joshua Patterson (Performance): The MorphoTransverse Method
  (highconceptlabs.org/kielman-patterson)
  

• Meg Leary (Performance): DIVADome
  (highconceptlabs.org/meg-leary)
  

• Rika Lin (Dance): "Yu" (?)
  (highconceptlabs.org/rika-lin)
  

• Cat Mahari (Dance): Violent/Break: Vol II
  (highconceptlabs.org/cat-mahari)
  

• Margaret Morris (Dance): All the Way Up/All the Way Down
  (highconceptlabs.org/margaret-morris)

As part of their participation in the Sponsored Artists Program, artists will participate in artist critiques and present works-in-progress, workshops and other public offerings for Chicago audiences, including the the biannual HCL Open House. The Spring 2018 Open House will take place at Constellation and Links Hall from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m on April 11. The open house Art Party is open to the public and will include works-in-progress, performances, installations and music by artists from the organization's past and present.

To date, HCL's Sponsored Artist Program has supported more than 180 artists and collectives with more than 23,000 hours of donated space and professional support to date. In 2017, HCL provided its artists 2,065 hours of studio rehearsal time (valued at $30,975); 898 hours of artistic support (valued at $22,450); 490 hours of marketing support (valued at $12,250); and 410 hours of documentation support (valued at $8,200). In 2017, HCL held 56 events reaching 1,366 attendees in and around Chicago.

For more information about the Sponsored Artists Program, including dates and times of public performances, visit highconceptlabs.org.

About 3Arts

3Arts? is a nonprofit organization that advocates for Chicago's women artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities who work in the performing, teaching, and visual arts. By providing cash awards, project funding, residency fellowships, professional development, and promotion, 3Arts helps artists take risks, experiment, and build momentum in their careers.

About High Concept Laboratories NFP

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 National Endowment for the Arts, The Chicago Community Trust, The Joyce Foundation, 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 Chicago and individual donors.

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