ReadysetDC A CREATIVE URBAN ENTERPRISE

Words w/ Project Dispatch

Reported by Tori

Chandi Kelley and Rachel England are the founders of Project Dispatch-an art subscription service that allows a break from the subscription service by providing individuals with their own unique work of art every month for a low cost.

I had the pleasure of talking with Chandi and Rachel about the origins of Project Dispatch, how the Project has evolved and what they hope to achieve in the future.

TMilko: Can you give a brief description of Project Dispatch?

PD: Project Dispatch is a collective of artists that offer subscriptions for original artwork. Subscriptions arrive in the mail once a month, for either 3, 6 or 12 months – your choice. Sampler subscriptions are also offered. Drawings, paintings, music, photographs, and collage are some of the preferred media, but one never knows what they will get. On the artists pages there are six examples of the type of work that is sent, but part of the experience is the surprise.

TMilko: How did the idea of Project Dispatch come to be?

PD: We were trading mix CDs through the mail and loved the experience of the surprise. We were talking about other creative ideas that people pay to receive in the mail and decided it would be a good idea to sell subscriptions for small artwork. We sent a call to artists to many friends and favorites and built a website a couple weeks later.

TMilko: Is the art done on a strictly individual basis or are there group projects as well?

PD: Most of the art is done on an individual basis. But we do have writers and musicians who collaborate with visual artists on their subscriptions. Jessica Ford and Peter John started a group called the Aleph. Pete performs improvisations on the piano while Jess “interprets” the music in paint. There are a few visual artists who like to collaborate as well, but those are mostly larger projects that don’t get sent in the mail. We encourage collaborations, but with the exception of the musicians, all of visual artists have sent their own work. One of the most essential components to making art is to have a community. This project has created a venue for community and consequently idea generation among many of the artists.

TMilko: How do you choose the artists that become part of the project?

PD: We started by asking our friends and artists that we knew. The word spread and artists started coming to us.

TMilko: About how many subscribers do you currently have?

PD: We have had 52 subscribers to the project since October 2009.

TMilko: Do you work with any other local art organizations or individuals?

PD: We have participated in events with Bored of Trade and WPA, as well as events hosted by Michael Harris and Lex Paulson. And we have recently established a monthly residency at IOTA, in conjunction with the Articles Press Hour. We are particularly excited about this because it is an opportunity for us to feature a different artist each month in a one-night art show. Articles Press and the Project Dispatch Art Hang is the second Sunday of every month. We are definitely interested in working with more organizations, and we will soon be collaborating with Kelly Rand of Hellocraft.com

TMilko: If an artist in interested in becoming part of the Project Dispatch project, how do they go about doing so?

PD: An artist would contact us at projectdispatch@gmail.com and let us know that they are interested. We will send them a submission “packet” with all of our requirements. If we like the work, they are in. And we want to encourage anyone who just has questions about the process and is considering submitting to write to us as well.

TMilko: Where do you see Project Dispatch in the next five years?

PD: Our greatest desire is that our artists get more attention and therefore more opportunity to show and sell their work. Project Dispatch is a platform for advertising the ingenuity, talent, and ability of the artists. In the short amount of time that Project Dispatch has existed, there have been several shows and curating opportunities that have arisen as a direct result of the word spreading about the artists of Project Dispatch. We have considered selling more substantial subscriptions, but one of the reasons we started this project is that there are not enough venues to sell these smaller works at a reasonable price. We would love to have a permanent gallery space in the future, where we could show the substantial works of our artists, while still selling small works through subscriptions. And we would love to branch out even more, getting more artists nationwide and having shows in other cities.

We have big dreams, but obviously, we also love to surprise our audience. So you will just have to wait and see.

TMilko: Do you currently have any other projects in the works?

PD: Always! We are both working on new bodies of work that we will hopefully be showing in the next few months. And we are working on planning a big Project Dispatch show, but that information is secret for now.

TMilko: Are there any upcoming events that we can look forward to?

PD: May 15th! Comet Ping Pong. Spring Pong Party. 10-2am. It’s going to be amazing. Most of our artists (if not all) will be in attendance and all the art will be new and made specifically for this show. Seriously excited about this one.

TMilko: And just curious- favorite DC based artists?

PD: All of our local Project Dispatch artists, obviously! But picking a favorite feels wrong. We have too many friends and artists that we support and admire to choose just one.

Be sure to catch Project Dispatch on May 15th at Comet Ping Pong for the Spring Pong Party. You can also contact them through their FaceBook or at their blog.