stephanie nadeau
ANTI Contemporary Arts Festival, Kuopio, Finland
visit the official website

Wed 23/9 – Sat 26/9 10m – 6pm
The path’s grand opening: Sun 27/9 3pm
Kuopio, Finland

Anonymous Collaboration
"Nadeau will create a shortcut for urban pedestrians by adopting a daily schedule of repeatedly walking between two points across a small grassy division. This daily discreet performance will create a visible path in the grass, commonly known as a ‘desire path’: a path pedestrians create to better traverse a particular space. Nadeau hopes she will inspire others to follow the shortcut, thereby enforcing its presence. A small sign will be posted at the project site, with the invitation: ‘please walk’

The artists will begin creating the path on Wednesday 23rd September. Please help her with the work throughout the festival and return for the path’s grand opening on Sunday 27th September 3pm.

“City streets and structural barriers present an ensemble of possibilities and interdictions to the urban pedestrian. Occasionally however, it is the pedestrian who creates the city, inventing pathways and creating shortcuts to suit his needs. Like animals drawn to follow the tracks of the herd, we will instinctually take the beaten track rather than the paved road. I think of each path as an ongoing collaborative effort between strangers, as countless pedestrians are needed to create and enforce a footpath”

2009 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship recipient

The Artists Fellowship Program offers funding for twelve artistic disciplines on a two-year rotating cycle. This year's Fellowship and Finalist Award recipients were selected from 921 creative artists working in the disciplines of Interdisciplinary/Computer Art, Music Composition, Photography, Poetry, and Visual Arts.

Non-matching fellowships in fixed amounts of $7,000 are awarded to Illinois artists in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment within the arts. This year, thirty-eight Illinois artists received Fellowships totaling $266,000. Finalist Awards of $700 were also awarded to eleven Illinois artists for a total of $7,700.

The following jurors reviewed this year’s Visual Arts applicants: Alan Crockett, Columbus, OH; Casey Downing, Mobile, AL; Jan Gilbert, New Orleans, LA; Carlyle Johnson, Murfreesboro, TN; Liz Miller, Good Thunder, MN
View the complete 2009 recipient list here