Kathleen Shields

Administrative Director

Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation

One Wind NW

Albuquerque, NM 87120

August 11, 2008

Dear Ms. Shields,

Please accept this letter of inquiry on behalf of 119 Gallery, Lowell, MA. Since 1992, the mission of 119 Gallery is to expand our community's vision of creative possibilities through exposure to contemporary and new media art, innovative ideas, and cutting-edge techniques. We offer a rich and diverse program of exhibitions, performances, and community-based arts services featuring digital printmaking, postmodern dance, video, electronic music, computer graphics and interactive media. Our workshops cover a range of traditional and digital creative tools.

Lowell is an ethnically diverse city and has a large youth population. 119 Gallery is the only venue of its kind in the region, hosting local, regional, and international artists and performers. The first arts organization to move beyond the downtown, 119 Gallery is a cultural pioneer in our neighborhood. Visitors come from throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic; artists and performers from Canada, Europe, Mexico and South America.

The gallery hosts eight major exhibits a year, as well as several independently produced installations. Past shows have featured new and traditional printmaking, virtual reality maps, video installations, interactive media, book art, photography, painting, and sculpture. We host annual juried and members’ exhibits. Five-thousand visitors will come to 119 Gallery in 2008.

119 Gallery has built its reputation on its exhibitions, but exhibit revenue does not cover exhibition expenses, in particular those for marketing and publications. 119 Gallery seeks financial support to produce exhibit catalogs, postcards, and brochures.

With your support, a graphic designer would design the catalogues and brochures. Postcards would be designed in-house. Online book publishing has made on-demand, soft-cover catalogues affordable. Catalogues would be produced for eight exhibits in 2009. Twelve catalogs will be printed for each show; more can be printed on demand. These exhibits include two biennials: the 2009 Boston Printmakers Biennial in February and the 2009 Boston Cyberarts Festival in April. We will also produce our first members’ catalogue in May. Four brochures for our quarterly educational programming are also budgeted. The budget for designing and printing these materials is $14,000. If invited to submit a full proposal, 119 Gallery would request $10,000.

Thank you for your consideration,

Mary Ann Kearns, Curator

911 Electronic Media Arts, Inc.

d.b.a. 119 Gallery