CO-COMMISIONERS
MANCHESTER
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Manchester International Festival
(MIF) is the world’s first festival
of original, new work and special
events, staged every two years in
Manchester, UK.
MIF launched in 2007 as an
artist-led festival presenting
new works from across the
spectrum of performing arts,
visual arts and popular culture.
MIF works closely with cultural
organisations around the world,
whose financial and creative
input helps to make many of
these projects possible and
ensures the works has a life
beyond the Festival. MIF also
works widely within communities
around Manchester with a new
initiative called My Festival.
MIF has commissioned,
produced and presented world
premieres by artists including
Björk, Steve McQueen, Robert
Wilson, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy,
Jeremy Deller, Wayne McGregor,
Maxine Peake, Boris Charmatz,
The xx, Zaha Hadid Architects,
Thomas Ostermeier, Damon
Albarn, Punchdrunk, Elbow and
Marina Abramović.
mif.co.uk
PARK AVENUE ARMORY FAENA ART
Part American palace, part
industrial shed, Park Avenue
Armory is dedicated to supporting
unconventional works in the visual
and performing arts that need
non-traditional spaces for their
full realization, enabling artists to
create, students to explore, and
audiences to consume epic and
adventurous presentations that
can not be mounted elsewhere in
New York City. FAENA ART is a non-profit
organisation whose cultural
programme transcends
disciplines and encourages
collaborations across
geographical, intellectual and
philosophical borders. Founded
upon the vision of Alan Faena,
FAENA ART advocates for the
fusion of art, recreation, nature,
sustainable architecture and
technology, and brings together
the greatest minds across these
fields in order to redefine the
way we live in cities by creating
communities that maintain
culture at their core. An agent
of urban alchemy, FAENA ART
was established to amplify our
cultural landscape and encourage
cultural manifestations across
disciplines. Spearheaded by
Ximena Caminos, FAENA ART is
a conceptual framework for a
wide range of activities housed
at both Faena Art Center Buenos
Aires and the soon-to-launch
Faena Forum in Miami Beach.
The relationship between these
sister venues encourages
cross-cultural collaborations
and highlights the synergy
that exists between artists
and practices throughout the
western hemisphere. From south
to north and back again, this
dialogue encourages movement
across and between these two
cultural capitals, generating a
dialogue that extends beyond
geopolitical divisions and firmly
placing Latin American cultural
practices within the broader
international conversation.
Since its first production in
September 2007, the Armory has
organized and commissioned
immersive performances,
installations, and cross-
disciplinary collaborations by
visionary artists, directors, and
impresarios in its vast Wade
Thompson Drill Hall that defy
traditional categorisation and
push the boundaries of their
practice. In its historic period
rooms, the Armory presents
small-scale performances and
programs, including its acclaimed
Recital Series in the intimate
Board of Officers Room and the
Artists Studio series in the newly
restored Veterans Room. The
Armory also offers robust arts
education programs at no cost
to underserved New York City
public schools, engaging students
with the institution’s artistic
programming and the building’s
history and architecture.
Built between 1877 and 1881, the
building is currently undergoing a
$215-million renovation designed
by Herzog & de Meuron.
armoryonpark.org
faenaart.org