It was determined that a smaller group would work on rewording the mission statement and goals. One of the important elements to add to the statement is how AIB is different; that we operate outside of the mainstream gallery system, creating an environment which allows artists to be creative in promoting and displaying their arts.

We discussed our decision making process; we have options to go with voting or consensus. Either way we must determine who our stakeholders are so that know when we have reached consensus or majority. We need a better process of integrating newcomers and a process of leadership training in order to allow them to take lead roles in projects. Some of the questions raised were how do we balance between exclusivity and inclusivity? How do we attract and integrate new people? How to we coordinate and use volunteers?

One of the things we need to do is better understand the various roles that people play in the organization. In order for someone to hand off what they are doing to someone else, they need to define what it is they are doing. The following areas were determined to cover most of what we do:

• Fundraising & sponsorship (donations, grants, solicitation of money, including non-event based sponsorship opportunities)

• Press & media (mailing list, email blasts, press page on website, promotion. Note that promotion in terms of actually going out and spreading the word and/or paper must be done by everyone in order to be fair and productive)
• Budget & finance (treasurer, bank accounts)
• Community or neighborhood initiatives (we need to frame more clearly what we can and cannot do for the neighborhood as we do for artists; we need to define our capabilities and our limitations)
• Volunteer coordination
• Events (i.e., event leader(s) need to be identified for each event, and sometimes sub-event)

Since many folks have done pieces of all of these, homework for the week is to look at these areas and include the activities and/or concerns that you can identify for them, based on your experience. Please use the Google doc (if you do not have “edit access”, please make sure to sign in; if you still do not have access, email Laura C).
Other topics:
Budget: we are in ok but not great shape. We talked about being all-volunteer; while it is true that occasionally we have to pay for services and/or spaces, in general we try to avoid paying people. We do not have the money to pay everyone, unfortunately, and so this work is largely a labor of love. Given that, we need to help out those who have been over-burdened and are therefore burning out.
501C3 status: we are covered under the aegis of Fractured Atlas. There is little to be gained in trying to get our own non-profit status since it’s a big and annoying process. We do need to make sure we are handling our tax declarations properly; someone (Steve?) is going to check in with Fractured Atlas.
Website: Laura C. will hold a separate meeting for those interested in blogging and any committee chairs who need to post content to the site. Tentatively set for the week of 12/14?

Calendar: Email Laura C to get permission to edit the general calendar and also the internal operations calendar for anyone interested in assuming that responsibility. It can be multiple people, as long as we coordinate.
Access the general calendar HERE.
Access the Productions/Internal Operations Calendar HERE.

Performance Festival: will be held February 28-March 1 (2- days). It will be Laura B.’s birthday so everyone has to be nice to her. The coordinators are Chloe and Lee; contact them at performance@artsinbushwick.org. In order to recoup what will likely be high costs, tickets and passes will be sold at the suggested donation prices of $5/show, $10/day, $15/weekend. Thus far spaces identified include the Bushwick Department of Pubic Works, Chez Bushwick, Lumenhouse, maybe Ad Hoc. Check out the Google spreadsheet (if you do not have “edit access”, please make sure to sign in; if you still do not have access, email Laura C). We will maintain a  calendar with deadlines; this will be updated by Chloe and Lee to start with then others as things progress.

::UPDATE:: Performance fest may be moved to weekend of 3/7-3/8
Next meeting: Wednesday, 12/10, 7:30-9:00, BDPW.

Wednesday, October 22 8-9pm

Wednesday, October 29, 8-9pm

Thursday, October 6 8-9pm

All meetings will be held at the BDPW, 330 Melrose St 3fl

Stay up to date with our meeting schedule by subscribing to our google calendar!

HEY, IT’S ANOTHER MIXER!

ARTISTS: If you are interested in participating in this festival but do not have a place to show your work, check out the BETA Spaces EXHIBITIONS seeking ARTISTS webpage. Here, you will find descriptions of the exhibitions and calls for participating artists. If you are interested in submitting work, please contact the curators using the information provided. Arts In Bushwick will NOT be matching people up with spaces, nor will we be curating any shows, so don’t contact us - get in touch with the curators directly!

BETA Spaces - Artists and Curators Mixer - Thursday, October 16

As promised, we will be having a Mixer for artists and curators, to give folks a chance to meet each other, make connections, and build some amazing group shows. At our first BETA Spaces Mixer, over 50 people convened to discuss the upcoming show, so it’s sure to be a party.

BETA Spaces Artists and Curators Mixer Details

Thursday, October 16, 8pm
The Bushwick Department of Public Works
330 Melrose St, 3rd Floor
L to Morgan or Jefferson, JMZ to Myrtle

Gideon Levy seeks a comic book artist for a new project (see synopsis below). DIVER will be professionally produced in mid-2009. Interested artists must be willing to commit to a serious project, meet deadlines and eventually, discuss a profit share in the final product.

Title:
DIVER: The New Humans

Synopsis: One-hundred years in the future, the primary American industry is Human Evolution & Enhancement, split into a fierce partisan divide between the Genetic Evolution Party (Geneticans) and the Cybernetic-Advancement Party (Cybercrats). The story follows a handful of genetically enhanced young adults who are born into the center of a complex International Political Arena.

Primary Influences: X-men, Cyberpunk, The West Wing

Admired Comic Artists: Jim Lee, Mark Sylvestri, The Kubert Bros, Bryan Hitch, Tony Daniel (current Batman illustrator)

Interested? Please contact Gideon ASAP: Divernewhumans@gmail.com or gidlevy@gmail.com

As you may have heard, Hip-Hop Theater Festival founder Danny Hoch is touring his show “Taking Over” prior to its opening at the Public Theater. Hoch takes on gentrification and affordable housing in this show, spurring debate about the future of our city and its obsession with economic expansion. Cultural institutions around the city have teamed up to bring this show to neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx FREE OF CHARGE. The shows will each have an accompanying community discussion, which will be documented. We’re helping the Hip Hop Festival get the word out about this awesome neighborhood show and discussion in Williamsburg, sponsored by el Puente.

Details for Taking Over show in Brooklyn:

October 11th, 8pm (community discussion to follow)
Grand Street Campus Auditorium
850 Grand Street

RSVP online or call 718-497-4282 (HHTF) or 718-387-0404 (el Puente) to get your free ticket!

BETA Spaces MIXER!

WHEN: THIS Wednesday, Sept 24 8:00-10:00pm
WHERE: The Bushwick Department of Public Works, 330 Melrose St, 3rd Floor GET DIRECTIONS

FOR: CURATORS, ARTISTS, or ANYONE INTERESTED IN SHOWING/ PRESENTING/ PRODUCING ART WORK IN THE UPCOMING BETA SPACES ARTWALK (NOV 9)

Come out to meet, drink, chat and collab with other participants of BETA spaces, if you are an artist seeking space to show or a space seeking artists to fill your space… Now is the time to mix it up and get things started!

Remember, the deadline for submitting a show to BETA spaces is OCTOBER 1st. Questions? Email steve@artsinbushwick.org

Wanna help us out? Download a mixer flier, print and post it in your building!

BETA Spaces (Bushwick Exhibition Triangle of Alternative Spaces)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9th, 2008 from 11am to 7pm

BETA Spaces is a day of multi-disciplinary group art shows, which encourages artists to transform the private and public spaces of Bushwick into exhibition spaces: living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, studios, streets, subways, sidewalks, and gardens. The festival will take place within a 10-block triangle south of Johnson Street, east of Bushwick Avenue, and west of Jefferson Avenue. The compact geographic nature of the festival is designed to provide the public an unbeatable opportunity to visit dozens of venues and experience hundreds of artists within a short period of time. (In comparison, our annual Bushwick Open Studios Festival (BOS) usually features 100+ locations spread geographically across 3 square miles!)

Participants please contact steve@artsinbushwick.org with

- the address of your space
- the title of the show
- a brief 50-word description of the exhibition

We strongly encourage each space to exhibit as many artists as possible, but we want to stress that all decisions reside with the curators. 

WE ARE LOOKING for anyone interested in hosting a group show in their space, curators who may have an idea for a show but not a space, and artists to participate in the festival.  The deadline for submitting an exhibition space is WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1st, and curators must finalize the name and theme of their shows by October 10th.

To download a flier with this information, click here.

There will be an open meeting this Wednesday, September 17th at 476 Jefferson St #202 for anyone interested in planning or participating in BETA Spaces. Click here to get directions from HopStop

Stay tuned—at a time and place TBA during the week of 9/22 we will be hosting a Mixer to provide spaces, curators, and artists a chance to meet with each other and talk about their BETA space projects!

Meeting Details:
Arts In Bushwick Post-BOS Meeting
Wednesday, July 16
8pm
222 Varet Street, #3C (between Bogart and White St, near the Morgan L train stop)
2-4pm

Get Directions from HopStop

View Larger Map

Hope to see you there!

In order to help us out with next year’s festival planning, we’d love it if you, as a BOS 08 participant (artist or attendee) would take a small survey about your personal experience with the event. Your feedback is important to us, and will give us a chance to make next year’s festival even better.

If you have photos of the art, artists or the neighborhood from the BOS ‘08 to share, please consider adding to the Arts in Bushwick/Bushwick Open Studios Flickr Pool! Also check out the tons of photos uploaded by other festivalgoers- a great way to see any studios you might have missed!

For some other perspectives on BOS ‘08 (cause we know it must have been hard to get to all of it):

Overview by Artcal, plus slideshow

So much great coverage of the festival from BushwickBK! Amazingly thorough, and not to be missed!

BOS Music Festival (BushwickBK) plus a ton of youtube videos…

We are already beginning to plan our next event, which will most likely occur in late fall of 2008. As always, we’re searching for new people, new ideas, and support of all kinds! If you’re interested in getting involved, or have proposals to bring to us, we’re open! Just email volunteer@artsinbushwick.org, or come to one of our open meetings.