PROSPECT.2 DELAYED FOR ONE YEAR

The sequel to Prospect.1, the $4.5 million citywide art exhibit that drew thousands to New Orleans from November 2008 to January 2009, has been postponed for one year until November 2011, reports Doug MacCash for the Times-Picayune_.

Dan Cameron, the producer of Prospect.1 New Orleans, said the postponement of Prospect.2 (originally scheduled to begin November 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.”

Cameron said that Prospect. 1 ran over budget. In April 2009 he said there was still twenty-five thousand dollars to be paid off. One of the reasons to delay Prospect.2 was to avoid a similar budget overrun, Cameron said. He believes that an extra twelve months of fund-raising will allow the second exhibit to begin on a firm financial footing.

“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 sixty-two instead of eighty-one artists. It would run two weeks longer than the eleven 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.”