Farewell to Bruce

Our SWAP Coordinator, Bruce Edwards, will be leaving SPACES in mid-July to pursue personal projects. As I know many of our artist followers will appreciate, sometimes you have to say goodbye to your day job in order to find the time to let your creative juices flow. For over 20 years, Bruce has been an exceptional SPACES volunteer, and over the last 5 years, a dedicated employee. It's now time for him to put the same effort into his own practice that he has put into helping other artists achieve their ambitious goals.

During Bruce's tenure, he helped bring major projects to fruition through the SPACES World Artists Program (SWAP). His ability to work collaboratively with our residents can be seen in notable projects by Heidi Neilson, Ward Shelley, and Roopa Vasudevan, as well as our current 40th anniversary exhibition, 20/20 Hindsight = 40 Years. Bruce and I worked closely together to seek out local, national, and international artists and art writers for SPACES, positioning the SWAP residency program as a model for how mid-sized organizations can help materialize the ideas of cultural producers who help us see the world in unexpected ways.

Bruce's departure comes at a time when SPACES reevaluates its programming goals through a strategic planning process. Rather than seeking out a SWAP Coordinator replacement, we are taking this opportunity to consider shifting to a new model, in which we dissolve the boundaries of our existing artist-driven opportunities and redesign our programming to emphasize residencies as a core component of our work. For that reason, we are seeking a Project Coordinator, and I invite qualified candidates to consider applying. More info about the position can be found here.

Bruce will remain on staff through the opening of the A Color Removed project at SPACES, for the FRONT International Triennial. Please join me in wishing Bruce the best of luck, during our opening reception on July 14.