Technology in the Arts - Now on Facebook!

When we consult with clients about social networking and other online tools, we always stress thoughtful planning and mission-driven solutions. Let me be the first to admit, though, that we didn't sit around whiteboards planning the Technology in the Arts Facebook page... we simply created it and started sending invites.

There are times when it's crucial to plan for the implementation of a new technology tool, and there are other times when it's important just to get it out into the world and allow it to take shape organically. In the case of Facebook, MySpace or any other template-based offering, it's easy to get rolling with little investment.

We invite you to become a Technology in the Arts Facebook fan and help us shape an online community dedicated to using technology to support the advancement of the arts.

Desktop Wallpaper As Art

I got bored with my standard, gray desktop today, so I went out in search of something new.  I found some great computer wallpapers that can only be described as art. The beauty I ultimately ended up plunking down on my desktop was at Smashing Magazine.  Every month, they have a new set of wallpapers, available for free download, that have been submitted by artists and designers from around the world; artists such as Vlad Gerasimov, who has created an online studio teeming with his digital artwork.

Along the way, I also found a blog called Kitsune Noir, run by Bobby Solomon, which recently concluded the Desktop Wallpaper Project where artists submitted their works (some great stuff there).  And, I found out that deviantART has a section devoted to artist submitted desktop images.

This got me thinking.  I found all of these great places where individual artists were translating their work (or developing work exclusively) for computer desktops as a way of getting their art out there.  Were any arts organizations doing the same?

I did some searching and almost drew a complete blank.  The only case I could find was the Tasmanian Theatre Company.  Are any arts organizations out there providing desktop wallpapers on their sites? I would have to think that it's a way to keep your organization and its brand in front of computer-bound patrons.

Technology in the Arts Registration Now Open!

Registration for the 2008 Technology in the Arts National Conference is now open. The Technology in the Arts Conference is a resource for the arts community, sparking dialog around the role of technology in our planning and programming, discussing best practices as well as lessons learned, and providing hands-on, practical skills where possible. Explore the conference schedule for breakout and hands-on session information.

Click here to register now!

CONFERENCE RATES

General Registration: Early Bird Rate - $250 | Standard Rate - $300 | On-Site Rate - $350 General Registration fees cover all conference activities from Thursday evening’s Networking Reception through Saturday night’s Closing Party.

Hands-On Training Workshops: Either One AM Workshop OR One PM Workshop - $30 Both One AM Workshop AND One PM Workshop - $50 Fees for Thursday’s six Hands-On Training Workshops are separate from the General Registration.  Due to their limited capacities, you will be asked to select the hands-on training workshop(s) you would like to attend during the registration process.

Student Discount: College students with a valid student I.D. will receive an 80% discount on the conference and workshop registration fees.

1. To receive this registration discount code, send an e-mail request with the subject line “Student Discount” to David Dombrosky.
2. You will receive a reply message containing the discount code to use during the registration process.
3. When you arrive at registration, you MUST present a valid student I.D.

For more information, visit our Technology in the Arts National Conference resource area.

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council Presents an Arts Law Clinic

Are you a Pittsburgh-based artist or arts administrator with a legal question about your work? Take your questions to the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council's Arts Law Clinic on Wednesday, July 30, from 3-6 PM. Attorneys from American Eagle Outfitters will be on hand to answer your arts-related legal questions in the areas including Intellectual Property, Corporate Law, Contract Law and Human Resources.

This clinic, the first in a series to be provided by AE staff, is designed for people who have specific arts law questions. Applications to Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts will be available for those who require ongoing assistance after the clinic.

Wednesday, July 30, 3-6 pm Benedum Center, 7th Floor, 719 Liberty Avenue, Downtown

Presenters: Neil Bulman, Vice President & General Counsel; Rebecca Bibbs, Chief Counsel; Luke Paglia, Associate General Counsel; Kimberly Strohm, Assistant General Counsel; American Eagle Outfitters

To register visit ProArtsTickets online or call 412.394.3353. Registration Fee: $20 ($15 members)

Of course they chose Hendrix...

It seems the New York Philharmonic is taking a cue from American Idol. During a recent concert in Central Park, the Philharmonic asked the audience to text their votes to select the orchestra's encore piece. Naturally, the audience chose "Purple Haze." After all, what audience would prefer "Flight of the Bumblebee" over the Hendrix classic? Photo courtesy of froMJersey's Flickr photostream.

According to MobileActive.org, an online resource that examines the use of mobile technologies for social change, the Philharmonic has been using Kodime, a company based in the UK, as its mobile vendor for the past two seasons.

A couple of arts consultants...

I attended an arts consultant round table at the National Performing Arts Convention last month, and I wanted to provide contact information for a couple of my fellow attendees:

• Lisa Mount - Lisa led the session, and her firm's Web site is www.ArtisticLogistics.org. Lisa offers a broad array of strategic management services.
• Jane Hill (artSMART) - Jane brings more than thirty years experience as a professional arts manager to provide practical and successful approaches to the challenges faced by small and mid-sized arts organizations today. Contact Jane at hill.jane1913@sbcglobal.net.

A reminder... the Center for Arts Management and Technology provides technology consulting for nonprofit arts organizations. Read more about our services.

Note: CAMT does not endorse either of these consultants. All consultants in the session were given the opportunity to be listed here.

Community Theatre Conference - July 10-11, 2008

I will be visiting New York City later this week for the American Association of Community Theatre Conference. If you plan to attend, please visit me in exhibit hall room C. I'd be happy to spend some time chatting about your technology needs and providing a bit of free consulting.

Nothing ever happens in Blaine.

By the way, the image above is NOT meant to be offensive. I have acted in many a community theatre production, and I love every minute of it.

If you're involved in theatre and you don't love Waiting for Guffman, then shame on you!

2008 ArtsTech Awards - Call for Nominations

Opens July 7, 2008 - Closes August 8, 2008

The 2008 Technology in the Arts Conference convenes representatives from the full spectrum of arts community, from the local to national levels, to explore the intersection of the arts and technology.

In honor of this exploration, the ArtsTech Awards recognize three categories of leaders in the arts and technology: artists, arts organizations and funding organizations.  For the 2008 ArtsTech Awards criteria, guidelines and nomination forms, visit the following category-specific links:

• Artists (Individual or Group)
• Arts Organizations
• Funding Organizations

Nominations must be submitted through our online nomination forms.  Nominations must be received by 11:59PM EST on August 8, 2008.

The recipients of the 2008 ArtsTech Awards will be honored at the Technology in the Arts Conference during the Keynote and Awards Luncheon on October 10, 2008.

If you have questions about the ArtsTech Awards or the nomination process, please contact David Dombrosky.

Building a Web App in Four Days for $10,000

TechCrunch has a really interesting piece by Ryan Carson about building a Web application in just four days. Naturally, arts organizations don't have the human resources and $10,000 to throw around, but the read really drives home how quickly new apps can be deployed given current technologies.

The result of Carson's team's efforts is Matt (Multi account twitter tweeting). Useful? Maybe. Beside the point? Absolutely.

Mobile Advocacy Resource

I've been subscribed to the blog at MobileActive.org for a while now, and a recent post that highlights the top 10 do's and don'ts for mobile advocacy made me realize that it was time to give a shout out to this great site on our blog. MobileActive.org aggregates mobile technology tools and resources for the international NGO community, and the information they offer is applicable and valuable for any non-profit arts organization considering using mobile technology as part of its marketing, development, or advocacy strategies.  You’ll find:

• A blog with case studies and news related to the use of mobile technology.
• A directory of projects that have utilized mobile technology.
• A directory of mobile tools and vendors (such as consultants, SMS and MMS providers, polling tools, software and mobile content developers, and more).
• Brief strategy guides that offer overviews of using mobile technology for fundraising and advocacy (you’ll need to register on the site to access these PDF’s).

So check it out and let us know what you think.  Also, if you know of any other useful resources, books, or sites out there that delve into the world of mobile technology, please post those in the comments.

Weekend Update (Don't Sue Me, SNL!)

Just had a couple notes I wanted to share before the weekend: Click! Exhibit Results Now Available

The online gallery for Brooklyn Museum's crowd-curated exhibit Click!, which I wrote about in a Technology in the Arts blog entry, is now available.

The exhibit asked users to register and adjudicate work that was accepted as part of a March 2008 open call. The submitting photographers were asked to “consider Brooklyn’s transformation over the years, its past and its present, and submit a photograph that captured the ‘changing face(s) of Brooklyn.’”'

The Click! online gallery with a very cool adjudication results feature is now available.

ICANN Relaxing URL Restrictions

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which controls domain names on the Internet, has decided to relax its policy on domain naming conventions. Web site URLs will now be able to use characters other than Latin, as well as any combination of letters and numbers up to 64 characters.

Finally, I can register ethelslittleangles.sex, where my grandma plans to sell her handmade dolls. She's been bugging me about it for years. "Sex sells," she says. She's been watching too much TV.

Oh Grandma. You and your dirty mind.

Have a wonderful weekend!

YouTube Opens Screening Room for Indie Shorts

Okay, so I love short films.  In addition to appealing to ADD-afflicted by not requiring us to sit through 180 minutes to "understand the narrative," short films are more financially viable for indie filmmakers to create.  The problem with short films is that you can usually only see them at film festivals -- until now.

YouTube has set up a virtual screening room to bring the short films of independent filmmakers to a global audience.  Not only can you view top-notch shorts (curated by a YouTube editorial panel), you can also buy them to watch whenever you want on your computer or portable device.  While the majority of these films have played at international film festivals, occasionally you’ll find films that have never before screened for wide audiences.

They just launched the screening room last week and plan to add four new films every two weeks.  So, show the indie filmmakers some love and check it out!

Click here to learn more about the YouTube Screening Room.

What I Learned at the Americans for the Arts Convention...

Remember those essays you had to write in elementary school - e.g. "What I did for summer vacation"?  That's sort of what this post feels like since Brad chastised me for being remiss in my blogging duties.  Of course, I fired him - again.  I do that a lot.  It just never seems to stick. AFTA held this year's convention in Philadelphia - the city of brotherly love (and sisterly affection).  The hotel sold out long before I climbed out of my procrastination long enough to book a room.  Thankfully, I found a room at a nearby hotel - directly across the street from where they were filming Transformers 2.  If only I hadn't gotten bored and walked out of Transformers, then I might have been more starry eyed.

After three days in Philly with Americans for the Arts, I return to the Burgh with three essential take-aways:

1.  Affirmation -- In a recent (soon to be published) environmental scan of the arts community conducted by Americans for the Arts, it has been determined that, "The influence of technology, unconstrained access, and the new immediacy of communication on traditional and new and evolving production/delivery mechanisms is not yet entirely understood."  While the influence of technology on production/delivery may not be fully understood, the impact of technology on the arts community has been seismic.  Between AFTA and the NPAC conventions this month, I come back to the Burgh knowing that our Technology in the Arts conference, blog, podcast, and site resources are truly useful tools for the field to assist them in navigating unfamiliar terrain.

2.  Futurists Rock -  The Keynote Address was given by futurist Andrew Zolli, founder of Z+ Partners and organizer of the PopTech conference, in the manner that I've yearned for at all of the conferences I have attended throughout my professional life:  highly engaging, provocative and witty.  He touched on a multitude of issues - from innovation and "the tyranny of choice" to experiential economics, "the Long Tail" and "Citizen Brand." I think it was the first time that I went to a conference where the keynote speaker talked for 45 minutes, and I wanted to hear more!  For those of you who were not able to attend AFTA this year (or for those of you who just want to hear more of what Andrew has to say), check out these video clips on YouTube.

3.  The RenGen is Here - On Friday, I had the pleasure of listening to Patricia Martin talk about the premise behind her book RenGen: Renaissance Generation - The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business.  Here's a brief bit from Patricia about the event that inspired her to do the research for this book:

I tried to run out to the AFTA bookstore to buy RenGen - but of course, it was already gone.  Amazon, here I come!

My two favorite concepts that she talked about during her session are:

• RenGen is a psychographic NOT a demographic. What characterizes this psychographic?
  • Lifelong learners
  • Time-starved idealists
  • Sensualists
  • Eco-conscious
  • Fusionists
  • Inner-directed creatives
• Collective Creativity - a post on the concept from her blog.

Okay, folks, I have blogged enough today to keep the Brad at bay.  I pinkie-swear to do better!

Victory is... Not mine?

Pop Arts Marketing held their own iPod giveaway last week for the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver. But their contest required a bit more skill than ours, as they set up an online game called Harpsichord Hero, which riffed on the popular Guitar Hero. For most of the Convention, I held the high score, but someone finally bested me on the last day of the event. On Friday, I got what I thought was a perfect score and celebrated a bit more than any reasonable adult should. Then when I looked at the leaderboard, I realized that my adversary was still slightly higher than me in the rankings.

This is a photo of me in mid-celebration, before I was crushed by the realization of defeat:

I look more terrified than happy, really.

You can still play Harpsichord Hero and see my 2nd, 3rd and 4th place scores on the Pop Web site.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the four winners of the Institue for the Management of Creative Enterprises iPod Nano giveaway. We collected business cards during the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver, CO, last week, and our winners were picked on Friday. The lucky quartet:

• Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Managing Director, Westport Country Playhouse
• Julie Hawkins, Vice President of Public Policy, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
• Conrad Kehn, Composer/Vocalist
• Trevor Hunter, Technical Producer, Counterstream Radio

To all of those who entered but did not win, please remember this quote from William Shakespeare: "Having nothing, nothing can he lose."

Rocky Mountain High, Chorus America

We were fortunate enough to catch an impromptu performance of Rocky Mountain High by members of Chorus America, the national non-profit service organization for choral music. Rocky Mountain High.

We are also featuring the group's performance in our most recent podcast, Technology in the Arts #44, which is dedicated to interviews from this week's 2008 National Performing Arts Convention.

Asleep on the Job...

One of the big problems with having comfy couches in your exhibit hall booth space:

The Colorado Convention Center really needs to do a better job keeping hobos from accessing the exhibit hall.

Trade Show Booth Setup Blues

Though tomorrow is the first official day of the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver, CO, I had to arrive last night so I'd be ready this morning to set up our booth in the exhibit hall. Ain't she purty? Yes, that's a leather sofa.

Fortunately, everything arrived as scheduled, so there was no need for my late night cold sweats from anxiety about a crucial booth component getting lost in transit. But when I say "everything," I mean four large 100-pound crates, two large 50-pound boxes, a cylindrical container and a large flat box.

Why so much packaging? Well, this booth is a monster. For this particular show, we're exhibiting as the Institute for the Management of Creative Enterprises, which is the parent entity of our research center (CAMT.Artsnet.org), and two master's programs (MAM.Artsnet.org and MEIM.Artsnet.org).

During a particularly hairy moment this afternoon, one of the booth's walls toppled, nearly killing the guy at the neighboring exhibit space. If I had knocked him unconscious, my plan would have been to drag his body into a restroom, pack everything back up, and fly home to Pittsburgh. Surely he would have been hit hard enough to forget who or what had struck him, right?

Anyway, the booth is all set up, and I'm looking forward to the convention. I'm especially excited to tour the exhibit hall, as on display will be hundreds of amazing performing arts groups, technology providers, arts management companies, etc.

As you can see from the image at the top of this entry, our booth features a seating area with a leather couch and chair. I'll feel a little like Dick Cavett when I sit and chat with passersby.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

This week saw the arrival of the second biennial 01SJ - North America’s newest and largest festival of digital arts, and a great deal more. From a hip hop, multi-media meditation on Antarctica to robot art, from conversations with artificial intelligence to operatic performances of Google headlines about the environment, from avant-garde cinema to new musical forms - well over 100 artworks, performances, screenings, talks, and workshops will be featured at 01SJ. Festival organizers expect it to be a perspective-altering experience that entertains, enlightens, educates and involves attendees in a new understanding of our changing world.

The 2nd Biennial 01SJ Global Festival of Art on the Edge consists of over 100 events, exhibitions, concerts, performances, lectures and workshops at many venues across the urban landscape of downtown San Jose.

According to Artistic Director Steven Dietz, “This has the potential to be the South by Southwest of digital media in the United States.”

01SJ aspires to become the North American answer to the Ars Electronica Festival – the annual celebration of digital art in Linz, Austria first staged in 1979. “Linz is now a cultural center for the country,” said 01SJ founder and board chairwoman Andy Cunningham, “We hope to do that with San Jose.

Better Than Handing Out Flyers?

Built for bands, musicians and music performing organizations, ArtistData is a site that enables you to enter upcoming performance information once and then sync it to many different social networking sites that are musician friendly or oriented. I have to say that I was impressed with the simplicity of the system, based on their demo video.  With a few minutes and clicks, performance listings were updated on the sample band's MySpace, PureVolume, Eventful, and Virb profiles.  Also, the show details were sent out to other sites such as JamBase, Last.fm, Mojam, Pollstar, and ShowClix.

A real treat is the site's ability to notify local newspapers and media about your performance directly from ArtistData.  I would assume that ArtistData keeps art & music PR contact emails for major newspapers and publishers.  I wasn't able to see how comprehensive their listings are, but, if you know of a publication that exists in the area you will be performing that is not on the list, you can notify ArtistData and they'll do what it takes to get it added for next time.  I wonder, though, if this replaces the need to send out press releases or to cozy up to your local papers' inside sources.

All in all, ArtistData seems like a very expedient way to get your performance information out there.  It would be especially useful if you, your band, or your organization already use more than 1 of the social networking tools listed above.  And, it seems like ArtistData intends to expand its offerings and resources as time goes on.  Sites such as Amie Street, BETA Records, Buzznet, FameCast, and Hooka/indie911 are on tap to be added to those sent performance info.

Oh, it's free, by the way (at least for now).

I am really interested to see if, in the near future, a similar technology is developed for visual, graphic, and illustrative artists to help them manage their profiles, exhibition information, and work sample images across the plethora of social networking sites that cater to them.

Props to Mashable! for tipping me off to ArtistData.