NEW YORK.-The New Museum of Contemporary Art will exhibit the acclaimed AltoidsÒ Curiously Strong Collection, now in its seventh year, from September 29 – October 29, 2005. The Altoids Curiously Strong Collection is a showcase of young emerging artists and the 22 works chosen for this year’s collection have been on view at Consolidated Works, Seattle, WA (January 6-30, 2005); Blue Star Art Complex, San Antonio, TX (February 4 – March 13, 2005); and Soo Visual Arts, Minneapolis, MN (June 4 – July 8, 2005). Following the New Museum presentation, the collection will be seen at the Luckman Center Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (November 12 – December 17, 2005). The Seventh Annual Altoids Curiously Strong Collection will be donated to the New Museum once the tour has been completed.

The Seventh Annual Altoids Curiously Strong Collection includes work by Reed Anderson, Jedediah Caesar, Augusto Di Stefano, Rob Fischer, Amy Gartrell, James Gobel, Mark Grotjahn, John Gutierrez, Violet Hopkins, Chris Johanson, Shin-II Kim, John Largaespada, Elissa Levy, Charlene Liu, Tony Matelli, Katie Pell, Ara Peterson, Juan Miguel Ramos, Amy Sarkisian, Randall Sellers, Anna Sew Hoy, and Yuken Teruya.

“The New Museum is consistently on the forefront of new art and new ideas, and the Altoids Collection represents this well,” said Lisa Phillips, Henry Luce III Director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. “This collection is an opportunity for the New Museum to exhibit work by talented young artists, and also to collaborate creatively with Altoids to formulate a new way for institutions to collect emerging artists.”

Highlights from this year’s Collection include Elissa Levy’s Soldier Doily #1, a 4 ½ foot wide soldier-patterned doily made of felt; James Gobel’s Movie Night, one piece in a series depicting large men in seemingly ordinary situations created entirely of yarn, felt, acrylic, and enamel; Jedediah Caesar’s Geode, a 450-lb cast resin boulder cut in half to display encased artifacts from the artist’s own studio; Juan Miguel Ramos’ Southside Loteria, a video diptych that explores the Mexican American cultural experience in Texas through a series of vignettes of animation superimposed on filmed footage; and Amy Sarkisian’s Tattoo Collage: Hellish, a devilishly large collection of tattoos that form one large intricate, colorful collage.

“Altoids is very excited to support this incredible group of artists and showcase their original works to as many people as possible,” said Rich Hildebrandt, Brand Director, Altoids. “The Collection has grown significantly over the past seven years and along the way we’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing artists and art institutions who share our commitment to supporting artists early in their careers.”

About the Altoids Curiously Strong Collection
The Altoids Curiously Strong Collection was created in 1998 to honor and support today’s most talented, emerging visual artists by providing meaningful exposure and recognition in a public art forum. In 2000, Altoids donated the entire Curiously Strong Collection, as well as all works subsequently added through the sixth year of the Collection, to the New Museum of Contemporary Art, adding significantly to the Museum’s holdings and marking its first-ever acceptance of a corporate collection. Following this year’s tour, Altoids will donate the seventh year acquisitions to the New Museum’s permanent collection, bringing the entire Collection to an extraordinary 155 works that represent an innovative and adventurous approach to visual arts patronage.

Each year, Altoids enlists the expertise of a ten-person committee of highly regarded art world professionals to identify and select up to 25 new works for the Collection. This years panel included prominent art experts from around the country including Meghan Dailey, Contributor, ArtForum, New York; Mary Goldman, Director, Mary Goldman Gallery, Los Angeles; Lisa Fischman, Gallery Director, Atlanta College of Art; Yukie Kamiya, Associate Curator, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; Shamim M. Momin, Branch Director and Curator, The Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria; Chris Peddy, Senior Category Business Director, Altoids, East Hanover, NJ; Chris Perez, Director/Owner, Ratio 3 Gallery, San Francisco; Dario Robleto, an Altoids Collection alumnus from San Antionio; and Gilbert Vicario, former Assistant Curator, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.