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Re: Dialogue
Posted:
Mar 12, 2003 5:50 PM
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Hello Minnesota Mediocre Conspirators,
I finally read your plans carefully and have a few thoughts.
1. You absolutely need permission from the artists to put their work in the MM profile. I will need to verify that artists have agreed to let you show their work. Their email confirmations should be adequate. Basic human decency, trust, and respect are at the heart of a healthy, nourishing community. If you violate this requirement, I will pull down the profile without question or warning. Disclaimers are not sufficient. I pulled the work Ray posted for this reason.
2. mnartists.org is committed to the principal of democracy. Part of that means anyone in Minnesota who considers themselves an artist can post their work. MM's standards for what is Art are not the same as mnartists.org's. Your audience is much smaller than mnartists.org. Please be very clear about who you approach and why. If you approach a bunch of people who do not know about the MAEP nor care about it, your message falls on deaf ears. You may also insult a community of people that are irrelevant to your project. But they are not irrelevant to mnartists.org. Another part of democracy is giving people a voice and a venue to share their thoughts, i.e. get to it.
3. You are attempting to use mnartists.org as a medium and a vehicle for community transformation. I applaud you for that. I am attempting the same. However, the success of mnartists.org to make a long-term economic impact in your lives as people and artists depends on a critical mass of participants. For instance, among other opportunities we can start leveraging our communal buying power. Developing widespread support for more coherent action and standards in the Arts community is a difficult and slippery task. Please keep in mind the unintended and indirect impact of your methods. I will be considering this. If you start to undermine mnartists.org's ability to develop that widespread support, I will respond in whatever way is most appropriate.
4. Regarding the Dilbert comment, it was flip and poorly thought through. I am a liaison between artists, arts organizations, the rest of the people working on mnartists.org, and the general public. However, the people working on this project are far from cartoon characters. Everyone involved in this project is either a practicing artist or has devoted a significant part of their professional life to the endeavor of the Arts. They have hearts, minds, souls, and their own articulate, insightful methods for self-expression. Sam, I know you did not mean to insult anyone. But, it is important that everyone understands that the talented, exceptional people working on this project are not just cogs in a machine. They are wholly committed to bettering our lives and theirs through social and cultural action.
5. Last but not least, I would like to address Coyote's mention of my soul. I do not take offense at it. But it does provide an opportunity to address something important to me, how I do this job, and what I think is a basic misconception for many people about Art and Artmaking. I approach this project and my position with it not as a sacrifice but as an art project. As an artist and a human being I consider myself a social and cultural actor. Part of my art practice is a commitment to sustainability. I will not let one part of my life continually feed off of another. I must develop symbiotic relationships to stay sane, healthy, continue making art, and appreciating life. The same is true of my work on a social, institutional, and cultural level. Rather than using a trope of death and resurrection, I think about transformation, fulfilling potential, and efficacy. I bring this up because there is violence as well as gentleness in making real, long-term change. Our methods in making change set precedents for the successive order of things. This is something I want you to consider as you move forward with MM. It is a great idea and has long legs. Make sure they keep moving in the direction you propose and intend.
Colin
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