[spectre] Re: the media art center of 21C

[Elizabeth Guyon]

Le 8 sept. 05, à 20:00, rene beekman a écrit :

> if we are discussing a new definition of media arts centres, we should 
> also be willing to discuss a new model of funding for those centres - 
> whether that is government, industry or otherwise.
> if we are unable or unwilling to question funding models, then that 
> puts severe restrictions on the possible available modes and models 
> for this media art centre that we're trying to redefine and i fear 
> that whatever the outcome of this discussion is, it will just be 
> another way of saying more or less the same thing with the sole 
> purpose of securing our funding for yet another few years.
> until the next ntt or whoever it may be at that point of time triggers 
> this discussion all over again...

I haven't been in the field for "ten years" but I really feel that rene 
beekman makes a big point here (if I've understood it well...).

We are currently trying to deal with the french public administration 
tendancy to ask for "economic models" for media arts each time funding 
is in the ballot. ("We" means a group of artists and institutional 
managers producing media arts or whatever it's called in Marseille and 
around, specially in the Friche Belle de Mai art center)
We are not opposed to the concept of "economic model" in itself (it can 
always be subverted) though it doesn't mean anything just saying so and 
we are afraid the public administration just has no idea about it 
either. So we really feel that this (marketing ?) concept has to be 
discussed and defined regarding our activities.
We are having discussions right now about how and wether to answer to 
this new criteria to ensure our means of artistic production 
(creation/production as well as being able to show it).
But somehow I wonder if it's not a question of how we talk about media 
arts to the funders, how we communicate on media arts, more than what 
we really do that matters ? what's new really ?

  Where can we find "attempts to fund media art centers" otherwise than 
through governments or industries ? I'd be glad to get more content on 
that topic.