Notes on interesting themes
that came up during introductions:
A lot of talk about publications (Is this the
next step from people creating local archives for a legacy like documenting the
emergence of the ‘Jit’, projects about
Grace Lee Boggs? A moment in time?)
- What about the realistic costs associated with print material either
as advertising or the creation of a well-considered publication?
Wasn’t this an issue for some projects?
- Some like Infinite Mile had it set
up as single pay and it will print on demand, well
laid out, but more costly to buy?
- See: Graphic Designer costs vs.
material costs... Maybe I may need to keep mine to online only, Knight
suggests that blogs are a fine way of providing a narrative (mandatory.)
- Detroit
Research is very focused and may know its audience, also
it has the benefit of being connected to CCS.
A lot of talk about residencies and discussions
amongst people (bringing in influential
contemporary voices? Staying personally connected? Storytelling and bringing
causes to attention?)
- Heritage
Works has a project based on an oral tradiation with a
West African griot, other groups that will focus on the dialogue includes
is Salon Detroit, Complex
Movements and Over Over Over
- Free Market of Detroit (Halima Cassells) will be collecting
stories that go with each item brought to the ‘store’
- RootofTwo and
“Anyspace? Whatever.” Suggested reading: “What Technology Wants”
- Anders Ruhwald
will have a side project that may be semi-connected where artists can come
over as well
- Past funded projects
include the Zimbabwe Cultural Center, and one of the previous
years finalists was Walter Wasacz putting on the Detroit-Berlin Connection
We are an organization that does THIS, THIS,
THIS, THIS and THIS.
- A lot of these projects could be
combined, but could the matching funds bolster each other?
I'm considering having Glasgow people keep in contact with those they met already, Cezanne Charles, What Pipeline, ‘CAVE, Simone DeSousa, Popps Packing, Halima Cassells, Piper (formerly 5E), Steve Panton’s space, writers such as Lynn Crawford who has worked with Steve Panton etc., curators such as Laura Mott (careful, people are going to be BUSY!)
- Consider bringing in publications
for distribution in Glasgow, Good Press, Aye-Aye, CCA, similar to what
Laura currently has up at Cranbrook, satellite/daisy chaining connections.
Many personal projects by artists working solo
are being funded, including one from someone from Mexico to put up imagery of important Mexican
figures in Southwest (notexactly by Detroit for Detroit as someone said at the
reception? But shouldthat really matter? Too much
insider/outsider drama, becomes parochial)
Bigger name artists will be put out in public,
maybe this was partly sparked by the successful use of D.I.A.’s reproductions
that aided the millage.
- Hank Willis Thomas
- Louise Nevelson
- James Turrell
- J Dilla’s actual music equipment
Programs that sound really
familiar
- Is “Wheelin’
Around: a mobile, pop-up clay party” related to Hentry Crissman or Lou
Casinelli at all?
- 7124 Tuxedo is
it related to Write-A-House?
- Is the Detroit
Atlas similar to Andrew Herscher's UnReal Estate Guide or
the Pink Pony Express?
- Is McEwen Studio / A(n)
Office similar to the Powerhouse
Production houses on Klinger Street?
Why do these people do what
they do? Altruism? Should/can “artists” be agents of social change?
- Denis Newhouse
is a passionate lifelong educator, Akram Hossain seems similar
- Non-profits need
these to survive and keep things interesting
- Particular
neighborhood (maybe they live there) is overlooked
- It’s part of the
mission statement, all part of the plan, strategic planning
- Setting up
others for greatness, but getting out of their way, thriving on the
unknown
- How many of us
are considered ‘local celebrities’? How do we work against the poisonous
ego habit?
- Public funding
is gone, who else is going to bring in our values into the future?
Not organized with a
501-C3? (That’s most of us?)
- Fiscal
Sponsorship! (A tool for arranging non-taxable donations)
- Also see Allied Media Projects? Any benefits to
working with a more local 501c3?
- Miami Foundation has a very good admin
fee, only 4% compared to 7 or 8% and matching checks mailed weekly,
invoices on your behalf, takes care of taxes, good at streamlining
Kickstarter campaigns.
Allaying fears:
- An easy way to
get started is by working on receiving 10% of the funds via in-kind
donations (labor?)
- 96% match rate
(see Steve Hughes who personally described their flexibility) 2 years
becomes 4…
- Flexibility (no
rules, no dictating, except they do request that all press releases
must be seen first)
- Budgets can flex
with good reasons/communication (think of categories as gen. buckets) Put
in place in the contract is a 5% budget leeway
- The deadlines
for raising funds/getting everything finished is flexible within reason
- The overall idea
behind what you plan to do can change
- You have worthy
ideas and a great community, you will be fine.
- Corporate
structures are always looking for ways to write something off (Is there a
time of the year in particular?), ways to achieve their mission
statement in interesting ways to stay relevant, can partner with your
project as free advertising for their business and frankly don’t want to
be left out if it gets press.
Informal ideas that may
produce the best outcomes:
- A strong cohort
- Some non-profits
offered assistance as mentors (Who was it that suggested this?)
- Reminds me of
when the local non-profits met together to share tactics and share
resources, people I remember who were there: Diane Van Buren, Ryan Hertz,
Phil Cooley... so many people from that initial introduction reached out
to lend so much in in-kind donations from free studio space to scissor
lifts and more!
- Possible
web-inar on budgeting (General consensus: our individual needs
require individual attention! But it doesn't sound like that's possible?)
- Look out for a
“Top 10 matching ideas” from Knight
- Guide Star
templates as a spring board
- Giving Day
Playbook
- Smallest Museum in St. Paul used
revenue from a seemingly unrelated cup of coffee to provide the matching
funds (same organization, and a portion of proceeds go towards the match,
this is definitely not the same as personal income, it’s the business’
income?)
- Works well in
tandem with Kresge fellows and others who have attended Creative Capital
meetings that talk about goal-setting, Fiscal sponsorship,
grant writing and rounding out the audience who may be interested in your
project
- How People
connect back to the Kresge: Adrienne Brown, Anders Ruhwald’s wife Marie is
a fellow, Cezanne Charles (Director of Creative Industries), Chase
Morris, Faina Lerman, Jonathan Rajewski, Kate Daughdrill, Lynne
Avadenka, Marsha Music, Scott Hocking, Steve Hughes, Tiff Massey, Thomas
Bell’s wife works for Kresge
Not a priority at this
stage, but good to keep in mind:
- Part of Knight’s
contract is to support your Kickstarter/Patronicity campaign etc. and put
it on blast. Although they request to overview all materials (slows things
down) they can also streamline the process of having funds go directly to
the Fiscal sponsor for quicker
- Apply again!
- With Kickstarter etc. if there are well considered
'rewards' it could really double as a productive way to produce something
that I hoped to do anyways?
Things to maybe watch out
for (and suggested ideas?):
- How will all
resources get shared (Google Docs?) Very diverse group of winners, good
friction.
- You do not get
funds right away until after they have been matched, so maybe it is not
the best idea to spend lots of personal funds just to setup the structure
that will allow for matching funds to trickle in over a long period of
time.
- Have a separate
bank account for the project (Piper’s suggestion)
- It might not be
worth having amounts under $10 that are being sent piece-meal to be
matched with a check from the Fiscal Sponsor, but do they have a
suggestion for how to pace this out?
- Try not to over
think how personal income may be a conflict by being used as matching or
in-kind donations. It may be best to set a good price for yourself, $35 an
hour for all of your labor? Keep track of it! Do you know how you can
delegate certain work? Take a step back? Take a break?
- You still have
to pay taxes on any income that you planned on receiving from the matching
funds, perhaps put this aside in another bank account, or even include it
as part of the budget?
- The financial
ecosystem where we ask our community to put their money where their mouth
is, however are we all dipping from the same pool of friends and
colleagues? What about the elephant in the room, usual disconnect between
the suburbs and the city (see train that stops at 8 mile), Walter Wasacz
talked about the way that music draws people in and the informal ways that
people feel comfortable, example I thought of: punk scene when kids came
in from the suburbs, formed their own bands etc. it wasn’t voyeuristic,
but it was about getting away.
- 2 years becoming
4 is that better or worse for the project?
- What if I just
want to be a hermit or work on someone else’s project because it’s easier
to do? How do I keep focused…
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