POBA is a non-profit, online arts community, launched in July, 2014 by The James Kirk Bernard Foundation (named after a young artist who died in 2010).
Description
POBA's mission is to preserve, display, and provide resources for research, archiving, and appraising the creative legacies of 20th and 21st century artists who either died without their legacy being fully recognized, were not recognized for a specific medium, or whose work is not readily accessible elsewhere.
POBA offers membership to anyone who owns the rights to a deceased artist's legacy. Members can create portfolios on behalf of that artist to show the works in the appropriate digital format, for public display and private storage.
The name "POBA" derives from the Hindi word "
phowa", which means the transformation of consciousness at death.
Partners
POBA has partnered with such leading institutions and galleries as the
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
and The Berta Walker Gallery, and has partnerships with the
Provincetown Art Association and Museum and
Paddle8
Paddle8 was an online auction house based in New York City selling fine art including Post-War and Contemporary art, prints & multiples, photography, street art and collectibles. Paddle8's sales focus on pieces priced between $1,000 and $100,000, ...
.
In January 2016, POBA launched Art Lives, an online project to digitize, curate, and display the work of artists of all genres lost to
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
in the 1970s and 1980s, partnering with DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS), LifeBeat (Music Fights AIDS) and Visual AIDS for the initial portfolios. Featured artists include
Sylvester (singer),
Mel Cheren, artist and creator of
West End Records, and
Patrick Kelly (fashion designer).
Artists
Founding artists' legacies include:
* Ben-Zion (1897–1987), a member, along with such painters as
Mark Rothko and
Adolph Gottlieb, of "The Ten" who exhibited their work together from 1935 to 1940
* Carol C. Carlisle (1924–2011), the Managing Editor of ''
Popular Photography'' magazine for over 35 years, who amassed a personal collection more than 1,200 photos by then-unknown photographers who are now considered modern masters.
*
Andrew Gold (1951-2011,) the singer, songwriter, musician and arranger, whose best known works include "Lonely Boy" and "Thank You for Being a Friend".
*
Pete Ham (1947–1975) and
Tom Evans (1947–1983), founding members and principal songwriters for the musical group
Badfinger.
*
Norman Mailer
Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...
(1923–2007), the acclaimed writer and author, whose drawings were relatively unknown.
*
Clark Tippet (1955–1992), a principal dancer for the
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
from 1976 to 1990, where he worked with such dancers as
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Latvian-born R ...
,
Twyla Tharp, and David Parsons, and choreographer, creating numerous works for the ABT and other dance companies.
* George Tate (1920–1992), a photographer whose work captured mid-century California's bathing beauty and Muscle Beach culture.
* Jamie Bernard (1987–2010), a young writer and artist, whose tragic death prompted the creation of the James Kirk Bernard Foundation.
* Nancy Whorf (1930–2009), a noted Provincetown-based painter.
*
Eli Waldron (1916–1980), a writer whose short stories were published in such literary journals and magazines such as ''
The Kenyon Review'', ''
Collier's Weekly'', and ''
The Saturday Evening Post'', a journalist whose articles appeared in such publications as ''
Gourmet'', ''
Rolling Stone'', ''
Publishers Weekly'', and ''
The New Yorker'', and a prolific artist who created a large body of drawings.
References
{{reflist
External links
Poba website*
ttp://hollywoodprogressive.com/poba-virtual-cultural-arts-center/ POBA Virtual Cultural Arts Center, Hollywood Progressive, (June 2014)
Arts organizations established in 2014
Organizations based in New York City
Non-profit organizations based in New York (state)
Arts organizations based in New York City
2014 establishments in New York City