LOCUST PROJECTS FOUNDERS
-Cooper
-Westen Charles
-Elisabeth Withstandley

LOCUST PROJECTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Heather Urban, Chair
Paul Berg
Joan Blackman
Mario Cader-Frech
Westen Charles
Cooper
Marcia Eitelberg
Dawn Fine
Debra Frank
Jorge Garcia
Jane Hart
Maggie Hernandez
Alan Krischer
Steven Lanster
Veletta Marshall
Stewart Merkin
Arturo Mosquera
Jose Perez
Vivian Pfeiffer
Amy Pollack
Stuart Rohatiner
Debra Scholl
Leslie Schreiber
Cricket Taplin

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Claire Breukel

ABOUT LOCUST PROJECTS
The mission of Locust Projects is to provide an approachable and non-profit exhibition space in the Miami area for experimental and often under-represented art projects dismissed by traditional galleries and museums. A pioneer in the local visual arts scene, Locust Projects fills a void, left by established museums and commercial art galleries, and allows opportunities for emerging artists and alternative art forms to be exhibited publicly. When appropriate, Locust Projects provides funding for art installations designed for the space and residency opportunities for the artists.
Founded in 1998 by three Miami artists, Locust Projects has brought a unique cultural center to the under-served community of Wynwood (a district where commercial warehouses are intermingled with low-income residencies, has been designated an empowerment zone by the city of Miami). The site for the gallery was chosen in response to the increased public programming and popularity of the nearby Design District and the newly zoned Media/Production/Entertainment District in the vicinity of the downtown area.

In its six years of operation, the once fledgling organization has burgeoned into a recognized art institution. With more than 40 shows, representing more than 150 local, national, and international artists, Locust Projects has supported site-specific works featuring photography, video, sculpture, drawing, painting and digital media. Collaborative efforts include projects with The New Gallery at the University of Miami, The Miami Arts Project, Tigertail Productions, Gracie Mansion Gallery, Art Pace, Casa Tiranglo and Feigen Contemporary.

Locust Projects was initially operated on the sole-efforts of its three founders, Elizabeth Withstandley, Westen Charles, and Cooper. However, the success of the organization demanded more operational support, and in 2000, the gallery incorporated itself and organized its first Board of Directors. In 2002, Locust Projects was officially recognized as a not-for-profit institution and was awarded 501(c)3 status. Funding for the organization is provided for by private donors and community grants.

Locust Projects plans an exhibition schedule of at least 6 shows per year. The gallery seeks diversity in its programming and embraces submissions that utilize materials and concepts outside the bounds of traditional art. Submissions are reviewed by a committee composed of artists and art historians, and are generally submitted at least four months in advance. Artists from outside Miami may apply for the residency program, which includes a stipend for travel expenses and expenditures while in Miami.

For at least two shows per season, Locust Projects seeks to unite a local artist with a national or international artist. An integral component in the objectives of the gallery, this program is threefold in purpose. First, it serves to attract national or international artists to Miami, and to expose the community to experimental art projects from a diversity of cultural backgrounds. Second, the program intensifies the experience of the national or international artist: as he or she works alongside the local artist, the artist explores the community on a local level. This provides the artist expanded access to local resources and allows the artist to build a relationship with the community. Finally, the program furthers the experience of the local artist. In working with an artist of similar interests or background from outside Miami, the local artist is develops a relationship with an artist of another art community, thereby gaining access to art communities outside Miami.

A converted warehouse, Locust Projects offers two rooms of exhibition: the main room and the project room. The main exhibition venue is approximately 1,650 square feet, and the project room is 1,200 square feet. The interior is comprised of uninterrupted white walls standing twelve feet tall, with bright, even lighting, typical industrial concrete flooring and large warehouse style doors.

Beyond the physical presentation space, the Locust Projects website has become vital accompaniment to the exhibitions and creates an additional exhibition space specific to digital media art projects. The primary division of LocustProjects.org maintains a detailed archive of past exhibitions, preserving and presenting with increased public accessibility the accomplishments of the gallery and its exhibitions. The secondary division of the website, Locust Digital, is an online gallery that focuses on the pursuit of alternative directions in art through technological means. The website is constantly expanding, and submissions to Locust Digital are welcomed continually.

Locust Project's has helped to promote the practices of contemporary artists from the local, national and international scenes. The multidisciplinary program comprises exhibitions, lectures and meetings with artists, in addition to publications and the production of thematic projects and new artworks. Its aims is to present a calendar of activities that facilitate critical discussion and reflection within the community.

Once a year a selection committee chooses among projects submitted by artists or curators, while other projects are generated by invitation. Each project is given the support required for its achievement. Locust Projects offers a broad platform for ideas by taking on contributors from other horizons and in the process allowing a greater number of artists and curators to enjoy the benefits of Locust Project's resources and extending debates on contemporary art to a wider audience. In proposing new ways of exhibiting artwork, LOCUST PROJECTS questions various means and attitudes towards art dissemination. Thematic projects initiated and produced by the staff stimulate exploratory artistic creation and facilitate the development of critical thinking through lectures and public materials. Our goal in creating such activities is to serve as a focal point where artists, curators and researchers from the Miami area and elsewhere can experience dynamic encounters and discussions around contemporary art.

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