@the.edge
AN ONLINE DISCUSSION OF THE TENTH NATIONAL NAAO CONFERENCE
The National Association of Artists Organizations (NAAO) invites
interested members of the public to join the NAAO membership in discussing
the future of the nonprofit arts in the changing economic, social,
political, and cultural landscape of the late 1990s and beyond. NAAO , a
nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and promoting artists-run
organizations, will hold its 10th National NAAO Conference, "At the Edge,"
in San Francisco on October 11-15, 1995.
But those who can't attend the conference itself can still have a voice in
the proceedings, as NAAO will extend the discussion to a variety of online
forums, including the Arts Wire system. In an effort to gain as many
different perspectives as possible on culture "at the edge," NAAO welcomes
questions, concerns, and comments, which will be relayed to the conference
participants and become part of the ongoing dialogue as action plans are
subsequently developed.
We'd appreciate getting input on one or more of the themes listed below,
including your own sense of the key issues that the NAAO conference
participants should address:
1. How can artists and arts organizations best meet the challenges of
funding cutbacks and an increasingly hostile political climate? Are there
examples that you know of in which individuals or groups are meeting this
challenge?
2. How can artists and arts organizations work with other community
activists to address some of the pressing social and economic problems of
our time? Are there individuals or groups that you know of who are
currently working in this area?
3. What needs to be done to ensure there will be lanes for community
engagement, creative expression, and democratic values on the so-called
Information Superhighway? Where, amidst the growing commercialism of the
Net today, do you find these values right now?
4. What are some of the options--beyond the standard institutional model
of hierarchical management and endless fundraising--that arts
organizations might explore? Do you know of individuals or groups that
have come up with viable alternatives to the standard nonprofit model?
5. What can artists and arts organizations do to combat both the AIDS
epidemic and the ignorance surrounding it? Can you cite any existing
programs or projects that have been particularly effective in this regard?
6. How can individuals and organizations develop programs within specific
communities that help bridge some of the gaps--economic, social, and
cultural--that divide people from one another. Do you know of any
existing projects that are successful in this regard.
7. What do *you* think are the critical issues facing the arts as the
twentieth century comes to a close?
Thanks for your help. You can either post your response here, or e-mail
it to [log in to unmask], or fax it to 202/347-7376.
For further information about NAAO or the "At the Edge" conference,
contact Victoria Reis at 202/347-6350 or [log in to unmask]
Founded in 1982, the National Association of Artists' Organizations (NAAO)
is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and promoting artists-run
organizations: the primary makers, presenters, and supporters of new and
emerging work in the arts. NAAO provides a national voice for a
constituency dedicated to cultural equity, freedom of expression,
individual artists and the small nonprofits that serve them.
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