funding art

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:41 pm

a burning man funded art project has run over cost.. so i get a beg from the jack rabbit speaks..

personaly i have to leave one of my projects home for lack of time and funds.. may to brin git in 08..

my feeling are realy mixed on this.. the funded project looks like a great art work.. but to ask this late in te game for cost overrun.. i just don t know..

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:52 pm

I was pretty surprised when that JRS hit my inbox.
For the rest of us with projects we don't get the luxury of a JRS request for supplemental funding. We have to either scale back the project or postpone it until funds are available.
While both projects are notable and would certainly be nice to have on the playa....IMHO this ain't the way to get it done. Sure the Shipyard / City of Oakland battle was costly. Chicken John and Co. are very well known BM participants. And the Big Rig project is just as cool as it gets. It doesn't matter though. The question to be asked here is why were these two projects chosen from all the others that are likely running into the same issue? And why?

IMHO that JRS should have never been sent and it shows an ORG that has lost control of itself. If there was ever a sign that the ORG has some fundamental problems going on you just got it delivered into your inbox.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:10 pm

Those two were probably the ones that seem in biggest danger of not making it to the playa due to money troubles. The slug is important to the org because it's one of the centerpieces of their own art project.

I believe I've seen calls for help in JRS before. Nothing on quite this scale, however.

Token · Post by **Token** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:17 pm

As a Corporation that will likely turn over $12 million this year, has purchased significant amount of land in NV with their profits ...

How much fucking hardship is $40K?

I know, sets a bad precedent, however I think this is a reflection of the theme and should be considered an exception year, much as we will drink the cool-aide for the pavilion this year.

Maybe the BORG can bridge this as a loan, then throw a few fund raisers in the fall to recoup the costs.

Just thinking out-loud here ...

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:36 pm

Yeah, I'm kind of conflicted about it going out over the JRS.

$40K? Hell, that should be pretty damn easy. We had 40k people at BM last year. If 2000 people ponied up a yuppie food stamp, they'd be set.

I also like the loan/fundrasier later idea Token.

Badger

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 6:18 pm

\/
most people have there money layed out for the trip already.. it takes a bunch of $ to do a project and get it to the playa from all over the world..

i think the Borg should eat this one and bring it next year like the rest of us would have to..

it will give them a better experience in funding..

Token · Post by **Token** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 6:36 pm

Whatever happened to Chicken John? Is the Mechabolic not one of his redheaded step children?

I thought CJ was The Shit when it came to fund raising. At least he claims to be.

Maybe the Mayoral race has him spread too thin this year.

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 6:54 pm

Token wrote:Whatever happened to Chicken John? Is the Mechabolic not one of his redheaded step children?

I thought CJ was The Shit when it came to fund raising. At least he claims to be.

Maybe the Mayoral race has him spread too thin this year.

From the JRS....
Jim Mason - http://www.mechabolic.org - tells us:

"Logistically we are about as ok as can be expected. The time is
stressful, but we are making it, and the sculpture working very well.

Our real problem is money. This remains a much more expensive project
than we were funded for. Building a 120 foot, trash-to-fuel,
land speed racer slug scavenger continues to be, well, difficult and
expensive.

The fundraising and extra personal money I expected to put towards this
project has been extremely challenged by the shipyard vs city of
berkeley situation (http://www.theshipyard.org). Though we stopped the
city shutdown, the shipyard continues to hemmorage money. All
rent-paying citizens have had to move out, but all liabilities to the
landowner remain, as do a ton of city interventions and the associated
architects and permitting fees. This has more than consumed all the
extra resources I hoped to apply to the Mechabolic when we were planning
all this back in the naive and
saladicious days of March/April.

Deficit spending started in earnest this past week. Finishing important
details in the project, as well as sanely transporting it to and from
the desert requires us finding another $20k.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hmmmm....deficit spending? That's a workable idea...he needs to run for Congress.

Post by **mdmf007** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:25 pm

I knoew reading the descriptions of their projects that it was too ambitious and that these two projects particularly were not viable.

Seems like piss poor planning to wait until the eleventh hour and try to solicit funds.

I understand cost overruns, I also know what a commitment is - These guys boned BM, and BM should demand their funds back. Or BM should pony up the 40K, place their own project manager to each and get this done. At that point I say BM owns two more projects, and recoups losses on the backend.

Just my 2 cents.

later

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:36 pm

Huh?

All apologies, Unjon, but how would you even know whether the org is wasting fuckton money or not before they even start paying the artists? Twenty thou doesn't even cover the catering budget, methinks.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:53 am

Bob wrote:Huh?

All apologies, Unjon, but how would you even know whether the org is wasting fuckton money or not before they even start paying the artists? Twenty thou doesn't even cover the catering budget, methinks.

\/
i reread my posts.. don t think i said wasted moneys.. suggest the Borg take care of it s own over cost.. and learn a listen in funding.. being pony up the $$ or wait until next year..(put up shut up)

if this artis and crew are pulling down full wages and catered lunch.. then i call bullshit..

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:46 am

Maybe artists should pay the org based on the scale of their projects instead of the other way around. Does the org pay you to show up in camp? Does the org truck all your shit out there, and truck it away after you're gone? Do they put out emergency emails when you're a few thou over budget? When was the last time the org had its paid staff talking to the press about *your* project?

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:57 am

besides i m not looking for a disneyland.. that s what this bigger and better by the borg is gettig to be..

let them learn there listen "now".. it will help to point the way back to grass roots

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:07 pm

Well, if ActionGrl is to be believed and there's no reason why she shouldn't, these two projects are well on their way to being funded.

actiongrl wrote:Archantael, you're a piece of work.

PS Thanks to the thousands of JRS readers who have contributed to the amazing projects that Archantael so snidely refers to that have really nothing to do with the First Camp topic of this thread, btw.

Cite: http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 693#333693

I think it's amazing that these two projects blew their budget and are now getting an official bailout from the ORG without any questioning, dissent, not hardly a single chirp of resistance. Unreal. My comment about the JRS being converted into the ORG's equivalent of a Vegas slot machine....and if you know about gambling you know why the casinos are stacked with slots, then you'll get my comment. They just monetized the JRS. What in the world are they going to spring on us next? We have 2 weeks to go, there's plenty of time to do more. What's it going to be? Why not just put out a call for more money and bail out The Shipyard while we're at it. Is there anyone else that's well connected that needs money for projects? Speak up, we'll crank out a JRS for you too and we can watch the money roll in.

Post by **actiongrl** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:13 pm

Hey guys,

Well, I got a really nice note from a JRS reader who had concerns, too. It was well thought out and posed interesting points, which I appreciated a lot. I'm going to share a portion of my response to him here by way of explaining my own thoughts.

**

As you read, that's the first time we've ever done that kind of out and out fundraising request announcement for individual projects. We shared this info because we helped to fund those projects with our participants' ticket donations, and the fact that they are dangerously close to trouble without some community help (including physical contributions and material donations, not just monetary funding) struck us as close enough to "urgent community news" to be worth making the call about sharing it.

We have watched the producers of these highly ambitious projects work their tails off to pull things together (in both cases) and this opportunity to keep them from falling apart was too much to pass up for us as the editors here. It's not the norm for us... and certainly we knew that it might be edgy, but we figured it was worth the attempt in this case. We'll see how response goes, yours included.

I guess it could be argued that both artists were already receiving a "clear preference" from us if one considers that they were both already funded pieces. Mechabolic's implications (machines that eat our trash and create energy) have had us intruiged all along, and the massive ballet dance of Big Rig Jig rings positively sublime to my mind -- we're really excited about both of them in that regard. Burning Man committed specifically to helping those projects reach the finish line when it funded them with art grants, and in this case that support extends to telling as many people as possible about how they can get involved.

I think the context of what Jim has been through with the Shipyard this year (which many folks in our community heard about when that story moved through the regional network earlier this year...and already helped with by writing letters) is important to why they weren't able to raise the additional funds on their own this summer. In both cases I think the circumstances were weighed and considered pretty special, so we shared this news. So far, both projects have had an influx of help from all directions, so some folks out there were apparently eager to contribute somehow. I also hope other folks will show up this weekend to help complete these two pieces physically. They're both very ambitious, and of a scale that they can only be built with the effort of many -- part of what makes a lot of Burning Man art special, really, is that it can't be done alone.

Other art projects have used the JRS to fundraise in various ways - we've made it available for announcing projects, fundraisers, and other calls for participation; the massiveness of these two undertakings was viewed as worth the attempt and in this case, worth sharing with the JRS readers to see if they had ways to contribute.

We do offer folks a way to contribute to the arts in many issues through reminders about the Black Rock Arts Foundation, too; when we have a project we're officially very vested in such as a theme art piece or BRAF or Burners Without Borders, we are sometimes inclined to share opportunities for readers to contribute or participate. We promise we're very thoughtful with how we apply it, but we do understand what you mean when you say it can be a dicey thing to ask. We hope you'll find these two worth the audacity of the move when they come to fruition on the playa.

I'm going to pass your feedback about "duct tape" on, because it's always wise advice. I'm sure these teams are all trying to find ways to shave the costs and do the most efficient thing wherever they can. Some things, like fuel costs to get to the event, can't be done with duct tape, but we have had some other contributors come forth since I started writing you who I think are going to help drive things home with contributions.

We hope you'll stay subscribed and give us a chance to absorb your feedback as we continue to create the JRS in light of it. Again, we appreciate your thoughtful note and will take it into consideration - thank you for bringing it up and it will indeed be part of our discussion as the art department (and communications) considers the implications of this kind of art support request in the future. It's all an experiment.

Cheers,
AG

I will add that so much support has come through that these projects are well on their way back on track. It was an extreme circumstance and we used our judgment here, and donations from $10 up to $5000 have come from various corners of the world as the word got out. These are indeed some incredibly impressive projects; they also might be an opportunity to contribute to what's shaping up to be a powerful artistic dialogue about the environment, from momentous projects like these all the way to the dozens and dozens of participant projects we've heard about this year.

These guys dreamed big; we're really hoping to help make it work and hope the whole community enjoys the fruits of their teams' labor...if you don't want to or can't donate to help them, that is ok too -- you are 100% welcome to enjoy them in Black Rock City anyway.

Meanwhile, we know what we did in the JRS was unusual; we hope it turns out to have been worth taking a chance on this time.

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:16 pm

AG, you addressed the concerns I raised and I'll put the soapbox away. Having an explanation around to refer back to in the future could be quite helpful though.

Thank you.

Post by **actiongrl** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:29 pm

Just hoping to be as open as possible with information, especially about new ideas.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:43 pm

actiongrl wrote:Just hoping to be as open as possible with information, especially about new ideas.

not two days before the JRS beg.. i had to end work on my kinetic art form (a stick man pulling a ric-shaw).. yes for the lack of funds a energy.. it was sad and depressing for me.. it was a shock to me to recieve the notice in the JRS..

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:46 pm

As critical I am about some decisions made by the org, I didn't have a problem with this one. They could have thrown money at the problem and taken it away from something else. They could have simply let the projects fail. I would have been more bothered by either of those choices than I am with this one. The origional email was a little weird, but I don't know how that could have been avoided.

The whole thing also serves as a good example of how much those big projects cost, and that even well organized, well connected teams can have things fall apart at the last minute.

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:19 pm

I had the opposite reaction too - I am very grateful that these projects had a helping hand from JRS so that we can all enjoy them. It is mean spirited to oppose this kind of help just because "your" art project did not get the same measure of assistance. I applaud the flexibility shown to ensure the success of the projects - not because they are bigger, or more important than any other project, but because of the amount of work and commitment already given by the artists and builders.

I will look at these works and know that a whole lot of people "went the extra mile", bent the customary proceedures, and dug a little deeper to be sure I get to enjoy them. The kindness shown by publishing the need in JRS allows me to receive the gifts of many more people than just the artists and builders.

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:58 pm

It's not a matter of opposing the art just because it got assistance (even though that angle was pushed a bit to get attention and to address some concerns people had raised in private..I brought it up, AG spoke on it and that shut people up). I'm glad the art is going to be there and I'll be out there asking questions if I can or at least taking pictures if nothing else. But what has me curious is where did the process break down? Why did these teams run out of funds? All I'm asking for is some root cause analysis here or when the afterburn reports start being put together. Otherwise next year the community (drink!) could be getting hit up for cash when the next big project hits a similar roadblock.

I can't help but think there's gotta be some things that can be learned here that could benefit the community as a whole. The projects are only going to get bigger, wilder, and better...and if we don't want to see stuff end up in Lexus ads or turned into commercial advertising post event, figuring it out would be to our benefit.

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:12 pm

...I am out of paper developer and fixer. There is no way I can finish printing my burning man images from 2005 for the gallery if I don't get the supplies. I also could use some more film for my work this Sunday, 120 Ilford Pan F, 20-30 rolls should do it. Some acid free mat board too. Ooooops, I forgot, I am a self funded artist.