Prospect.2 postponed until Nov. 2011
By Doug MacCash, The Times-Picayune
February 19, 2010, 1:00AM

The Times-Picayune Archive Prospect.1 drew members of the arts community in from across the country to New Orleans.The sequel to Prospect.1, the $4.5 million city-wide art exhibit that drew thousands to the Crescent City from Nov. 2008 to Jan. 2009, has been postponed for one year until November 2011.

Dan Cameron, the producer of Prospect.1 New Orleans, said the postponement of Prospect.2 (originally scheduled to begin Nov. 2010) is the result of sluggish fund-raising.

“We’re not able to realize our fund-raising goals in the timetable set,” he said, adding that “2009 was really bad for fund-raising and 2010 didn’t look much better.”

Prospect.1, which was modeled on international art biennials, such as the Venice Biennale, was the largest contemporary art exhibit in U.S. history, with works by 81 renowned artists from countries across the globe displayed in museums and outdoor sites throughout the city. Admission to the exhibits was free. The show received wide spread critical acclaim for presenting art in the context of post-Katrina New Orleans.

Cameron said that Prospect. 1 ran over budget. In April 2009 he said there was still $25,000 to be paid off.

One of the reasons to delay Prospect.2 was to avoid a similar budget over-run, Cameron said. He believes that an extra 12 months of money-raising will allow the second exhibit to begin on a firm financial footing.
DanCameron.jpg.JPGTimes-Picayune archiveDan Cameron, founder of Prospect. 1 New Orleans

“It’s very disappointing,” he said, “but would you rather have a Prospect.2 that’s hobbling and lame? Or a Prospect.2 that can be everything we want it to be … everything New Orleans deserves?”

Cameron predicted last April that the second show would be leaner, with 62 instead of 81 artists.

It would run two weeks longer than the 11 weeks of the first show, would include more local artists, and there would be an admission charge. Cameron said that the decision to postpone the show have come into focus only in the past few weeks.

“It’s been a tough decision,” Cameron said. “It’s just better for everyone if we set ourselves goals we can really achieve.”