New Year is a project series running from January 15 2010 to the end of summer. A baker’s dozen of artists from the US and Canada have bee commissioned to create new work for the upstairs gallery at Western Bridge. The invitation is to do whatever the artist would like, given the space, time and money available. Each project will run for two weeks.

New Year draws inspiration from a number of recent projects, including curator Anthony Huberman’s ongoing Front Room series at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and Associates, artist Ryan Gander’s program of 12 artists and 12 shows in 12 months, London, 2006-7. New Year allows Western Bridge to work outside of its collection-based exhibition program; artists will be paid fees for their participation, and will retain ownership of work produced for the series.

New Year will present projects by Michael Drebert (Vancouver), Mark Soo (Vancouver), Matt Sheridan Smith (New York), Dawn Cerny (Seattle), Geoffrey Farmer (Vancouver), Corin Hewitt (New York), Oscar Tuazon and Elias Hansen (Paris and Tacoma), Tauba Auerbach (New York), Allison Hrabluik (Vancouver), Jennifer West (Los Angeles), Josh Faught (Eugene, Ore.), Alex Hubbard (New York), and Mungo Thomson (Los Angeles/Berlin).

Working independently with a template designed by David Reinfurt of Dexter Sinister, the artists will develop contributions to a publication, which will serve as an omnibus compendium of the New Year project, and the only place where the participants will come together in the format of a group exhibition.