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<TITLE>truth, beauty, freedom and money</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Verdana"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:9.0px'>Regarding art and support, a few years ago I directed a research project on “technology-based art and the dynamics of sustainability” for Leonardo journal with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. This isn’t what I usually do but I just came out of 8 years of support as an artist in a research lab (Interval) preceded by a dozen years as a sometimes struggling but strictly independent media artist. I spent a year traveling and listening, and proposed a new model. [ <FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><U><a href="http://www.artslab.net">http://www.artslab.net</a></U></FONT> ]<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Verdana"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:9.0px'>What I found was that there are 5 different, sometimes overlapping, means by which tech-based artists and related institutions survive financially:<BR>
- they can sell their art directly to collectors (large and small), museums, or other public space venues;<BR>
- they can rely on not-for-profit government or foundation grants;<BR>
- they can sell PR sponsorship (“eyeballs”) to advertisers;<BR>
- they can license IP (copyrights or patents) generally to corporations;<BR>
- they can keep their art financially off-grid by having a “day job.”<BR>
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I’ve now had a chance to poll audiences in art/tech venues on their personal preferences, i.e., which means are most ideal and which are most objectionable, four times (Linz, NYC, SF, Banff), each with audiences of 50-150. Each time, for each of the 10 questions, at least one person raised their hand.<BR>
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So for every artist unwilling to sell their work, there’s another unwilling to live off grants. And for every artist teaching or being a sysadmin by choice, another is seeking sponsorship from Hermes or placing Google ads on their blog. And for every artist tackling research problems who refuse to engage with Sony, Intel, or Siemens (which might be spending millions on the same problem and getting nowhere), another is embracing Creative Commons and Science Commons as acceptable ways for dealing with IP.<BR>
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Do any of these means of support produce better art? Search as I might, I haven’t found any. <BR>
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Cheers,<BR>
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-M<BR>
<FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><U><a href="http://www.naimark.net">http://www.naimark.net</a></U></FONT></SPAN></FONT>
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