Help strengthen the Culture of Democracy

[iam at lists.artsandmedia.net]

Dear Friend of Independent Arts & Media; 

2005 was a year of blockbusters gone wrong. Hurricane Katrina smashed our illusions of bureaucratic accountability and preparedness. Pork-barrel boondoggles and the politics of fear have destroyed our hopes for the post-9/11 Beltway establishment. And 12 solid months of Hollywood hucksterism have left us starved for real culture, real news and real dialog. 

Had enough? We have too. 

Independent Arts & Media (<http://artsandmedia.net/>) is our solution. 

In a time when Big Business, Big Media and Big Government are coming up short, IAM serves as a nonprofit umbrella agency that produces, curates, and supports independent outlets for news, cultural expression, civil dialog and civic participation. 

Our programs offer a blueprint for more accountable, more responsible and more accessible outlets for cultural expression and democratic participation. We are building them into models of success for similar programs around the United States: 

	THE EXPO FOR THE ARTIST & MUSICIAN
	<http://artsandmedia.net/expo/>
	The Expo is the Bay Area's only grassroots connection fair
	for independent music, arts and culture. 2005 was our sixth
	anniversary, and our biggest and best to date. In 2006 
	we're looking to debut new workshops and programs for 
	the whole community!

	NEWSDESK.ORG 
	<http://newsdesk.org/>
	Newsdesk.org is a nonpartisan, commercial-free news site
	covering Environment, Public Health, Labor & Economy, 
	and Civics & Society. Newsdesk.org also publishes the free
	email newsletter News You Might Have Missed, and has 
	pioneered coverage of biotech agriculture, the energy 
	industry and more. 

	THE DIALOG & IDEAS FORUM
	<http://artsandmedia.net/dialog/>
	Americans are starved for open, public discourse and fresh
	perspectives on urgent issues. Events we've produced 
	include "Nonviolence & Social Change," "Press Credibility and
	the 2004 Elections," and the Lunchtime Liberties workshop
	series on civil rights.  

Your tax-deductible donation will directly fund these programs, and help us strengthen free expression, freedom of information and the culture of democracy:

	<https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695>

We'd also be grateful if you were to forward this email to your friends, family and co-workers. 

Stay tuned for updates throughout 2006 on all of our big plans -- and thanks again for your generous support as we do the hard work of making these dreams come true. 

Sincerely,

The IAM Board, Staff & Advisers: Jen Anderson, Ted Dively, Kari Gray, Molly Merson, Amy Metzendorf, Virgil Ward Porter, Adam Myers, John Wilner, Josh Wilson

p.s. If you are unable to support us financially right now, you can also make a donation of materials or time. Please check out our wishlist for details: 

	<http://www.artsandmedia.net/cgi-bin/dc/iam/pages/wishlist>