Overview
- The State Department informed curator John Ravenal in early September that his proposal with artist Robert Lazzarini had been selected, but the project was later withdrawn after talks with the University of South Florida collapsed.
- USF said it could not accept the grant due to timing and cost; reporting indicates the contract would have left the university liable for roughly $4.75 million of an estimated $5 million budget.
- The U.S. government grant covers only a small share of typical pavilion costs, with recent U.S. budgets reaching $5–7 million and a fixed portion earmarked for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
- This year’s selection process departed from precedent as the NEA did not participate, leaving the State Department to run the process on its own.
- With the January 19 submission deadline approaching, U.S. participation remains uncertain, and ARTnews reports—without official confirmation—that sculptor Alma Allen has been picked according to unnamed sources.