Fast Forward, ICA/Boston

This is Joe Douillette, director of the Fast Forward Program at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Massachusetts. The Fast Forward Program is an after school video art program for high-school students. Most of our students come from the Boston Public Schools. They meet at the ICA once a week for a full school year.

Our ZER01 project is an exciting addition to our existing video art program. It is designed to help the students who have been in the program for multiple years achieve the next level of artistry, professionalism and self-sufficiency. We have designed a grant process for the students that will allow them to request financial support for their spring productions. As part of the grant, the students are required to define and describe their work, plan a budget, document their process and seek out and engage with a professional Boston-area artist as a mentor.

A number of area professionals will serve as a grant review committee. Some of them will also serve as the artist/mentors for the students. The students will have to be in regular communication with the mentor, and they will have to present their work to the committee as well.

As our students leave our program, we want them to be comfortable seeking out new artistic communities. We also want them to be confident in their abilities to dream up and present their work to those that can offer support. We hope that this experience will help them gain that confidence.

We are very excited. The students proposals are due today. We will keep you posted.

People can see examples of ICA Fast Forward work at http://fastforward.blip.tv

Congrats and good luck to everyone!