Knight Foundation Grant Gives ZER01 Juice to Power Art and Technology Network

SAN JOSE, Calif., & MIAMI, Fla. – ZER01: The Art and Technology Network will strengthen its biennial arts festival – and its effort to transform Silicon Valley into a global epicenter for art, technology and digital culture – with a $975,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“ZER01’s compelling programming will help Silicon Valley build the internationally recognizable cultural identity and sense of place critical to its future,” said Dave Mills, Knight Foundation’s San Jose program director.

The grant builds on Knight Foundation’s commitment to place-making, begun with its 2007 investment in the leadership collaborative 1^st ACT Silicon Valley, which strengthened the arts and the region’s cultural vibrancy.

ZER01’s vision crystallizes the ambitions of civic, business and cultural leaders who believe San Jose/Silicon Valley requires a distinctive cultural identity that mirrors the region’s character as a center for creativity and innovation. Its programming, such as the 01SJ Biennial, has already elevated the visibility and cultural stature of the region. Many of the works premiered at the Biennial go on to win prestigious international awards and are featured at major museums and festivals around the globe.

ZER01 is also a catalyst that enables the art, business, and cultural sectors to work together to create signature programming. And unlike most Biennial-producing organizations, which focus almost exclusively on bringing the outside in, ZER01 is dedicated to showcasing local strengths while complementing them with outside capabilities. Over 30 arts and culture organizations, both local and international, participate directly in the 01SJ Biennial.

“Silicon Valley is the epicenter of technology and entrepreneurial creativity. Yet no arts organization or effort exists to bring the two together to reap the rewards of this unique combination, said Joel Slayton, ZER01’s executive director. “This grant enables us to take the organization to the next level and sow the seeds to realize ZER01’s audacious, compelling yet totally achievable vision.”

About ZER01

San Jose-based ZER01 has served as a catalyst and platform for the world’s most innovative artists since 2000. The nonprofit focuses on inspiring creativity at the intersection of art, technology and digital culture.

As producer of the 01SJ Biennial, a multidisciplinary, multi-venue event of visual and performing arts, the moving image, public art and interactive digital media, ZER01 has showcased the work of 350 artists from more than 40 countries-using such “media” as GPS-equipped pigeons, interactive platform shoe devices, mobile phone and surveillance technologies.

In the process, it attracted 65,000 visitors and generated $15 million in economic revenue for San Jose. Between biennials-the next is scheduled for Sept. 15-19, 2010-ZER01 nurtures Silicon Valley’s cultural health with events such as the June 2009 SubZERO Festival. Produced in partnership with SoFA, it drew 10,000 people to downtown.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change.