Art Race
Contents |
Host
Voiceover: Jessica Graves (2009)
Co-hosts
Artists: Ben Sargent and Kenny Harris (2009)
Artists, singers, and musicians: LiLu, Lindsey Crow, Johan Andersson, and Janie Price (2011)
Broadcast
Illuminations for Sky Arts 1, 4 September to ? 2009 (12 episodes in 1 series)
as The Art of Survival, Illuminations Media for Sky Arts 1, 21 July to 25 August 2011 (6 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
Two artists attempt to cross the USA in opposite directions, one starting in New York, the other in Los Angeles. At the start of their journeys, they are given a backpack full of art supplies, and one US Dollar. In order to fund not only their travels, but also to buy food and accommodation, they must create and sell pieces of art along the way. (Or failing that, rely on the generosity of strangers). As they journey across the United States, a running total of the money they have made from selling their art is kept. Once each artist has reached the opposite side of the country from where they started, they are each given a gallery space, which in just 36 hours they must fill with their artwork. At the end of the 36 hours, a two-hour sale takes place, with the resulting profit being added to the money they made when on their cross-country journey. When the two totals are combined, the artist who has made the most money from selling their art is declared the winner.
The Art of Survival
After a break of almost two years, the programme made an unexpected return in July 2011, under the title of The Art of Survival. This new series of the programme had many similarities to the original series, however there were also a few changes. For instance, rather than two individuals competing against each other, the new series saw two teams of two compete, with the teams comprised not just of artists, but also of singers and musicians. Another change in the new series saw the teams competing to travel from Athens to Edinburgh, with the winning team receiving an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival as their prize. Otherwise, the series remained largely true to the format of the original series, including most notably, the core concept of attempting to pay your way by selling creative works.
Trivia
The series was originally commissioned from the UK production company Illuminations by the American arts network Gallery HD, which closed before it could air the show.
