2011 State of Florida
Individual Artist Fellowship
Recipient
Quotes
I think I’ve been [waiting] my whole life to live in a community where
somebody like Brian Feldman does, cause he just makes my life happier. Margot Knight, President & CEO – United Arts of Central Florida (on body of work)
My new favorite artist is Atlantic Center for the Arts Associate Artist-in-Residence Brian Feldman who perhaps is Orlando’s answer to “What else you got besides Disney World? And for cheap?” Brian does endurance and site-specific performance. Stuff I wish I could do more of. As it is, doing the stuff that you can charge people tickets for is a stressful enough way to make a living. So there’s only so much 24 hour ladder jumping or 8 hour newspaper reading that I can imagine doing before I am thrown in complete financial peril. My hats off to the artists like Brian who execute every crazy and brilliant idea that comes to them. Kristina Wong, KristinaWong.com (on body of work)
Oh, that Brian Feldman... You never know what he’s going to do next. Trevor Fraser, Orlando Weekly (on multiple projects)
Stores pay window dressers thousands a year to come up with original ideas to draw in the foot traffic and entertain passersby. But I highly doubt they EVER came up with something as original and unexpected as Brian Feldman’s nighttime piece “Brian Feldman Reads This Newspaper In Its Entirety.” Mark Baratelli, TheDailyCity.com (on Brian Feldman Reads This Newspaper In Its Entirety)
So here’s a way to startle a dinner table. Tell them you know somebody who’s going to spend his Leap Day leaping from a ladder 366 times. In front of City Hall. ... I think this is an event no one should miss. And I think somebody (not me) needs to show up at 4:30 a.m. and make sure he’s leaping. Now none of us can say that Orlando is boring. Elizabeth Maupin, Orlando Sentinel Theater Critic (on Leap Year Day)
Dear Brian Feldman, You make me want to move back to Orlando and sign up to be your brother.
(Way more than Mickey - sorry Disney Friends.) Brian T. Wilson, thebuzzbybrian.blogspot.com (on Twitter of the Shrew)
If Surrealism is Dream reduced to Art, Brian Feldman is Surrealism reduced to Theater. Al Pergande, Ink19.com (on sleepwalk)
I can’t help myself. I have to show you this poster from The Feldman Dynamic’s upcoming show Home for the Hanukkahs.
... I have to say this is perhaps the most unusual marketing ploy I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some marketing ploys. Elizabeth Maupin, Orlando Sentinel Theater Critic (on The Feldman Dynamic: Home for the Hanukkahs)
Brian Feldman reads words in a shop window. Exhilarating! Billy Manes, Orlando Weekly (on Brian Feldman Reads This Newspaper In Its Entirety)
That Brian Feldman can do anything at any time of day or night and call it “art” makes him the worthy subject of an investigation into how 21st-century performance art has been infected by social networks. What does Feldman do for fun? Has he remained pure? Does he accept sponsorships? What’s his fascination with Twitter and lightsabers? At any rate, the brainy art dude needs to be captured, tagged and documented before being released back into the wild. Best Performance Artist (Writers’ Pick), Orlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2009
Under the Covers was sublime - Loved it. Heather Woodbury, Obie Award winner (on Under the Covers)
There’s so much “art” in Orlando with Feldman’s name attached to it that we’ve almost stopped paying attention.
Almost. Because he’s outdone himself this time. Yes, he has. Bob Whitby, Editor – Orlando Weekly (on Brian Feldman Marries Anybody*)
Brian Feldman is rapidly becoming Orlando’s Christo, but without the wrapping fetish. Al Pergande, Ink19.com (on PILLOWLANDO)
I was caught on webcam with pioneering performance artist Marina Abramovic, who is spending three solid months sitting silently staring at strangers. (The closest you’ll find in Florida is a fortnight following Brian Feldman.) Seth Kubersky, Orlando Weekly (on The Artist is Present)
Leading up to the event, Feldman’s press releases promised an absurd juxtaposition of Jewish holiday tradition, Swedish cafeteria food, conversation from himself and his parents, and us curious gentiles. The story begins with a comment made by a Jewish acquaintance of mine, who, upon hearing of ChanuIKEA, was offended, and would not support something which made a mockery of a holy holiday. What she missed out on was a great piece of art which rightly ennobled the Hebrew faith and kept me up half the night in contemplation. Rick Jones, rickjonesprojects.com (on ChanuIKEA®)
Orlando, while it may not be home to anyone who can leap tall buildings in a single bound,
does have performance artist Brian Feldman. And we think that should count. Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly (on Leap Year Day)
One of the most ambitious performance art projects in Orlando history. Al Pergande, Ink19.com (on Leap Year Day)
Most of us look at leap year as a simple quirk of the calendar, at best a quadrennial opportunity to have an extra day before the March mortgage is due. But to performance artist Brian Feldman, Feb. 29, 2008, was the perfect excuse to let his imagination – and body – fly. Best known for The Feldman Dynamic, a real-life reality series starring his disarmingly dysfunctional family, Brian’s latest brainchild brought his penchant for the bizarre to nearly breathtaking new heights. Every four minutes, for 24 hours, Feldman flung himself from the top of a 12-foot ladder into an awaiting airbag – 366 leaps – for a total of 4,392 vertical feet, all broadcast live over the Internet. Who says there are no new ideas left in art? Seth Kubersky, Orlando Weekly (on Leap Year Day)
The Fringe does have its share of superstar favourites and one-of-a-kind shows that are worth both the price and the time. Here then, more or less in order, are the 10 shows I will be seeing first and the reasons why: ... 2. Le Dynamique Feldman: Prove your name is Feldman and get in free to watch this New York Fringe hit in which a nice family from Florida sits down together to share a meal in a bizarre serving of on-stage reality. Matt Radz, Montréal Gazette Theatre Critic (on Le Dynamique Feldman)
Most people make sure they know the guests before inviting them home for dinner with the family. Who wants strangers witnessing the ongoing arguments, the inside jokes and the odd habits you love or that drive you nuts? Unless you’re Brian Feldman... Jordan Levin, Miami Herald (on The Feldman Dynamic: Hanukkah in Little Havanaka)
The 67 Books project – another product of performance artist Brian Feldman’s endless imagination... Seth Kubersky, Orlando Weekly (on 67 Books)
I found myself laughing louder than ever at this performance. The uninhibited mind is a strange and quirky beast.
... txt was a Mad Lib with an emphasis on Mad. Thomas Thorspecken, Analog Artist Digital World (on txt)
I was in awe and hysterics the entire time and told him that when he comes to LA,
he is welcome to perform in my bedroom!!! (Shut up you wiseguys!) Kristina Wong, KristinaWong.com (on Under the Covers)
You may learn more about yourself, and about people in general, than you will about the Feldmans. If you want to get “the inside story”, watch so-called reality TV. But if you want to be reminded of the dance of veils involved in being humans in front of each other, see The Feldman Dynamic. Julie Blumenthal, nytheatre.com (on The Feldman Dynamic)
