From iam at lists.artsandmedia.net Mon Apr 3 14:05:05 2006 From: iam at lists.artsandmedia.net (iam@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Mon Apr 3 14:18:05 2006 Subject: Please Support the Arts Task Force recommendations - due April 10 In-Reply-To: <50e356620604031316v2678662fya6d27b565c6b2113@mail.gmail.com> References: <50e356620604031316v2678662fya6d27b565c6b2113@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <50e356620604031405x63fec19bg1c42b71b5fbe9ee2@mail.gmail.com> Independent Arts & Media is working with a public task force created to make recommendations around the arts and its future in San Francisco. The final recommendations go before the Board of Supervisors on April 10th, 2006. I have attached a sample endorsement letter for you to consider. The Task Force would really appreciate it if you and your organization could send an endorsement letter to the mayor or your Supervisor, if appropriate. Once they are approved, we can start working on implementing specific recommendations. These are also an on-line and a printable petition for you to circulate. Here is some more information about the recommendations: What is the SF Arts Task Force? The San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Mayor created the Arts Task Force to review city arts policies. From April 2005-Feburary 2006, twenty artists and representatives from a wide variety of arts organizations met with ten representatives of the city's arts agencies to work together to identify ways in which the city can better support the arts and ways in which the arts can better support San Francisco. What did the Task Force find out? The Task Force concluded that a lot of terrific city programs need to be better funded and better supported. With better coordination, greater accountability and new programs to address gaps, the city can better serve artists and use the arts to positively impact a wide range of issues important to everyone in San Francisco from economic growth to education, from healthcare to housing. What are the Task Force's main recommendations? The Task Force has published a report detailing its findings and recommendations. You can read it on line at: www.sfartscommission.org/programs/arts_task_force.htm You can also get a printed copy from the Mayor's office, your Supervisor and the SF Art Commission. Some of the main recommendations include: ? Restoring millions of dollars in funding from the Hotel Tax Fund that is supposed to be allocated to the arts, but that has, for the past several years, been siphoned away to the city's General Fund instead. This money would bolster current grant programs that work and allow for the creation and support of new programs, too. ? Creating programs to support neighborhood arts and cultural centers that reflect San Francisco's diversity. ? Restructuring the city's uncoordinated arts agencies into one Department of Arts and Culture to fight effectively for arts funding and advocate for the interests of artists. ? Establishing an Arts Planning Council to advocate for the arts, advise the city on arts infrastructure issues and represent the long-term interests of the people of San Francisco who care about the arts. Is all this really possible? The Task Force recommendations were overwhelmingly supported by group's voting members after months of discussion, public input and an analysis of how the arts make a city worth living in SF and around the country. The Task Force learned that many individual SF artists simply want help from the city in finding insurance, or getting permits for their events. Many organizations want help to create new performance spaces or to raise money to support existing spaces and programs. Many others just want to know that there is strong, accountable leadership at City Hall standing up for artists and the positive things a vital arts climate brings to a place like San Francisco. What can you do to support the recommendations? ? SIGN a petition to show the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor that you support the Arts Task Force recommendations. A petition is attached for you to print out and circulate. You can sign an online petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/arts06sf/petition.html ? CONTACT your supervisor and Mayor Newsom, tell them how important a solid, thoughtful and well funded approach to supporting the arts in San Francisco is to you. A sample endorsement letter is also attached. ? GO in person to City Hall on April 10th to show your support as the Arts Task Force officially presents its report to the Board of Supervisor. The recommendations are expected to be an agenda item at about 4pm. ? SPREAD THE WORD that the arts benefit everyone, not just artists. Circulate the printed report and petition at work, school, your local record store or coffee shop. When we say "YES!" to the arts, we are saying "Yes," to art in schools, "Yes," to arts for the elderly, "Yes," to arts in our neighborhoods, "Yes," to arts as a bridge for cultural understanding, "Yes," we are organized, "Yes," we contribute to the economy, and "YES!" we as a community understand and are fully aware of our contributions and the ripple effects both socially and economically that the arts provide to the City of San Francisco. Thanks for your support! Please contact me if you have any questions or comments. Contact your supervisor: Jake McGoldrick District 1 (415) 554-7410 Jake.McGoldrick@sfgov.org Michela Alioto-Pier District 2 (415) 554-7752 Michela.Alioto-Pier@sfgov.org Aaron Peskin - Board President District 3 (415) 554-7450 Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org Fiona Ma District 4 (415) 554-7460 Fiona.Ma@sfgov.org Ross Mirkarimi District 5 (415) 554-7630 Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org Chris Daly District 6 (415) 554-7970 Chris.Daly@sfgov.org Sean Elsbernd District 7 (415) 554-6516 Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org Bevan Dufty District 8 (415) 554-6968 Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org Tom Ammiano District 9 (415) 554-5144 Tom.Ammiano@sfgov.org Sophie Maxwell District 10 (415) 554-7670 Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org Gerardo Sandoval District 11 (415) 554-6975 Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org -- Kari Gray Independent Arts & Media 415-861-5302 415-786-9935 cel 509-756-4078 fax www.artsandmedia.net -- Kari Gray Independent Arts & Media 415-861-5302 415-786-9935 cel 509-756-4078 fax www.artsandmedia.net -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SF_ATF_petition.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 90334 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://gdc.groupd.com/pipermail/iam/attachments/20060403/b849efd9/SF_ATF_petition-0001.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ATF_support_letter_template.doc Type: application/msword Size: 38400 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://gdc.groupd.com/pipermail/iam/attachments/20060403/b849efd9/ATF_support_letter_template-0001.doc From iam at lists.artsandmedia.net Fri Apr 7 14:03:26 2006 From: iam at lists.artsandmedia.net (iam@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Fri Apr 7 15:03:22 2006 Subject: April 9: "You Can't Stop the Music"; April 12: "Black Exodus/Black Evictions" Message-ID: Independent Arts & Media is pleased to announce two upcoming events in San Francisco that directly support our mission to advance free expression, freedom of information and the culture of democracy. Please spread the word -- and thanks for supporting independent culture & community! Best The IAM Staff & Volunteers http://artsandmedia.net - - - - - - - - - 1) Coming up next Wednesday, April 12 Shaping San Francisco's Spring Talks 2006 "Black Exodus, Black Evictions" 1310 Mission St., 8:00 p.m. FREE Featuring: Kevin Epps ("Straight Outta Hunters Point"), Willie Ratcliffe (San Francisco Bay View) and more. http://artsandmedia.net/cgi-bin/dc/iam/2006/spring_talks **IAM will record this event for podcasting** 2) Coming up this SUNDAY, April 9: Expo for the Artist & Musician & Lilycat.com present: YOU CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC -- Ways to get your music moving *** A D.I.Y. Music Panel, Q&A and Swap Meet! *** http://artsandmedia.net/cgi-bin/dc/iam/2006/03/DIY_music Hosted by Independent Arts & Media and Lilycat.com Sunday April 9th 7:00-9:00 pm-ish Edinburgh Castle 950 Geary (between Polk and Larkin) San Francisco $3-5 (No one turned away due to lack of funds) You have that band put together, some songs that you think rock, and even the merch; now you need to get your music into peoples' ears! This isn't just another industry panel discussion on how to Make It Big -- come on down to hear true tales of local music travail and triumph, and share a few of your own! ** Bring your demos and concert flyers to swap and pass along to those who need to know! This panel of real people from record labels, radio stations, venues, bands and more will be talking about such things as: - Press kits - Demos - Best way to approach festivals, radio stations, labels... - Booking venues - Publicity - Touring - Dos and don'ts ** The panel will be largely Q&A from the audience. Gain knowledge and swap stories with all these local luminaries, and more! - Jesse Townley of Alternative Tentacles & 924 Gilman - Gun and Doll Show front man Killian MacGeraghty - Music reviewer & event-producer DJ Pusspuss - Jocelyn Kane (Motogirl Production, SF Ent. Commission) - Recording artist Charlotte Summer - San Francisco underground-art jack of all trades Li'l Mike Martzke... - OTHERS TBA This educational opportunity will be at a kick back places with the best ale and fish & chips in town; the meet-and-greet will be running though the whole event, so don't forget your schwag! FOR MORE INFO: http://artsandmedia.net http://www.lilycat.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://gdc.groupd.com/pipermail/iam/attachments/20060407/b326bce5/attachment.html From iam at lists.artsandmedia.net Fri Apr 7 16:57:39 2006 From: iam at lists.artsandmedia.net (iam@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Fri Apr 7 17:24:50 2006 Subject: April 9: "You Can't Stop the Music"; April 12: "Black Exodus/Black Evictions" Message-ID: Independent Arts & Media is pleased to announce two upcoming events in San Francisco that directly support our mission to advance free expression, freedom of information and the culture of democracy. Please spread the word -- and thanks for supporting independent culture & community! Best The IAM Staff & Volunteers http://artsandmedia.net - - - - - - - - - 1) Coming up next Wednesday, April 12 Shaping San Francisco's Spring Talks 2006 "Black Exodus, Black Evictions" 1310 Mission St., 8:00 p.m. FREE Featuring: Kevin Epps ("Straight Outta Hunters Point"), Willie Ratcliffe (San Francisco Bay View) and more. http://artsandmedia.net/cgi-bin/dc/iam/2006/spring_talks **IAM will record this event for podcasting** 2) Coming up this SUNDAY, April 9: Expo for the Artist & Musician & Lilycat.com present: YOU CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC -- Ways to get your music moving *** A D.I.Y. Music Panel, Q&A and Swap Meet! *** http://artsandmedia.net/cgi-bin/dc/iam/2006/03/DIY_music Hosted by Independent Arts & Media and Lilycat.com Sunday April 9th 7:00-9:00 pm-ish Edinburgh Castle 950 Geary (between Polk and Larkin) San Francisco $3-5 (No one turned away due to lack of funds) You have that band put together, some songs that you think rock, and even the merch; now you need to get your music into peoples' ears! This isn't just another industry panel discussion on how to Make It Big -- come on down to hear true tales of local music travail and triumph, and share a few of your own! ** Bring your demos and concert flyers to swap and pass along to those who need to know! This panel of real people from record labels, radio stations, venues, bands and more will be talking about such things as: - Press kits - Demos - Best way to approach festivals, radio stations, labels... - Booking venues - Publicity - Touring - Dos and don'ts ** The panel will be largely Q&A from the audience. Gain knowledge and swap stories with all these local luminaries, and more! - Jesse Townley of Alternative Tentacles & 924 Gilman - Gun and Doll Show front man Killian MacGeraghty - Music reviewer & event-producer DJ Pusspuss - Jocelyn Kane (Motogirl Production, SF Ent. Commission) - Recording artist Charlotte Summer - San Francisco underground-art jack of all trades Li'l Mike Martzke... - OTHERS TBA This educational opportunity will be at a kick back places with the best ale and fish & chips in town; the meet-and-greet will be running though the whole event, so don't forget your schwag! FOR MORE INFO: http://artsandmedia.net http://www.lilycat.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://gdc.groupd.com/pipermail/iam/attachments/20060407/47927917/attachment.html From iam at lists.artsandmedia.net Tue Apr 18 10:41:45 2006 From: iam at lists.artsandmedia.net (iam@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Tue Apr 18 10:54:03 2006 Subject: News From Indpendent Arts & Media Message-ID: <50e356620604181041x32f89bb8yfb2cf0234bcee8b0@mail.gmail.com> Dear Friends; In May 2005, I was at the National Media Reform Conference in St. Louis to present a Ford Foundation-sponsored report I had just completed. The report called for supporting local media workers and advocates to create a national coalition to increase access to media and improve media content. During the three-day event, I spent a lot of time listening to panel discussions of the problems of media consolidation. I also met some terrific people from North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and other places all over the U.S. who are doing amazing work every day to make their voices heard. These one-on-one conversations inspired and motivated me. Unfortunately, the panels did not. So much talking, so few practical suggestions. Frustrated, I walked out of Amy Goodman's presentation and ran into Josh Wilson, handing out flyers for Newsdesk.org, a project of Independent Arts & Media. Instead of sitting in the big conference room listening to the problem, he was inviting people to be part of the solution. I was delighted to see him representing Independent Arts & Media at the event. For me, IAM is a model of true media reform and arts advocacy, because it focuses on people putting ideas into action: -- Instead of sitting around complaining about a lack of services and support for local artists, IAM board member Adam Myers helped bring together the Bay Area creative community to co-found the Expo for the Artist & Musician. -- Shocked by the media inattention to core issues behind September 11, IAM volunteer Jen Anderson (who later became Executive Director) started News You Might Have Missed, a weekly email newsletter summarizing important but overlooked news from around the worlds. -- Instead of battling media lobbyists over commercial news reform, Josh created the commercial-free news service Newsdesk.org. I was already an IAM donor and volunteer, and was thrilled to join their advisory board in May 2005 to help to promote and support these vital programs. When Jen stepped down as Executive Director in January, I offered to become the Acting Executive Director. I am eager to work with Josh, Adam, Jen and the rest of the IAM board and volunteers. This is an exciting time for us. The Zellerbach Foundation and Theatre Bay Area have provided a consultant, Ellen Sebastian Chang, to help with our organizational development. IAM is also expanding its Board of Directors to increase resources and represent the wide range of artists and media workers we serve. The 7th annual Expo is coming up on September 16 at SomArts in San Francisco. Newsdesk.org's Web traffic is growing at a record pace -- enrolling more subscribers and receiving more "hits" than ever. IAM programs are very successful, but not yet financially sustainable. IAM doesn't wait for media reform; we create our own media. We don't wait for charitable foundations to put these important concerns on their agenda; we draw our strength directly from the communities we serve. You, too, can be part of the solution. Support grassroots, independent arts and media by donating your time and money to Independent Arts & Media. Your contributions will go directly to Newsdesk.org, News You Might Have Missed, the Expo for the Artist & Musician, dialog and discussion events, D.I.Y. workshops for independent artists and media workers, and much more. To volunteer, contact me at kari.gray@artsandmedia.net. To contribute financially, you can make a tax-deductible donation online or by mail: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695 Independent Arts & Media PMB 821 601 Van Ness Ave., Ste. E San Francisco, CA 94102 I look forward to working with you. Please contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions. Best regards, Kari Gray Acting Executive Director Independent Arts & Media www.artsandmedia.net (415) 861-5302 w (415) 786-9935 cel Stay Up to Date on IAM Programs! -IAM General Info http://lists.artsandmedia.net/mailman/listinfo/iam -Newsdesk.org/News You MIght Have Missed http://lists.artsandmedia.net/mailman/listinfo/nymhm -Expo for the Artist & Musician http://lists.artsandmedia.net/mailman/listinfo/expo From iam at lists.artsandmedia.net Wed Apr 26 13:32:02 2006 From: iam at lists.artsandmedia.net (iam@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Wed Apr 26 13:37:06 2006 Subject: Spring Talks TONIGHT, Apr. 26: "Reclaiming Bay Area Military Bases" Message-ID: Greetings! Since January, Independent Arts & Media has been supporting Shaping San Francisco's Spring Talks 2006 series, a program that's remarkable not only for its thought-provoking topics and consistently high audience turnout, but also the amazing dialog that follows each presentation. Breaking down the "panelist/audience" barrier is one of Shaping San Francisco's priorities, and it's one we share at Independent Arts & Media. We're honored to support this event and hope to see you there tonight. - - - - - - - - - - Shaping San Francisco's Spring Talks 2006 Presents: "Reclaiming Bay Area Military Bases" TONIGHT, Wednesday, April 26 8:00 p.m., CounterPulse, 1310 Mission St. x 9th St. FREE Featuring speakers addressing restoration and remaking the Presidio, community activists fighting over the future of Hunters Point, and restoration and permaculture activists from the Alameda Naval Air Station. Speakers: Doug Kern (Presidio), Kat Steele (Urban Permaculture Guild, Alameda), Arthur Feinstein (Alameda), and others TBA. Details & Full Schedule: Coming up: May 10 -- San Francisco's Food Revolt May 31 -- Can San Francisco Feed Itself? AND MORE ... ! Every second and last Wednesday through June, Independent Arts & Media invites you to CounterPulse for Shaping San Francisco's Spring Talks. Speakers, multimedia and round- robin audience participation open up the conversation about Bay Area issues, history and future. Spring Talks 2006 is presented by Shaping San Francisco, CounterPulse, City Lights Foundation, Nature in the City and Independent Arts & Media SUBSCRIBE to the IAM listserv: http://lists.artsandmedia.net/mailman/listinfo/iam/ VISIT us online: http://artsandmedia.net/ TELL A FRIEND Feel free to forward this email! DONATE to support the Culture of Democracy: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695