funding canceled?

slurpnslide · Post by **slurpnslide** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:20 am

so what is up with the art grants this year? I heard they were scaled way back and now are being canceled! This is a very sad state of affairs and I expect to mean the end of the festival as we know and love it. Would recommend not attending the 09 dustup.

gaminwench · Post by **gaminwench** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:32 am

who are you? where'd you hear this??? beware playa rumor...

slurpnslide · Post by **slurpnslide** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:41 am

me? I'm nobody (aka a BM artist). info such as it is from the grapevine.

Post by **AntiM** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:19 am

Since I don't get funding, I don't worry about funding. what will be there will be there. If you're not attending, we're glad. More dust for us. How about citing a reference from whence you heard these tales of woe?

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:22 am

what grapevine? Tribe?

fucking hippies would'nt know a hoax if they smoked it.

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:25 am

Funding has not been cancelled. It has been put on hold for two weeks while the amounts are being examined. This is due to the economy and other factors, such as the fact the LLC has just a few months to locate and move to a new location. No doubt each artist will be asked to tighten his or her belts and work with a smaller amount. The amount of cuts is still being worked on.

Post by **Sham** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:44 am

slurpnslide wrote:so what is up with the art grants this year? I heard they were scaled way back and now are being canceled! This is a very sad state of affairs and I expect to mean the end of the festival as we know and love it. Would recommend not attending the 09 dustup.

What kind of crap is this? You make an announcement that funding was cut and now cancelled and then recommend that people not attend? Who the fuck are you to make this your first post here and give completely erroneous information straight out of your ass? Unless there is something to back this up, you need to shut the fuck up!

fuzymnky · Post by **fuzymnky** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:29 am

I would gladly say I am a nobody also if that is what a BM artist is? But you got it all wrong slurpnslide, if you are an artist waiting for funding to give your work credibility or life you are in the wrong business. Last I checked NOT getting funding pushes the merit of your work. If every artist out there stopped attending events or making work for the rest of us because no one "gave" them money... well, art would be few and far between.
I too applied for an art grant and was not "funded" but instead it has led to a whole community of nobodies helping me raise the funds to build it and get it to the playa from rural pennsylvania. I won't lie, I was just about to say "what the F*... this is too much time and money and effort without outside $" BUT, I realized that the reason I want to do this project is for the rest of the BRC population, not just the few who saw my proposal pdf. Look at the big picture how exactly is handing out or not handing out $ the deciding factor? I have heard way more stories of playa artists going into debt to exhibit in BRC than I have heard of an artist making it big and rolling in the dough after an event. Still... count me in...AND my art.
You know the deciding factor for me to make a piece this year. I read an online quote on flickr "that someone didn't take many pictures of the art last year 92008), because they felt the artist were "uninspired" by the theme so they didn't even spend much time out looking at it.
I want to be a part of the reason people wack themselves in the head and say - "damn, you mean THAT was out there and I didn't get to see it."

SnowBlind · Post by **SnowBlind** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:46 pm

Its only a small number of projects that receive funding anyway. I didn't find numbers for last year, but in 2007, 30 projects received funding. Out of over 200 total.

So even if for some reason no projects were funded, there'd still be art out there.

matisse · Post by **matisse** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:41 am

fuzymnky wrote:... I want to be a part of the reason people wack themselves in the head and say - "damn, you mean THAT was out there and I didn't get to see it."

Yeah. Every year I've been to the event (8 times now) I've been one of the head-whackers. After the first year I did accept that i just could not possibly see everything, or even close to it.
I'd also like to believe that some of the art I've help create has also inspired some of that head whacking :-)

slurpnslide · Post by **slurpnslide** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:34 pm

good point, it is only the 30 or so best art pieces that get funding, no big loss if they can't make it this year. rock on fuckos.

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:30 pm

Go back and look again: postponed, yes, possibly cut, yes, cancelled, no.

I would suggest that, based on the replies I've seen here. That you go whine somewhere else.

One of the BMan principles is participation. I see waiting around for someone else to fund your art as a cop out. No Spectators! is not just a slogan for the playa, I see it as a guiding principle for the entire process. If you can't get your art to the playa without the help of the BOrg it is unlikely that you will be getting it there with their help either. Arts grants are not intended to pay for the entire cost of the work, they are a form of encouragement. As we say in the crafts business, "the compliment that counts is the one that comes from the wallet."

Burning Man is all about the participants. We bring our A-Game to the playa and the only thing we are guaranteed from the LLC are port-o-johns and ice sales. (... and the man. Doh!)

The only way to guarantee there will be awesome art on the playa is to build some.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:37 pm

fciron wrote:The only way to guarantee there will be awesome art on the playa is to build some.

Hear Hear!!

Well said, fellow Iron Monger.

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 11:08 am

slurpnslide wrote:good point, it is only the 30 or so best art pieces that get funding, no big loss if they can't make it this year. rock on fuckos.

At the risk of being head Fucko;

I'm not sure I have seen anything quite as egotistical. You suggest we all just not go if art grants aren't given.

Sounds like I will just have to live without your contribution, oh sorry, it really ISN'T a "contribution" after all.

Yes I would clearly miss the funded art - and I know the grants don't come near the actual cost of these projects, but the tapestry of this little camping trip in the desert would still be a rich weave of art and performance.

The financial troubles this year will cause many to not be able to attend, much less bring big art pieces. My thoughts are with those that are and will be struggling for shelter and food.

bdeywoo · Post by **bdeywoo** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 11:26 am

slurpnslide wrote:good point, it is only the 30 or so best art pieces that get funding, no big loss if they can't make it this year. rock on fuckos.

At least your priorities are straight they wont give you money so you wont attend.

Perhaps you were never meant for the event in the first place with an attitude like that. Its not enough you have an avenue to hit up 50k plus people to see and connect to your art you now want money for it. 90% of whats out there isnt funded, try being like the majority.

Rock on-OFF PLAYA Fucko.

oscillator · Post by **oscillator** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:44 pm

To my way of thinking, the magnitude of unfunded creativity on the playa far exceeds the honorariums, as magnificent as they may be. And magnificent they are.

As for my contribution, the surprise & delight from my fellow burners is funding enough for my singular efforts.

\osc

Post by **Elderberry** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 2:28 pm

slurpnslide wrote:good point, it is only the 30 or so best art pieces that get funding, no big loss if they can't make it this year. rock on fuckos.

Sometimes when the so called 'best' don't get funding, it makes room for the new guys to be best. It could be an opportunity in disguise.

JK

jesscail · Post by **jesscail** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:55 pm

The very nice email I got from the grants committee (politely declining to fund our project) said that they received a "record of 248 proposals" and "they've had to make some really tough calls" this year.

No biggie. These funds were a gift not given, not a right denied...

j_cavera · Post by **j_cavera** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:38 am

> No biggie. These funds were a gift not given, not a right denied...

Thanks for that, jesscali. I too was one of those initially told, "you're funded" then "please wait" and now "so sorry". Yes, I was a bit heartbroken for a few moments, but the grants committee members do the best they can with what they have to work with. In a perfect world, I'm sure that they would love to fund all 248, but such are the times that we live in. I don't do art for money or fame (not that I'm against either concept ;) and I hope that others feel the same.

- Jim

funding canceled?

funding canceled?

Re: funding canceled?

art on the playa

Re: art on the playa

thanks for the perspective