May 20, 2014

James Kirk Bernard Foundation Launches Virtual Cultural Arts Center

POBA – Where The Arts  Live, a new, fully-digital online arts community celebrating the enduring power of creativity, is now open to the public. POBA’s nonprofit mission is to preserve, display and promote the creative legacies of talented 20th and 21st century artists who passed away without recognition of the full measure and impact of their work. Artists shown on POBA range from the famous to the unknown. While they share noteworthy talent, their works collectively cover all fields of creative endeavor: from painting to music; from literature to dance; from spoken word to multimedia creations, and more. Their collections come to POBA through the decision of their loved ones, agents or representatives to participate. Anyone who is responsible for a deceased artist’s legacy may participate in POBA by becoming a member. The public can discover and enjoy this unique online resource free of charge.

POBA launches with portfolios of two dozen exceptional artists whose work spans a broad range of the arts: from author Norman Mailer’s Picasso-inspired drawings to Ben-Zion’s Hebraic-inspired paintings and poetry; from the dance performances and choreography of American Ballet Theatre’s Clark Tippet to Pete Ham’s (of Badfinger fame) recently discovered audio demos; from Norma Holt’s socially aware photos of everyday people in turbulent circumstances to Toni Schiff’s vivid paintings, created after becoming blind and wheelchair bound; from

Carol Carlisle’s pioneering work as the first woman editor of a major photography publication to Roger Anderson’s original audio tapes of Arizona pioneer women; from George Tate’s exuberant photos of 1950s California to Jamie Bernard’s drawings of alienation and fantasy – some amazing and surprising artistic works are found on POBA.

For the families, estates, publishers and others dedicated to promoting the work of artists who have passed away, POBA offers secure, unlimited storage of all forms of work digitally; an ability to share all or parts of this work with select visitors or the general public through portfolios, virtual lectures, performances, events and juried shows; and to obtain assistance in their efforts to preserve, archive, complete, demo, and promote this work through concierge services.

For the general public, POBA is an online hub and resource center where people can find and experience quality creative work that is new to them while learning where to go for more information about these artists and how to purchase their works. A full range of visual and auditory media can be found on POBA. In the near future, POBA will also feature streamed performances and live events for the public centered on POBA artists’ creations.

From the Hindu phrase phowa, describing the transformation of consciousness at death, POBA was born to keep the creative works of such artists alive to inspire, provoke, intrigue, entertain, and enliven us all. As POBA’s artist roster grows, the public will benefit from access to these extraordinary works. Outsider as well as more traditional arts are welcome. A growing number of individual estates, institutions and galleries see POBA as a way to highlight the work of individual artists and promote their own collections.

Too many artists of great ability leave behind large collections of fabulous works, which their loved ones and representatives have little time, opportunity or help to make widely known. Without a place like POBA, these works may never be known or get the full recognition they deserve,” said Sallie Bernard, president of The James  Kirk Bernard Foundation, the organization spearheading POBA.

Until POBA, art lovers had to know an artist by name, representation or genre to find great works. POBA is meant to change that – to create a place where great art from a range of art forms gets seen, enjoyed, and shared. POBA is meant to be easy, beautiful and respectful of the artist and the artistry, a space that anyone responsible for an artistic legacy can use. I’m very proud POBA has been born. There is nothing really like it,” said Jennifer Cohen, managing partner of Songmasters, the project’s designers and developers.

POBA members can create secure portfolios on behalf of artists to show the works in the appropriate digital format, for public display and private storage. Members retain copyrights to the works stored and displayed on POBA. Membership is $49.95 annually and includes 5GB of digital storage (with low cost for more), as well as access to a full suite of member services.

About POBA | Where The Arts Live

POBA is a nonprofit digital cultural center born for lovers of the arts and of artists whose legacies might go undiscovered. A new, easy-to-use virtual space to explore and enjoy the legacies of 20th and 21st century deceased artists whose work was not fully recognized during their lifetime, POBA’s cultural arts center covers a wide range of art forms. For more information, go to POBA.

POBA is a program of The James Kirk Bernard Foundation (JKBF), a nonprofit organization created to honor the artistic interests of young writer and artist Jamie Bernard and to use his creative legacy to inspire, recognize and support the legacies of talented deceased artists, regardless of genre or medium. The project was designed and developed by  Songmasters for JKBF.

Download press release.

Download information on founding artists.

Download POBA Fact Sheet.