On Friday, the big old stimulating the economy bill was approved by the House and Senate with $50 Million in direct support for the National Endowment for the Arts somehow making its way in to the package. (Props to our man from WI, House Appropriations Chair David Obey leading the "arts deserve a little kick start funding, too" charge).
On Friday, MARN announced that they had hired Melissa Musante (a Renaissance woman, if there ever was one) to be its first full-time executive director. She replaces the interim director Melissa Dorn Richards, who must be applauded for her superb work and her fence mending. And she, of course, replaced the indomitable Mike Brenner, who is always to be applauded and often punched in the mouth, for all he has done for the arts in this area.
On Friday, we all kind of got excited about RedLine, a new project that will be an arts incubator housed in a huge old building on N. 4th Street. It's going to be a great place for artists to work in an affordable way and connect to the community.
And on Friday, I readied myself for a Sunday night invitation to a friend's house to engage in a salon reading of THE SEAGULL. Kind of like playing Victorian parlor games, with brownies as the bonus.
Friday the 13th, we love you. (By the by, I got married on Friday the 13th, and it's been bliss every moment since. My wife is laughing ironically reading this.)
I write. You read. Everyone is happy.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Smack me around--awesome critical comments coming my way!
Gotta post these in relation to my jumping up and down like a teenage girl about Kre8 Kamp. From my old high school chum John Gerlach who now is a bad ass teacher making plays with titles like THE GHETTO CINDERELLA:
And you gotta, gotta, gotta check out To Ally Or Not To Ally, That Is The Question and In Response to a Response to a Response on the wily and wise CricketToes. Great stuff.
What does this all mean to the future work of what will come out of Kre8 Kamp?
Jonathan, more than a few people are ashamed to accept that artistic anarchy keeps them living in attics. Here's how I see it: You give us information about what resources are available to creative persons; creative persons tell you what they need - you should not have to plead to get such creatives to flood you with requests for aid. I vehemently disagree with your assertion that, even in a perfect world, if one keep the artistic nose to the grindstone, then patrons should appreciate it and shower you with money and compliments. Where has there ever been found excellence in artistic creation without patronage, commissions, and conflict. Art is for people who fight to shine the beacon of meaning through the maelstrom of cultural presumption. Fight on, Jon, and challenge creatives to exploit your energies to their best advantage. When did artists go so soft?!
And you gotta, gotta, gotta check out To Ally Or Not To Ally, That Is The Question and In Response to a Response to a Response on the wily and wise CricketToes. Great stuff.
What does this all mean to the future work of what will come out of Kre8 Kamp?
- LESS TALK.
- MORE ACTION.
- ARTIST INVOLVEMENT--NOW!
- ARTSY SCHMARTSY MUST STOP SPAZZING OUT AND KICK SOME ARTISTIC ASS WITH YOUSE ALL!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Kre8 Kamp--you're right, time to specify.
I've been accused of spazzing out about Kre8 Kamp by more than a few people. I prefer to think that I'm getting all wiggy, but that's just splitting hairs on the semantics.
But what happened exactly? Good question.
I could show you about 500 continuing e-mail exchanges back and forth from the participants that are also trying to define that so we can tell you accurately.
What I will say is this: the ultimate goal that I think I heard is to stop always talking about arts and culture from the "economic development" standpoint, and start talking about arts and culture from the "this is great stuff, and makes this a great city" kind of standpoint.
So, my specifics that come from this (not necessarily those of the full group assembled, though I do believe that the majority would concur):
1. Include more artists in further discussions on how this initiative to make all Milwaukee realize that arts and culture are not a "nice-to-have", but are a "must have."
2. Invite a number of artists to a 150 person follow up to this past meeting.
3. Invite even more to a 400 person follow up to that meeting.
4. Make sure that at each new meeting we have, there are action items coming out.
5. Come up with a name for what it is we are trying to do.
6. Work tirelessly to elect a mayor who cares about arts and culture.
7. Work with civic leaders so that arts and culture are always important talking points in their discussions on why this is a great city.
8. Do my work as a theater artist and writer so that I'm not just talking about it, but rather, contributing to better arts and culture all around.
9. Make more things with more creative friends.
Truth be told, we shouldn't even need to have this discussion. We should just be doing our creative stuff. And maybe this is all it will take. A nose down approach to creation, because we love it, and any stamp of validation is nothing more than noise in the air. If we artists just make the art, forget about the economics of the whole thing, its bound to be better than just talking advocacy.
And to those questioning what the Cultural Alliance is doing, I have heard them talking about the implementation of a cultural arts directory of everything that is going on. I believe it will take shape in a website. And I have heard it said by many people involved in Kre8 Kamp that it is time to go to our creative communities and seek them out, rather than waiting for them to crawl out of the woodwork.
I will also specifically continue to meet more people. And with those people, I will talk about art. Cuz I just like talking about art.
Done. Sleep. Glorious sleep.
But what happened exactly? Good question.
I could show you about 500 continuing e-mail exchanges back and forth from the participants that are also trying to define that so we can tell you accurately.
What I will say is this: the ultimate goal that I think I heard is to stop always talking about arts and culture from the "economic development" standpoint, and start talking about arts and culture from the "this is great stuff, and makes this a great city" kind of standpoint.
So, my specifics that come from this (not necessarily those of the full group assembled, though I do believe that the majority would concur):
1. Include more artists in further discussions on how this initiative to make all Milwaukee realize that arts and culture are not a "nice-to-have", but are a "must have."
2. Invite a number of artists to a 150 person follow up to this past meeting.
3. Invite even more to a 400 person follow up to that meeting.
4. Make sure that at each new meeting we have, there are action items coming out.
5. Come up with a name for what it is we are trying to do.
6. Work tirelessly to elect a mayor who cares about arts and culture.
7. Work with civic leaders so that arts and culture are always important talking points in their discussions on why this is a great city.
8. Do my work as a theater artist and writer so that I'm not just talking about it, but rather, contributing to better arts and culture all around.
9. Make more things with more creative friends.
Truth be told, we shouldn't even need to have this discussion. We should just be doing our creative stuff. And maybe this is all it will take. A nose down approach to creation, because we love it, and any stamp of validation is nothing more than noise in the air. If we artists just make the art, forget about the economics of the whole thing, its bound to be better than just talking advocacy.
And to those questioning what the Cultural Alliance is doing, I have heard them talking about the implementation of a cultural arts directory of everything that is going on. I believe it will take shape in a website. And I have heard it said by many people involved in Kre8 Kamp that it is time to go to our creative communities and seek them out, rather than waiting for them to crawl out of the woodwork.
I will also specifically continue to meet more people. And with those people, I will talk about art. Cuz I just like talking about art.
Done. Sleep. Glorious sleep.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Testify, Brother Jaques!
I love it when my pal, Damien Jaques, gets a little attitude in our face. Check out his great article Troupes must be smart, nimble that was posted and in print on Sunday through the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Damien does a great job of reminding all of us that now is not the time to whine when the economy is crumbling and arts and culture are feeling raped. Folks, we're all feeling raped. Thanks to DJ for making us think about creating our own story and defining our future through smart, tough choices.
Twestival..get tweeting.
On February 12, the world is having a party. And this party will raise money for clean water. And this party is called Twestival.
Twitter...it ain't going away. It's going to help us, not harm us, all you technophobe doubters out there (I know my wife, who isn't even on Facebook which is like so 2008, is reading this and I'll explain what tweeting means later, dear.)
In any event, Twestival is a fabulous idea. A short, fun way to raise consciousness and moola for something that no one can argue is a good idea. Now, my grandmother didn't care to have just a glass of water (she preferred a highball), but even she wouldn't have argued that everyone should have clean water.
Check out what is happening with the Milwaukee Twestival goings on now.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
The transparency of MKE Kre8 Kamp thanks to YouTube and some amateur videographers
One of the smart things that the organizers of MKE Kre8 Kamp did was to capture video or ever self-incriminating moment in which the participants said things that we should all be held accountable to on a daily basis. You can also see us all perform badly, which clearly shows that we're desperately in need of artists as we go forward in making this process work.
I'm urging you, if you have specific questions about the content that was discussed at MKE Kre8 Kamp (seriously, the absurdity of that name wounds me every time I write it--doubly so since I believe the work done there was such an important start to something really happening to help the arts and culture climate in our area) please go to the MKE Kre8 Kamp blog at www.mkekre8kamp.com (you've probably gone there already, because I've gone link crazy in this post).
I'm also posting a video of our final commitments from the conference. You can find it on the MKE Kre8 Kamp blog or at MKE Kre8 Kamp's YouTube area. I'm posting the video I mention here so you can take a quick peek into the commitments that this group of 42 citizens made to improve the arts, culture and creative life in the region. You'll see me saying, "I commit to telling the artistic community what the hell happened here and how they will be involved in the process as we go forward." I am committed to that. Passionately. I really believe in this process, despite its flaws, despite its initial missteps (more artists should have been at the conference, no doubt).
If you are an artist, and you are reading this, please make a commitment to tell other artists about this process. The best thing we can do now is to keep talking about it. Any talk. How you appreciate the efforts, how you're pissed off by what is happening, how you really don't understand how this is different from other impotent efforts in the past--all of this is vital to continuing action (not just talk, people, ACTION with a captial A for ass kicking). We will answer these questions. I promise to be your fact finder. You should also know that the group that convened has broken into seven different task forces. I am the main contact for the COMMUNICATION task force. So, let's do more of that--COMMUNICATE.
Watch, so you can hold us all accountable for more action. (And do visit the other places with video so you can hear and see actual comments and plans made by the participants.)
I'm urging you, if you have specific questions about the content that was discussed at MKE Kre8 Kamp (seriously, the absurdity of that name wounds me every time I write it--doubly so since I believe the work done there was such an important start to something really happening to help the arts and culture climate in our area) please go to the MKE Kre8 Kamp blog at www.mkekre8kamp.com (you've probably gone there already, because I've gone link crazy in this post).
I'm also posting a video of our final commitments from the conference. You can find it on the MKE Kre8 Kamp blog or at MKE Kre8 Kamp's YouTube area. I'm posting the video I mention here so you can take a quick peek into the commitments that this group of 42 citizens made to improve the arts, culture and creative life in the region. You'll see me saying, "I commit to telling the artistic community what the hell happened here and how they will be involved in the process as we go forward." I am committed to that. Passionately. I really believe in this process, despite its flaws, despite its initial missteps (more artists should have been at the conference, no doubt).
If you are an artist, and you are reading this, please make a commitment to tell other artists about this process. The best thing we can do now is to keep talking about it. Any talk. How you appreciate the efforts, how you're pissed off by what is happening, how you really don't understand how this is different from other impotent efforts in the past--all of this is vital to continuing action (not just talk, people, ACTION with a captial A for ass kicking). We will answer these questions. I promise to be your fact finder. You should also know that the group that convened has broken into seven different task forces. I am the main contact for the COMMUNICATION task force. So, let's do more of that--COMMUNICATE.
Watch, so you can hold us all accountable for more action. (And do visit the other places with video so you can hear and see actual comments and plans made by the participants.)
Saturday, February 07, 2009
MKE Kre8 Kamp Forward Thoughts
These are not my final thoughts on MKE Kre8 Kamp. They are simply my FORWARD thoughts.
Forward because this effort is moving forward. I will be damned if it doesn't. I have children, and I like living in this reason. I want things to be better for my children than they are for me. I want the idea that this are is a creative community to not just be the "icing on the cake" idea. I want it to be a great source of pride for everyone in our region to say, "We are a destination for arts and culture and we are people who treat our creatives well."
42 people decided to come to a summer resort in Delavan in the dead of winter to talk about the future of the creative community in our region. Was this a perfect process? No. Was it a richly diverse group of people who are involved in the creative process in this area. Absolutely not. Does anyone there think that the process is over. Hell no.
The 42 peope who stepped up and paid a hundred bucks to be there, did it for a singular purpose: they want the creative future of our area to be bright. The 42 people who took time out of there lives to do stupid things like skits and game playing, did it to get to finally say, "We are scared for our creative community and we want to help."
I've asked why there weren't more creatives at this initial meeting. It was a misstep. But one that will not happen as we move forward. Understand this: the creative community is going to be involved in this process. But the creative community needs to come to the discussion with an open mind to everything (we're creatives, we're supposed to be good at that). Did I every think a discussion of the region's water assets had any bearing on the cultural life in our backyard? No, not really, but now I see that we're all intertwined in important ways that need to be picked through. Come on fans of THE WIRE, you know that Season Two looked like it had nothing to do with anything, but when you got to Season Five you realized the brilliance of that departure, right? (Okay, a vague and meandering reference, but if you're a WIRE fan, I know you're with me.)
What will happen next? You will start to hear voices speak about this process. We will shape more plans for inclusion. We're looking for a critical mass of leaders. This leadership is not going to be an exclusive leadership. This is going to be a leadership of informed messengers. There will be a follow up meeting coming in the next couple of months to more cohesively detail how the creative community will (not "if", but "will" because this is a mandate) be involved in shaping the vision of our region as the envy of all creative communities.
The leadership that was at this summit is engaged now. If you want to be involved, contact them. If you don't know how to contact them, contact me. E-mail me any thoughts at jonathanwest@artsyschmartsy.com or post comments. Understand that this process will be as effective as we as a creative community are involved. If we are not involved, and I commit to fighting for us all to be involved, our future will be determined by folks not in the arts and culture trenches on a daily basis.
People are listening. Speak.
And, yes, I still now think the Bronze Fonz is a bad idea. We're gonna change the way people think about Milwaukee. End of story.
Forward because this effort is moving forward. I will be damned if it doesn't. I have children, and I like living in this reason. I want things to be better for my children than they are for me. I want the idea that this are is a creative community to not just be the "icing on the cake" idea. I want it to be a great source of pride for everyone in our region to say, "We are a destination for arts and culture and we are people who treat our creatives well."
42 people decided to come to a summer resort in Delavan in the dead of winter to talk about the future of the creative community in our region. Was this a perfect process? No. Was it a richly diverse group of people who are involved in the creative process in this area. Absolutely not. Does anyone there think that the process is over. Hell no.
The 42 peope who stepped up and paid a hundred bucks to be there, did it for a singular purpose: they want the creative future of our area to be bright. The 42 people who took time out of there lives to do stupid things like skits and game playing, did it to get to finally say, "We are scared for our creative community and we want to help."
I've asked why there weren't more creatives at this initial meeting. It was a misstep. But one that will not happen as we move forward. Understand this: the creative community is going to be involved in this process. But the creative community needs to come to the discussion with an open mind to everything (we're creatives, we're supposed to be good at that). Did I every think a discussion of the region's water assets had any bearing on the cultural life in our backyard? No, not really, but now I see that we're all intertwined in important ways that need to be picked through. Come on fans of THE WIRE, you know that Season Two looked like it had nothing to do with anything, but when you got to Season Five you realized the brilliance of that departure, right? (Okay, a vague and meandering reference, but if you're a WIRE fan, I know you're with me.)
What will happen next? You will start to hear voices speak about this process. We will shape more plans for inclusion. We're looking for a critical mass of leaders. This leadership is not going to be an exclusive leadership. This is going to be a leadership of informed messengers. There will be a follow up meeting coming in the next couple of months to more cohesively detail how the creative community will (not "if", but "will" because this is a mandate) be involved in shaping the vision of our region as the envy of all creative communities.
The leadership that was at this summit is engaged now. If you want to be involved, contact them. If you don't know how to contact them, contact me. E-mail me any thoughts at jonathanwest@artsyschmartsy.com or post comments. Understand that this process will be as effective as we as a creative community are involved. If we are not involved, and I commit to fighting for us all to be involved, our future will be determined by folks not in the arts and culture trenches on a daily basis.
People are listening. Speak.
And, yes, I still now think the Bronze Fonz is a bad idea. We're gonna change the way people think about Milwaukee. End of story.
Friday, February 06, 2009
The Coburn Amendment and Russ and Herb's "Yea" Votes
Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl voted "Yea" to this amendment (SA 309)that Republican Tom Coburn of Okalhoma introduced in relation to the stimulus package today:
Just thought you'd like to know that.
Also thought you'd like to know Herb's and Russ' e-mail addresses so you can tell them how swell you think their vote was or wasn't on this.
You can send on of your favorite LOL messages to Herb Kohl at senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov.
You can say to Russ Feingold that he is your BFF by e-mailing him at senator_feingold@senate.gov.
SA 309. Mr. COBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 1, making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. LIMIT ON FUNDS.
None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project.
Just thought you'd like to know that.
Also thought you'd like to know Herb's and Russ' e-mail addresses so you can tell them how swell you think their vote was or wasn't on this.
You can send on of your favorite LOL messages to Herb Kohl at senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov.
You can say to Russ Feingold that he is your BFF by e-mailing him at senator_feingold@senate.gov.
MKE Kre8 Kamp- we gotta change the name as we move forward, but we are moving forward
Simply and quickly...many things to say about what happened over two days in February 2009, but folks, Artsy's got a job now, and Artsy had to do a little work today. So look for more thoughts.
But to the doubters (and I had moments myself over those two days) I say: this can work in a way that other things haven't worked. The next part of this process is getting the artists involved. Cuz the group that was there the last couple of days all agree we need some good brains going forward. And the artists have the good brains.
The folks that were at Kre8 Kamp were a group of people who stepped forward. We can split hairs on how that group was determined, and anyone would admit that mistakes were made on that. So what? Now we go forward, and we will go forward. Of this I am certain.
You want an artist's voice in this process. Consider me willing to give one. Bring it on artsy's types. We're all gonna learn a lot from each other. And we are all gonna take credit some day for making Milwaukee and the region something that is the envy of all artists in America.
Yeah, I'm optimistic, but what the hell am I gonna do? Bitch all day? That just makes me loose hair and get fatter. And I don't need to get any uglier than I already am folks.
But to the doubters (and I had moments myself over those two days) I say: this can work in a way that other things haven't worked. The next part of this process is getting the artists involved. Cuz the group that was there the last couple of days all agree we need some good brains going forward. And the artists have the good brains.
The folks that were at Kre8 Kamp were a group of people who stepped forward. We can split hairs on how that group was determined, and anyone would admit that mistakes were made on that. So what? Now we go forward, and we will go forward. Of this I am certain.
You want an artist's voice in this process. Consider me willing to give one. Bring it on artsy's types. We're all gonna learn a lot from each other. And we are all gonna take credit some day for making Milwaukee and the region something that is the envy of all artists in America.
Yeah, I'm optimistic, but what the hell am I gonna do? Bitch all day? That just makes me loose hair and get fatter. And I don't need to get any uglier than I already am folks.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
MKE Kre* Kamp (even people there hated that name)--now the real work begins...
I'm home, and I will make sure my children eat before getting into more posts about MKE Kre8 Kamp (the name is not a fault of the participants, believe me) and just wanted to say...
THERE IS HOPE.
Hope in the form of some plans for the future that are actually happening now. Hope in the form of 42 people committing to dig in to make the M7 region (check on my blog post from last night for clarification on that) the envy of other regions for a thriving creative community.
So much to unwrap, so much to look forward to. More thoughts coming, but for now, just know there was actually something different about this discussion than others like it. I believe some things will get done. And I believe the whole artistic community will be a vital part of that process (not vital dammit, one that will mandate change and be heard--SO THERE!)
THERE IS HOPE.
Hope in the form of some plans for the future that are actually happening now. Hope in the form of 42 people committing to dig in to make the M7 region (check on my blog post from last night for clarification on that) the envy of other regions for a thriving creative community.
So much to unwrap, so much to look forward to. More thoughts coming, but for now, just know there was actually something different about this discussion than others like it. I believe some things will get done. And I believe the whole artistic community will be a vital part of that process (not vital dammit, one that will mandate change and be heard--SO THERE!)
MKE Kre* Kamp -- I'm still here and two thoughts that I woke up with
Here's a couple things I forgot to mention that were good moments, reflections...
1. I have sat in countless meetings over the years where business leaders have urged collaborations between arts groups with their rationale being that it is cost efficient to share a copier or pack of pens. Yeah, sure, but being told that is like a sharp stick in the eye. Julia Taylor (GMC head) said something yesterday that gave me hope. She said, "Sharing an office with other people is fun. It's just more fun." The other cost efficiencies fall into line, but the fun factor is something that shouldn't be disregarded. It matters.
2. I saw written on one of our dry erase Boards: DON'T BE AFRAID TO GET RID OF THE ASSHOLES. I will only attribute it to the only partner at Michael, Best and Friedrich who sings show tunes and has Broadway musical posters decorating his office walls, but I think it's a hearty statement that isn't a bad thing to remember.
I'll be performing a skit (yeah, we are suffering through that this morning) for the rest of the "Kampers". More on that and the day later.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Things I learned at MKE Kre8 Kamp--the world thinks we suck a little.
Many rambles. Many thoughts. Pardon the stream of consciouness-ish of it all. But I'll put it out and see if it makes any sense.
Let me first get this off my chest: I think MKE Kre8 Kamp is a tad cutesy for the name of the summit I'm attending at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan. Truth be told, I thought the name of the thing was the Creative Community Summit until a couple of days ago when I got an e-mail announcing live blogging and Tweeting from MKE Kre8 Kamp.
But maybe I'm nitpicking. Well, yes, I am, but I got mixed message on something as simple as the name of the thing I'm spending a hundred bucks and some time on for a couple of weekdays I should be making spreadsheets at my new desk job. And it kind of relates to something I'm learning about our creative community discussion in the Milwaukee region: we suck hard at putting out a clear message of who we are as a creative community.
Case in point--the organizers of this process call us to move to different locations throughout the day by playing music or ringing a cow bell. Honestly a cow bell. I actually heard our out-of-towner leader Leslie say, "Cowbell...gotta have that cuz of where we are."
Okay, not Leslie's fault. Ours. We're not putting out the message that Milwaukee and our region is not a cow bell kind of place.
(Mike Brenner and anyone else listening, I take back anything good I have ever said about Bronze Fonz. It is deadly. Deadly.)
Our rhetoric on what is good about the creative community needs to improve. And it needs to improve fast. We're going to perish not just as a city that attracts artsy types, but simply as a city in general if we don't start talking about Milwaukee in unapologetic tones immediately.
Here's something I need to say: I LOVE MILWAUKEE BECAUSE OUR SHITTY ART DOESN'T SUCK AS MUCH AS CHICAGO'S SHITTY ART. (Okay, I guess that was a little apologetic, but I'm working on it.)
We're all kind of shell shocked with the idea that we do, regardless of your belief in him and his politics, now have a President who really makes being incredibly smart look incredibly cool. I know a lot of incredibly smart people who aren't the President of the United States but are my neighbors, friends and colleagues within a fairly drivable distance of my home who I would call totally cool, too. The question is, how do we put the positive press out on this so other cool people want to move in next door to those cool people and do cool things like, oh, I don't know, improve our education system, support the arts, get the public to understand that art is just great because it's art only because they are all as smart as whips?
So, gleaned thing numero uno: IMPROVE OUR RHETHORIC OR BE RESIGNED TO A LIFE OF COWBELLS AND CHEESEHEADS.
Don't want that. Don't want it at all.
The Creative Community Summit or MKE Kre8 Kamp is a fabulous idea. Fabulous. Fabulous. Fabulous.
I'm supportive of this whole venture. And I continue to be throughout the process. With a couple of asterisks.
I often believe that I write for artists without an institution. That is to say, I like to think of myself as a blogger for the other guys. And I've been reading a lot about what the other guys have been saying about this camp thing (we have camp names like Kayak and Camp Song for individual work stations, for those of you who would actually like to have a little throw up taste in the back of your throats right now).
I am hearing that individual artists are angry about not being at the summit. And I hear ya. I'm a little angry, too. As yet, I've not been able to ask the question about why more individual artists are not here. I'm not entirely clear if they were invited or not, but I am determined to get to the heart of this.
That said, there are some pretty damned smart people in the room talking about the creative community. And let's make this clear--they are talking about the creative community, not just artists.
In fact, there is much less talk about the arts than you would think there might be at something called MKE Kre8 Kamp (which is really fucking hard to type, people). No, the discussion has more to do with what to do with this big old M7 problem.
M7? What is M7, you say. You're looking at it:
Here's some verbage on M7 if you don't like visuals so much (you'd perish at MKE Kre8 Kamp if that was the case because there is much drawing encouraged).
Yada, yada, yada, right? This is really what the MKE Kre8 Kamp is about: how does a creative agenda fit into making the Milwaukee region a global player?
Right now the perception by many that it is a marquee item that you support for well intentioned reasons that don't necessarily have much to do with you. Art is good because someone has told you so, some study has said that it prevents kids from pulling the wings off of bees, whatever. I was in a group today that drew a cake (I was the designated drawing dude because I rock hard with a dry erase pen) that represented all the elements of the community (business, education, philanthopic, all that jazz) that displayed the arts as the "icing on the cake." I gulped thinking that the arts were simply the icing on the cake, but the perception in the room was that the cake (the whole) is pretty boring without icing. So I drew and accept that all learning costs something, despite that fact that in this case it might have been a tiny bit of my soul.
But I stray, which is kind of how the day has gone. Focused straying. We are attempting to do months of work in two days. This means short bursts of activity on lots of little tasks. It also means that there isn't much time to dwell. Which isn't a bad thing really.
The most productive moments of the day have been those when participants have been forced to make quick choices. Many people don't understand what to do when a clock is ticking. Mistakes have been made in these situations, and people have had to admit they screwed up. But, you know what? The world didn't stop, and we got a hell of a lot accomplished today.
This is an important point: when we didn't over process and simply act on the sheer force of will, we got things done.
I think mistakes were made with this summit, don't get me wrong. The vetting process of who is and isn't here might have been done better. Donors and arts adminstrators who have their heads up donors asses trying to titilate and impress might not be the most honest participants in this type of an excercise (and they is a little bit of heads up asses drifting around, though I'm happy to say, not much). But the point is, it's happening.
This thing is not THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION. Do I think we come up with the ULTIMATE SOLUTION by 5 PM on Thursday? Hells no. Wally Mason form the Haggerty Museum said a very important thing early in the day that I think is where we should be thinking of ending. He talked about ending these discussions with question marks, not periods.
Now, I'm all for the question marks if they are tangible question marks. Neil Hoffman from MIAD was at my dinner table tonight. The dinner table and the bar are of course where the real work of these things gets done, right? In any event, he put it this way: One day you say, "I'm gonna eat this elephant in front of me. How do I do it?" His answer was you say to one person, "What part of the elephant are you going to eat?" Then you say to another person, "And what part are you going to eat?" Before you know it, the elephant is gone.
I will be disenchanted by this experience if we don't ask how to eat our own elephant by the end of the day tomorrow. If we talk about all this creative community chatter and then walk away with no tasks, we're weak. Really weak.
I want someone to say to me at the end of tomorrow, "What are you going to do?" I can tell you right now, I'll respond with something tangible when I finally get that question. And if I don't, you better believe I'll start asking it myself.
Let me first get this off my chest: I think MKE Kre8 Kamp is a tad cutesy for the name of the summit I'm attending at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan. Truth be told, I thought the name of the thing was the Creative Community Summit until a couple of days ago when I got an e-mail announcing live blogging and Tweeting from MKE Kre8 Kamp.
But maybe I'm nitpicking. Well, yes, I am, but I got mixed message on something as simple as the name of the thing I'm spending a hundred bucks and some time on for a couple of weekdays I should be making spreadsheets at my new desk job. And it kind of relates to something I'm learning about our creative community discussion in the Milwaukee region: we suck hard at putting out a clear message of who we are as a creative community.
Case in point--the organizers of this process call us to move to different locations throughout the day by playing music or ringing a cow bell. Honestly a cow bell. I actually heard our out-of-towner leader Leslie say, "Cowbell...gotta have that cuz of where we are."
Okay, not Leslie's fault. Ours. We're not putting out the message that Milwaukee and our region is not a cow bell kind of place.
(Mike Brenner and anyone else listening, I take back anything good I have ever said about Bronze Fonz. It is deadly. Deadly.)
Our rhetoric on what is good about the creative community needs to improve. And it needs to improve fast. We're going to perish not just as a city that attracts artsy types, but simply as a city in general if we don't start talking about Milwaukee in unapologetic tones immediately.
Here's something I need to say: I LOVE MILWAUKEE BECAUSE OUR SHITTY ART DOESN'T SUCK AS MUCH AS CHICAGO'S SHITTY ART. (Okay, I guess that was a little apologetic, but I'm working on it.)
We're all kind of shell shocked with the idea that we do, regardless of your belief in him and his politics, now have a President who really makes being incredibly smart look incredibly cool. I know a lot of incredibly smart people who aren't the President of the United States but are my neighbors, friends and colleagues within a fairly drivable distance of my home who I would call totally cool, too. The question is, how do we put the positive press out on this so other cool people want to move in next door to those cool people and do cool things like, oh, I don't know, improve our education system, support the arts, get the public to understand that art is just great because it's art only because they are all as smart as whips?
So, gleaned thing numero uno: IMPROVE OUR RHETHORIC OR BE RESIGNED TO A LIFE OF COWBELLS AND CHEESEHEADS.
Don't want that. Don't want it at all.
The Creative Community Summit or MKE Kre8 Kamp is a fabulous idea. Fabulous. Fabulous. Fabulous.
I'm supportive of this whole venture. And I continue to be throughout the process. With a couple of asterisks.
I often believe that I write for artists without an institution. That is to say, I like to think of myself as a blogger for the other guys. And I've been reading a lot about what the other guys have been saying about this camp thing (we have camp names like Kayak and Camp Song for individual work stations, for those of you who would actually like to have a little throw up taste in the back of your throats right now).
I am hearing that individual artists are angry about not being at the summit. And I hear ya. I'm a little angry, too. As yet, I've not been able to ask the question about why more individual artists are not here. I'm not entirely clear if they were invited or not, but I am determined to get to the heart of this.
That said, there are some pretty damned smart people in the room talking about the creative community. And let's make this clear--they are talking about the creative community, not just artists.
In fact, there is much less talk about the arts than you would think there might be at something called MKE Kre8 Kamp (which is really fucking hard to type, people). No, the discussion has more to do with what to do with this big old M7 problem.
M7? What is M7, you say. You're looking at it:
Here's some verbage on M7 if you don't like visuals so much (you'd perish at MKE Kre8 Kamp if that was the case because there is much drawing encouraged).
Mission
Seven counties united around an agenda to grow, expand and attract world-class businesses and talent
Vision
To be globally competitive in an innovation economy
Goals
1. Grow, expand and attract existing export driver industries and emerging business clusters
2. Strengthen our capacity to innovate
3. Enhance the competitiveness of the Region
Measures
* Per capita income
* Employment growth
* Educational attainment of adult population
* Export value of Wisconsin's manufactured goods
* Net regional migration
Yada, yada, yada, right? This is really what the MKE Kre8 Kamp is about: how does a creative agenda fit into making the Milwaukee region a global player?
Right now the perception by many that it is a marquee item that you support for well intentioned reasons that don't necessarily have much to do with you. Art is good because someone has told you so, some study has said that it prevents kids from pulling the wings off of bees, whatever. I was in a group today that drew a cake (I was the designated drawing dude because I rock hard with a dry erase pen) that represented all the elements of the community (business, education, philanthopic, all that jazz) that displayed the arts as the "icing on the cake." I gulped thinking that the arts were simply the icing on the cake, but the perception in the room was that the cake (the whole) is pretty boring without icing. So I drew and accept that all learning costs something, despite that fact that in this case it might have been a tiny bit of my soul.
But I stray, which is kind of how the day has gone. Focused straying. We are attempting to do months of work in two days. This means short bursts of activity on lots of little tasks. It also means that there isn't much time to dwell. Which isn't a bad thing really.
The most productive moments of the day have been those when participants have been forced to make quick choices. Many people don't understand what to do when a clock is ticking. Mistakes have been made in these situations, and people have had to admit they screwed up. But, you know what? The world didn't stop, and we got a hell of a lot accomplished today.
This is an important point: when we didn't over process and simply act on the sheer force of will, we got things done.
I think mistakes were made with this summit, don't get me wrong. The vetting process of who is and isn't here might have been done better. Donors and arts adminstrators who have their heads up donors asses trying to titilate and impress might not be the most honest participants in this type of an excercise (and they is a little bit of heads up asses drifting around, though I'm happy to say, not much). But the point is, it's happening.
This thing is not THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION. Do I think we come up with the ULTIMATE SOLUTION by 5 PM on Thursday? Hells no. Wally Mason form the Haggerty Museum said a very important thing early in the day that I think is where we should be thinking of ending. He talked about ending these discussions with question marks, not periods.
Now, I'm all for the question marks if they are tangible question marks. Neil Hoffman from MIAD was at my dinner table tonight. The dinner table and the bar are of course where the real work of these things gets done, right? In any event, he put it this way: One day you say, "I'm gonna eat this elephant in front of me. How do I do it?" His answer was you say to one person, "What part of the elephant are you going to eat?" Then you say to another person, "And what part are you going to eat?" Before you know it, the elephant is gone.
I will be disenchanted by this experience if we don't ask how to eat our own elephant by the end of the day tomorrow. If we talk about all this creative community chatter and then walk away with no tasks, we're weak. Really weak.
I want someone to say to me at the end of tomorrow, "What are you going to do?" I can tell you right now, I'll respond with something tangible when I finally get that question. And if I don't, you better believe I'll start asking it myself.
After a day at MKE Kre8 Kamp, before dinner...
More later, but for now, a few thoughts.
1. Not much artist representation here. Okay, barely any. Ug. I'm calling myself an artist today for the purposes of being an "artist" voice at the table.
2. So far, many of the same questions are being asked that have been asked at many similar meetings I've been to in the past. So far, there are not many new ideas floating around. So far there is a general, "Things are bad, we should do something attitude."
3. Social media is where it's at. We either get with it, or are rolled over by the train that is coming.
4. Chaos is needed. That's an important point that has been percolating today.
5. Things will not happen ever until one person, just one person, says, "Fuck it, let's do this thing."
6. I have had too much coffee to drink and too little peeing to follow that up.
So, I will pee, eat something and then synthesize more thoughts tonight. Tune in.
1. Not much artist representation here. Okay, barely any. Ug. I'm calling myself an artist today for the purposes of being an "artist" voice at the table.
2. So far, many of the same questions are being asked that have been asked at many similar meetings I've been to in the past. So far, there are not many new ideas floating around. So far there is a general, "Things are bad, we should do something attitude."
3. Social media is where it's at. We either get with it, or are rolled over by the train that is coming.
4. Chaos is needed. That's an important point that has been percolating today.
5. Things will not happen ever until one person, just one person, says, "Fuck it, let's do this thing."
6. I have had too much coffee to drink and too little peeing to follow that up.
So, I will pee, eat something and then synthesize more thoughts tonight. Tune in.
Creative Community Summit--I'm here.
I arrived at the Creative Community Summit moments ago. Must get coffee! Must get coffee!
Very nervous thus far. Middle aged white male that I am, I have only run into other middle aged white males. Let's hope for something dynamic on the continental breakfast line.
Updates throughout. Promise.
Very nervous thus far. Middle aged white male that I am, I have only run into other middle aged white males. Let's hope for something dynamic on the continental breakfast line.
Updates throughout. Promise.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Madison Rep? What up?
Anybody know if Madison Rep raised $50K by Sunday? Are the doors closing permanently? What up? I'm searching for answers and can't get them. If you know, let me know, and I'll post.
Twittering at the Creative Community Summit
I'll be going to the GMC's Creative Community Summit tomorrow and Thursday. I'll post short updates when I can during the day, and hopefully do longer notes after each evening's sessions. Looking forward to sharing my experiences with you all.
But, the GMC is eager for everyone to hear what's going on in many different ways. To that end, you can follow their Tweets during our two-day summit. Here's info on how to do that:
But, the GMC is eager for everyone to hear what's going on in many different ways. To that end, you can follow their Tweets during our two-day summit. Here's info on how to do that:
MKEKre8Kamp 2009:
Building a Thriving Creative Community in the Milwaukee Region.
Many cities have recognized the value of having a creative economy. Toronto, San Antonio and Philadelphia all have implemented plans to shore up their cultural assets and have strong community-led initiatives spearheading the effort. The Milwaukee region needs the same: an action plan to build our creative economy into a sustainable, distinguished and defining regional asset.
We don't have to blaze a new trail. Best practices are out there. We can learn from successes and mistakes of others. But we do have to start now.
That is the reason for this MKEKre8Kamp 2009, a creative community summit that will culminate in a vision and road map for building a thriving creative community; one that retains and attracts talent and business while improving our region's quality of life.
MKEKre8Kamp-an intensive strategic action initiative-will involve not just policymakers, creative individuals, foundation leaders, leaders of arts and culture organizations, but leaders of the creative economy. We will involve representatives of industry-our technology-driven manufacturing leaders, as well as industries like advertising, product and industrial design, TV and radio, and architecture.
One of our tasks will be to study other regions that have vibrant and successful cultural sectors and creative economies to understand their public/private funding models and their infrastructure. Another task-during the creative summit and beyond-will be to convene conversations that explore potential for strategic alliances and shared resources in order to increase efficiency within the sector.
We intend to immediately implement an action agenda that will move this forward quickly and ensure ownership of building a dynamic, creative community.
As we go through this process we would like to involve you! Though sessions like this are typically closed to everyone except direct participants, we're opening it to our community beginning on Tuesday, February 4. We will do so through this blog and (when we can) through Twitter @MKEKre8Kamp.
Click on the link above or go to: http://twitter.com/MKEKre8Kamp and read the info. There is a link at the bottom of every article if you’d like to add a comment.
We encourage your participation ! Feel free to share this information with others.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Contrary to popular belief, I am contrary
If I want to advocate to an end to bailouts for the arts, and then say, "Arts groups should take the current bailout being offered," I can do that, by gum.
First of all, the ball is rolling down hill. Trying to push it uphill at this point is a simple waste of time. If the money is offered, take it.
I'll admit, I'm trying to have my cake and eat it, too. I want the cycle of bailing to end, but I'll be damned if I can say that it makes sense to leave any money on the table.
Noam Chomsky was once attacked for having a computer and other stuff while railing against establishment and its reliance on stuff. He responded in some Chomsky like way by saying, "What good is it going to do if I don't have a computer?"
What good is it going to do if the stimulus package is including additional arts funding and arts groups say, "No thanks. We're full."
Take the money if it's there to be had. Just don't fuck up.
First of all, the ball is rolling down hill. Trying to push it uphill at this point is a simple waste of time. If the money is offered, take it.
I'll admit, I'm trying to have my cake and eat it, too. I want the cycle of bailing to end, but I'll be damned if I can say that it makes sense to leave any money on the table.
Noam Chomsky was once attacked for having a computer and other stuff while railing against establishment and its reliance on stuff. He responded in some Chomsky like way by saying, "What good is it going to do if I don't have a computer?"
What good is it going to do if the stimulus package is including additional arts funding and arts groups say, "No thanks. We're full."
Take the money if it's there to be had. Just don't fuck up.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
You do not cross my Jersey girl wife
Okay, great Superbowl. Really great.
However, for my wife, the highlight was Bruce.
It's all about Bruce for Paula. She longed to be the lady in the front row right around Bruce's crotch for the 12 minutes he was rocking at the half time show this year.
We had one guest this year for the Superbowl who at one point told me, "Sarah Palin--I think she's great!" So, when the mention of Bruce's performance came up moments before half-time, this guest said something similarly dim like, "Isn't that Bruce Springsteen ultra liberal."
She was sitting in a room full of ultra liberals. She had just eaten our chili. And no one gets between my wife and her Bruce.
I can say that our guest was gently admonished by the whole room. And she may not have even felt it, but I made sure she didn't get a third cookie for dessert.
Bruce rocked. See?
However, for my wife, the highlight was Bruce.
It's all about Bruce for Paula. She longed to be the lady in the front row right around Bruce's crotch for the 12 minutes he was rocking at the half time show this year.
We had one guest this year for the Superbowl who at one point told me, "Sarah Palin--I think she's great!" So, when the mention of Bruce's performance came up moments before half-time, this guest said something similarly dim like, "Isn't that Bruce Springsteen ultra liberal."
She was sitting in a room full of ultra liberals. She had just eaten our chili. And no one gets between my wife and her Bruce.
I can say that our guest was gently admonished by the whole room. And she may not have even felt it, but I made sure she didn't get a third cookie for dessert.
Bruce rocked. See?
Bacon Explosion...feh.
I like bacon. Very much. Tonight my friend Sam made the much talked about Bacon Explosion (read the NYTimes January 28 article). Here's a picture of what it looks like.
The verdict. Aggressive. Salty. Too much.
A rare day in my bacon loving life when I can't finish a second piece. My heart is thanking me right now.
The verdict. Aggressive. Salty. Too much.
A rare day in my bacon loving life when I can't finish a second piece. My heart is thanking me right now.
Two ways you can make me more decidely middle class
I don't need much. But, you know you need to buy my book coming out April 6.
You also know that you need to buy one, seven or 300 brand new Canon digital cameras.
I am an Amazon.com Affiliate. That means is you click through those above images, or the ones I always have on the sidebar of my blog, I get a kickback. It costs you NOTHING more than your purchase price. Do like friends of mine in Delaware did (Republicans, even---the smart, nice ones) and use my link to do all of your Christmas shopping and ordering for your business. They still get there stuff from Amazon in all those nice Amazon boxes, and I get a check. This is win-win people.
Thanks for your patronage of Amazon and our collective ability to drive away all the local small businesses of the world. Okay, I feel a little dirty, but Amazon is still kind of cool.
You also know that you need to buy one, seven or 300 brand new Canon digital cameras.
I am an Amazon.com Affiliate. That means is you click through those above images, or the ones I always have on the sidebar of my blog, I get a kickback. It costs you NOTHING more than your purchase price. Do like friends of mine in Delaware did (Republicans, even---the smart, nice ones) and use my link to do all of your Christmas shopping and ordering for your business. They still get there stuff from Amazon in all those nice Amazon boxes, and I get a check. This is win-win people.
Thanks for your patronage of Amazon and our collective ability to drive away all the local small businesses of the world. Okay, I feel a little dirty, but Amazon is still kind of cool.
Help a Milwaukee Rep employee have her wedding in the Titanic exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum!
An attractive couple, no? An attractive couple, yes. They will soon get married. Let's hope these good looking people breed fruitfully.
The lady is Melissa Vartanian and her beau is Vache Mikaelian. She is the production manager at Milwaukee Rep, and not a wealthy woman (I'm guessing...I worked on the administrative staff at Milwaukee Rep for several years, and though I had a grand time, I didn't walk out on payday with a wheelbarrow of cash).
Melissa and Vache are participating in this:
The Morning Blend is that show that is basically a big advertorial starring the perky duo of Molly Fay & Alison de Castro. They are having a contest to offer one fine couple a wedding paid for by the show at the Titanic exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum. This is a better idea than taking a three-year-old through the exhibit only to find at the end that the passenger you have been following through the exhibit as your stand-in on the Titanic died in the icy waters f the North Atlantic (many eyes looked at me as Carmela screamed, "Daddy didn't make it!").
You have one more day (today, February 1) to vote for Melissa and Vache. They are very deserving for no other reason than Melissa's great grandfather was a Titanic survivor. It only takes a second to vote, and I'm sure Melissa and Vache would be greatful (though don't expect an invite to the wedding, cuz that would just be creepy.)
Go to The Morning Blend now and vote!
Everybody deserves a little of that bailout money, even artists
I'll start by taking the unpopular artist position of saying, "I don't really think we deserve a bailout." Let's face it, the way things work right now, most arts groups work on a constant bailout system. We produce work that never supports itself and ask businesses, foundations and individuals to make up the difference for our desire to operate on a model of business that aspires for a 50/50 ratio of earned to unearned income. Come on. Does that seem like an ultimate recipe for disaster to anyone else?
And I'm not going to be shy about saying that it doesn't work. I'll even not be shy about noting that the much admired Milwaukee Shakespeare that was Artistic Directed very well by my wife rapidly when out of business when their "makeup fund" called The Argosy Foundation took some huge hits in the stock market. About 75% of Milwaukee Shakespeare was funded by Argosy, a situation that was the envy of some, and a great source of anxiety around my home. The simple economics of the situation didn't make sense ever--there was no way that Milwaukee Shakespeare would ever easily get that yoke off of its neck. That yoke being a very generous donor organization publicly profiled by the very public lover of art named Chris Abele. In that situation, the donor had all the power. I'm not into one side having so much power. I share. If you're every having lunch with me, I'll be happy to let you have half of my meatball hero.
And that's the heart of why I think bailouts are bad. It's a bad share of power for one end (the bailout giver) and it offers the bailout-ee the chance to continue fucking up with an infusion of cash. I can say from first hand knowledge that having someone pay your bills for you when you're strapped with no hard commitment for a payback is not a good idea. I was a bad business person in that respect when I ran my own theater company and the benificient Chris Abele and Argosy came to our rescue more than once. But it really never taught us great lessons. It also took me a long time to realize the benefits of spare living after too many well-intentioned bailouts by my ever-loving parents.
So, yeah, to me this whole national bailout thing reeks of a bad idea for the long term. I prefer to think of it as the National Enabling.
But, soon, more cash is going to be funneled into the system. And it must. Good God, I can't stand the number of "Final Sale-Going out of business!" signs I see popping up here, there and everywhere.
So, if we as a nation are going to get some cash to help fix the economy (such a better idea actually than Bush saying something like "here's an income tax refund, go buy a new DVD player") then artists deserve some of that emotionally wounding money, too.
The current measure that has gotten through the House and is on to the Senate this week has $50 million set aside for the arts. This money would basically go to state governments through increases to the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe not as direct support as could really start a bonfire of artsy initiatives, but we'd be fools to imagine that a guy with an American eagle lapel pin would be walking around looking for men and women wearing black turtle necks and reading Brecht poems to hand them $100 bills (though the thought pleases me greatly).
This is why I'm suggesting you write your Senator immediately to urge them to support the arts getting some of this dirty feeling money. The bill will be hacked up in the Senate, no doubt, but I don't even think the Heritage Foundation can stop the arts getting some of this bailout money.
A quick way to do that is to visit The American for the Arts website and fill out their "letter to your public official" template. They've created all the language, and you can even personalize your message. It's easy, and The American for the Arts website is interesting to consider. Lots of good legislative shit their for wonk heads like you and me.
Go suck on the teat some more. It makes sense, even though it doesn't address fully fixing the bigger problem: A NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS FOR ALL ARTS INSTITUTIONS. (Like I have an answers for that one!)
And I'm not going to be shy about saying that it doesn't work. I'll even not be shy about noting that the much admired Milwaukee Shakespeare that was Artistic Directed very well by my wife rapidly when out of business when their "makeup fund" called The Argosy Foundation took some huge hits in the stock market. About 75% of Milwaukee Shakespeare was funded by Argosy, a situation that was the envy of some, and a great source of anxiety around my home. The simple economics of the situation didn't make sense ever--there was no way that Milwaukee Shakespeare would ever easily get that yoke off of its neck. That yoke being a very generous donor organization publicly profiled by the very public lover of art named Chris Abele. In that situation, the donor had all the power. I'm not into one side having so much power. I share. If you're every having lunch with me, I'll be happy to let you have half of my meatball hero.
And that's the heart of why I think bailouts are bad. It's a bad share of power for one end (the bailout giver) and it offers the bailout-ee the chance to continue fucking up with an infusion of cash. I can say from first hand knowledge that having someone pay your bills for you when you're strapped with no hard commitment for a payback is not a good idea. I was a bad business person in that respect when I ran my own theater company and the benificient Chris Abele and Argosy came to our rescue more than once. But it really never taught us great lessons. It also took me a long time to realize the benefits of spare living after too many well-intentioned bailouts by my ever-loving parents.
So, yeah, to me this whole national bailout thing reeks of a bad idea for the long term. I prefer to think of it as the National Enabling.
But, soon, more cash is going to be funneled into the system. And it must. Good God, I can't stand the number of "Final Sale-Going out of business!" signs I see popping up here, there and everywhere.
So, if we as a nation are going to get some cash to help fix the economy (such a better idea actually than Bush saying something like "here's an income tax refund, go buy a new DVD player") then artists deserve some of that emotionally wounding money, too.
The current measure that has gotten through the House and is on to the Senate this week has $50 million set aside for the arts. This money would basically go to state governments through increases to the National Endowment for the Arts. Maybe not as direct support as could really start a bonfire of artsy initiatives, but we'd be fools to imagine that a guy with an American eagle lapel pin would be walking around looking for men and women wearing black turtle necks and reading Brecht poems to hand them $100 bills (though the thought pleases me greatly).
This is why I'm suggesting you write your Senator immediately to urge them to support the arts getting some of this dirty feeling money. The bill will be hacked up in the Senate, no doubt, but I don't even think the Heritage Foundation can stop the arts getting some of this bailout money.
A quick way to do that is to visit The American for the Arts website and fill out their "letter to your public official" template. They've created all the language, and you can even personalize your message. It's easy, and The American for the Arts website is interesting to consider. Lots of good legislative shit their for wonk heads like you and me.
Go suck on the teat some more. It makes sense, even though it doesn't address fully fixing the bigger problem: A NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS FOR ALL ARTS INSTITUTIONS. (Like I have an answers for that one!)
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