"Tech As Art: Supporting Artists Who Use Technology as a Creative Medium" report launch event.
THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS RA JOY. HEY. HELLO EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS RA JOY. I SERVE AS A CHIEF OF STAFF AT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AND I'M VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME YOU TO TODAY'S GATHERING ON TECH AS ART. AT A TIME OF ENORMOUS CONSEQUENCE FOR OUR COUNTRY AND AT A TIME WHEN WE ALL NEED WHAT ART BRINGS US, THE ARTS ENDOWMENT IS PLEASED TO RELEASE THE REPORT TECH AS ART: SUPPORTING ARTISTS WHO USE TECHNOLOGY AS A CREATIVE MEDIUM. YOU CAN READ AND DOWNLOAD THE REPORT ON OUR WEBSITE AT ARTS.GOV. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I APPRECIATE ABOUT THIS FIELD SCAN AND RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT. FIRST AND
FOREMOST, IT HELPS PEOPLE MORE FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW ARTISTS ARE INCORPORATING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES INTO THEIR ARTISTIC PRACTICE. IT ALSO UNPACKS THE CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM THAT SURROUNDS THIS PRACTICE INCLUDING CURRENT AND POTENTIAL SOURCES OF SUPPORT. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR PHENOMENAL PARTNERS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS FIELD SCAN AND PUBLICATION POSSIBLE.
WE ARE SO, SO GRATEFUL TO THE FORD FOUNDATION AND THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION FOR JOINING FORCES WITH US ON THIS PROJECT. WE ARE PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY THEM TODAY ALONG WITH OTHER PRACTITIONERS TO DISCUSS WAYS THAT ARTISTS ARE ACTIVELY CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUILDING EQUITY AND FAIRNESS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. HERE AT THE ARTS ENDOWMENT WE HAVE DEEPENED OUR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT PROJECTS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY THROUGH OUR FLAGSHIP GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS PROGRAM IN THE MEDIA ARTS DISCIPLINE. WE ENCOURAGE APPLICATIONS FOR PROJECTS OF ALL SIZES FROM A VARIETY OF ORGANIZATIONS LARGE AND SMALL, IN RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES ALIKE. TODAY, IN ADDITION TO HEARING FROM PROMINENT ARTISTS AND FUNDERS, YOU'LL ALSO BE HEARING FROM A DYNAMIC DUO OF NEA STAFF MEMBERS LEADING UP THIS IMPORTANT WORK.
CHANCES ARE IF YOU'RE ZOOMING IN TODAY YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH JAX DELUCA, OUR DIRECTOR OF MEDIA ARTS. JAX IS AN ABSOLUTE JOY TO WORK WITH AND SHE IS A FORCE OF NATURE WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPORTING ARTISTIC PRACTICES IN FILM, VIDEO, AUDIO, IMMERSIVE MEDIA, AND OTHER EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. AT THIS POINT I'M PLEASED TO PASS THE MIC TO A KEY COLLABORATOR WITH JAX AT THE NEA ON THIS PROJECT TO TALK ABOUT WHY THIS AREA OF RESEARCH WAS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO THE ARTS ENDOWMENT. I'M NOW PLEASED TO INTRODUCE THE NEA'S DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS, SUNIL IYENGAR. SUNIL TAKE IT AWAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, RA. IT GIVES ME A GREAT PLEASURE TO APPEAR ON BEHALF OF THE NEA'S OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS AT THE LAUNCH OF THIS REPORT, TECH AS ART, WHICH HAS BEEN A LONG TIME IN THE MAKING. THIS ALL BEGAN MORE THAN THREE YEARS AGO WHEN JAX DELUCA, OUR VISIONARY DIRECTOR
OF MEDIA ARTS - YOU'LL HEAR FROM JAX IN A BIT -APPROACHED OUR TEAM AND ASKED HOW WE MIGHT GET OUR HANDS AROUND THE GROWING INFLUX OF ARTWORK THAT IS MADE USING TECHNOLOGY WHERE TECHNOLOGY IS IN FACT A CREATIVE MEDIUM. HER ENTHUSIASM WAS INFECTIOUS TO SAY THE LEAST. BUT MORE IMPORTANT SHE WAS ABLE TO CITE AND SHOW SPECIFIC EXAMPLES SO MY TEAM COULD BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE MEANT CREATIVE USES OF CODE, COMPUTATION, AND DATA TOOL BUILDING BY ARTISTS, FOR ARTISTS, AND OF COURSE VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY. BUT RATHER THAN JUST TAKE STOCK OF THESE INNOVATIONS IN THE ARTS, JAX WANTED TO GO A STEP FURTHER TO UNDERSTAND AND CLARIFY NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORKERS IN THIS EMERGENT FIELD OF PRACTICE. SHE WANTED TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THEM, IN OTHER WORDS. THIS LED TO MULTIPLE ROUNDTABLES WERE CONDUCTED AROUND THE COUNTRY AS PART OF THE OVERALL FIELD SCAN.
WE ARE FORTUNATE TO ENGAGE THE GROUP EIGHT BRIDGES FOR THIS WORK. THANKS TO THE TEAM THERE - SARAH LUTMAN, JESSICA CLARK, JESSICA FIALA, AND PATRICIA JOHNSON. AND THE WORK WAS GUIDED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY BY THE NEA MEDIA ARTS TEAM AND BY THE NEA'S DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS PATRICIA MOORE SHAFFER. I WANT TO THANK DR. SCHAEFER AND ALSO PATRICIA GERMANN WHO HELPED AT THE LATER STAGE OF THE REPORT'S DEVELOPMENT. I SHOULD TELL YOU WHY APART FROM THE BENEFIT FOR THE NEA'S MEDIA ARTS DIVISION THIS WAS SUCH A BECKONING RESEARCH TOPIC FOR OUR OFFICE. ONE - FOR DECADES WE'VE
BEEN TRACKING AND REPORTING NATIONAL STATISTICS ABOUT ARTISTS IN THE WORKFORCE INCLUDING THEIR HIGH RATES OF SELF-EMPLOYMENT AND PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT, AND DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS. YET HERE WAS A GROUP ABOUT WHOM WE KNOW, WE KNEW VERY LITTLE. WE DON'T ROUTINELY TRACK THESE ARTISTS AS A UNIQUE CATEGORY. THIS REPORT GAVE US A CHANCE TO EXPLORE HOW THEY MIGHT BE SIMILAR TO AND DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TYPES OF ARTISTS IN TERMS OF BACKGROUND AND TRAINING.
TWO - THE NEA'S RESEARCH TEAM HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK AROUND CROSS-SECTORAL PARTNERSHIPS IN THE ARTS, STUDIES OF THE ARTS AND HEALTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND IN MANUFACTURING, FOR EXAMPLE. TECH-CENTERED ARTISTS ARE OFTEN INHERENTLY CROSS-SECTORAL, NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY FUSE ART WITH TECHNOLOGY BUT BY THE SPACES THEY INHABIT IN SCIENCE, EDUCATION, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND MANY MORE. THREE - THE STUDY COINCIDED WITH AN ITEM ON OUR FIVE-YEAR RESEARCH AGENDA WHERE WE PROPOSE TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN ARTS PARTICIPATION MORE BROADLY. RECENT NUMBERS SUGGEST
THAT WEB STREAMING AND WEB PUBLISHING ARE THE MOST RAPIDLY GROWING SEGMENT OF THE US ECONOMY, ARTS ECONOMY, AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS. A PATTERN THAT LIKELY HAS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. WE SAW ARTS ORGANIZATIONS OF ALL BUDGETS, SIZES, AND FIELDS ACCELERATE THEIR OWN USE OF DIGITAL AND VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGIES AND SPACES AND NOW IT SEEMED RIGHT TO HEAR FROM ARTISTS WHO HAVE BEEN INNOVATING IN THOSE SPACES FOR YEARS BUT WHO STILL FACE MANY OF THE SAME INEQUITIES ELSEWHERE IN THE ARTS ECOSYSTEM, SOME VERY SPECIFIC TO DIGITAL ACCESS AND COMMUNITIES THAT PRESENT HURDLES FOR NEW POTENTIAL GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS, ARTS LEARNERS, AND ARTS PARTICIPANTS. UNLIKE MANY OTHER NEA RESEARCH REPORTS THIS ONE COMES WITH EVIDENCE-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUNDERS AND PRACTITIONERS. THIS IS IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY AS THE NEA COMPLETES ITS STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS COVERING THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. ALSO, I KNOW THAT JAX AND I ARE INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO THE FORD FOUNDATION AND THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION FOR THEIR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY WITH US. THEREFORE, IT'S GOOD TO BE ABLE TO INTRODUCE MARGARET MORTON,
DIRECTOR OF THE CREATIVITY AND FREE EXPRESSION TEAM AT THE FORD FOUNDATION. MARGARET. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SUNIL. AND THANK YOU RA AND JAX AND MY COLLEAGUES AT THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION AND ALL OF THE ARTISTS AND CONSULTANTS INVOLVED IN MAKING THIS REPORT POSSIBLE. WE TOO HAVE
ACTUALLY REALLY LOOKED FORWARD TO THE RESULTS OF THIS REPORT SINCE WE LEARNED THAT JAX WAS, HAD REALLY PROPOSED IT AND, AND THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION WAS INITIALLY INVOLVED. WE WORK AT THE FORD FOUNDATION IN OUR CREATIVE SECTOR ACROSS THE ARTS, DOCUMENTARY FILM, MEDIA AND JOURNALISM. AND WE KNEW, AND KNOW, THAT THERE, THERE ARE SORT OF RISING CREATORS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THIS SPACE. WE ALSO KNOW THAT IN OUR HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES THERE'S BEEN AN UNDER CAPITALIZATION OF CREATORS AND ENTITIES THAT ARE THAT SERVE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND, AND, WE REALLY, REALLY WELCOME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO AT THE GROUND LEVEL BE ABLE TO LEARN TOGETHER ACROSS GOVERNMENT AND PHILANTHROPY WHO, WHO IS WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THIS SPACE. SO THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US FROM A STANDPOINT OF EQUITY. WE ALSO HAVE LEARNED THROUGH OUR LARGER WORK IN THE TECHNOLOGY SPACE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE DIGITAL REALM HOLDS AN IMPORTANT AREA FOR INFLUENCE ON EVERYTHING FROM CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TO HOW WE ASSERT POWER, AND, AND HOW WE HOW WE WORK TOGETHER ON EVERYTHING FROM VOTING TO ASSERTING OUR RIGHTS. AND IT'S ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT THAT WE, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE CREATORS WHO REALLY DO WORK IN THE SOCIAL JUSTICE REALM WHO ARE INCREASINGLY WORKING IN THE DIGITAL SPACE.
AND IT JUST HOLDS A PLACE OF GREAT INFLUENCE FOR OUR WORK ACROSS THE WORLD. SO I THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND COMMEND EVERYONE ON THE RESULTS OF THIS REPORT THAT REALLY EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT IT HOLDS FOR US, WHAT IT'S TAUGHT US, AND WHAT IT HOLDS FOR US. THANK YOU. HI. I'M COVIN SMITH, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ARTS AT THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION AND I'D JUST LIKE TO QUICKLY ECHO MARGARET'S COMMENTS. YOU KNOW, ACROSS ALL ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES TECHNOLOGY WE KNOW PLAYS A ROLE IN THE WAY OUR WORK IS PRODUCED, CONSUMED, AND DISTRIBUTED AND DESPITE THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED PROJECTS WE FEEL THAT INVESTMENT IN THE INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY IS AN UNDERSIZED PORTION OF THE LARGER CONTEMPORARY ARTS FUNDING LANDSCAPE. AND SO THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING THIS REPORT HAS REALLY HELPED US TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT LANDSCAPE AND TO MORE ACCURATELY IDENTIFY WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES MAY LIE. AND SO WITH THAT I JUST
DO WANT TO SAY, ADD TO THE, THE CHORUS OF PRAISE FOR JAX DELUCA WITHOUT WHOM THIS REPORT WOULDN'T EXIST. ADDITIONAL THANKS TO SARAH LUTTMAN AND THE BRIDGES TEAM WHO ARE FANTASTIC. OF COURSE, OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE FORD FOUNDATION. AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO FORMER NIGHT COLLEAGUE CHRIS BARR WHO BROUGHT THIS PROJECT TO KNIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE AND WHO IT IS HAS BEEN MY PRIVILEGE TO, TO SIT IN HIS SEAT HERE ON THIS PROJECT. AND SO THANK YOU. AND WITH THAT I'LL HAND IT OVER TO JAX.
THANK YOU, COVIN. ON BEHALF OF THE ARTS ENDOWMENT WE'RE, WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF KNIGHT FOUNDATION AND FORD FOUNDATION FOR THIS INITIATIVE INCLUDING SALOME ASEGA WHO WAS THE TECHNOLOGY FELLOW AT FORD FOUNDATION WHO REALLY HELPED INITIATE THIS WORK. AND CHRIS BARR AT THE, FORMERLY OF THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION. LIKE MY COLLEAGUES I'D ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE EIGHT BRIDGES WORKSHOP AND DOT CONNECTOR STUDIO AS WELL AS OUR AMAZING COLLEAGUES AND TEAM MEMBERS WHO POURED COUNTLESS HOURS INTO THIS REPORT AT THE ARTS ENDOWMENT. SO
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS RESEARCH A REALITY. AS A MEDIA ARTS DIRECTOR AT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS IT'S REALLY A DREAM TO FINALLY CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF THIS NEW PUBLICATION KNOWING THAT THE FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY-FOCUSED ARTS IS A FREQUENTLY UNDER-RESOURCED AND RATHER OPAQUE ARTS PRACTICE. WE REALLY FELT THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS INITIATIVE WAS ESSENTIAL TO BRING GREATER VISIBILITY TO THE MANY WAYS THAT ARTISTS EXPLORE TECHNOLOGY AS A CREATIVE MEDIUM. AS SUNIL MENTIONED, FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS WE'VE INTERVIEWED AND CONVENED MORE THAN A HUNDRED ARTISTS AND PRACTITIONERS TO SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE THAT INFORMS THIS REPORT.
SO IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE CONTRIBUTORS PLEASE KNOW THAT WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE VISIBILITY OF YOUR WORK AND TO SHARE THE VALUE OF YOUR CREATIVE PRACTICE WITH THE BROADER ARTS AND CULTURAL FIELD. THIS REPORT SIMPLY WOULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT YOU. THROUGHOUT TODAY'S EVENT, IF YOU'RE AN ARTIST OR ORGANIZATION WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY, WE INVITE YOU TO USE THE HASHTAG TECH AS ART AND TAG AT NEA ARTS ON INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER TO SHARE YOUR OWN WORK. DURING TODAY'S EVENT YOU'RE GOING TO GET A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE REPORT WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE. BUT WHAT REALLY MAKES TODAY SO SPECIAL IS THAT WE HAVE PAIRED SIX EXTRAORDINARY ARTISTS AND PRACTITIONERS IN THREE SEPARATE CONVERSATIONS TO ILLUMINATE ASPECTS OF THE REPORT FINDINGS AND PROVIDE A DEEPER INSIGHT INTO THE CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM EXISTING AT THIS INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY.
AFTER THESE CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE FOUR VERY SPECIAL GUESTS WHO WILL DO A BRIEF ROUNDUP OF RESOURCES FOR THE FIELD, SO BE SURE TO STICK AROUND AFTER THESE CONVERSATIONS. AND NOW I'M NOW I'M GOING TO PASS THIS OVER TO OUR INCREDIBLE AND LOVELY EVENT MC, HRAG VARTANIAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE BROOKLYN-BASED ONLINE NEWS FORUM FOR THE ARTS, HYPERALLERGIC. HRAG, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S A PLEASURE. SO JAX GAVE YOU AN OUTLINE OF WHAT WE'LL BE DOING TODAY AND THE THREE CONVERSATIONS WE'LL BE HAVING FOLLOWED BY SOME RESOURCES, HIGHLIGHTING SOME RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT KNOW.
BUT WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH A SHORT MESSAGE FROM JOHN MAEDA WHO PEOPLE IN THE ARTS AND TECH FIELD PROBABLY DON'T NEED AN INTRODUCTION TO, BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ONLY DISCOVERING HIS WORK, HE'S A PIONEERING TECHNOLOGIST WHO WORKS AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF TECH, ART, AND DESIGN. HIS RECENT BOOK HOW TO SPEAK MACHINE COMPUTATIONAL THINKING FOR THE REST OF US LOOKS AT THE LAWS THAT GOVERN COMPUTERS NOT ONLY TODAY BUT IMAGINES THOSE IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. SO LET'S GET STARTED. HI THERE. I'M JOHN MAEDA AND I'M DELIGHTED TO BE HERE TO REALLY EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS IN THE ARTS. IT'S A TOPIC THAT I THINK LIKE IN THE 80S WE KIND OF TOOK IT FOR GRANTED THAT IT MIGHT BECOME VALUABLE BUT NOBODY COULD DO IT. AND THEN WHEN I BEGAN
GOING DEEP IN THE 90S I BEGAN REALIZING THAT A LONG HISTORY OF PEOPLE THAT CAME BEFORE, PARTICULARLY FROM INDUSTRY, ARTISTS AND RESIDENTS THAT ENABLED WHAT WE SEE TODAY AS THE COMPUTER ANIMATION INDUSTRY, THE SOFTWARE INDUSTRY, THIS KIND OF COOL VIDEO TECHNOLOGY - EVEN SWITCHING TO LIKE PORTRAIT MODE - THESE KIND OF THINGS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF IT WASN'T FOR ARTISTS WHO WERE ENGAGED IN TECHNOLOGY CREATION, NOT JUST TECHNOLOGY USING, TECHNOLOGY CREATION. AND ACCESS TO THOSE TOOLS AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE THINGS APART, TAKE SOFTWARE APART, AND UNDERSTAND IT AND MAKE IT YOUR OWN, IS REALLY THE SECRET TO ORIGINALITY IN THIS REALLY INTERESTING DIGITAL/PHYSICAL CONVERGENCE WE'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW. AND SO IF WE DON'T MAKE COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS OPEN AND EASY TO MODIFY, TINKER WITH, A LOT OF BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN. AI CAN CONTAIN MORE BIASES, MORE ALGORITHMS CAN BE REALLY KIND OF A NARROW-FOCUSED ON JUST A FEW TYPES OF PEOPLE, NOT A GOOD THING FOR CULTURE BUSINESS, THE WORLD. SO THAT'S WHY I'M REALLY HOPEFUL THAT THIS NEW PUSH BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT OF THE ARTS TO PUT COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FRONT AND CENTER REALLY TAKES OFF. THINK ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY. PHOTOGRAPHY
WAS CHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL AND SO THERE WERE WAYS FOR ARTISTS TO TINKER WITH THAT FORMULA THAT IS NOW GONE IN THE COMPUTATIONAL ERA. YOU CAN'T OPEN UP THE THING INSIDE HERE SO EASILY, THE HARDWARE OR THE SOFTWARE. SO YOU CAN'T ASK LIKE HOW COULD IT WORK DIFFERENTLY? WHAT COULD IT SAY INSTEAD? AND THIS INNOVATION LOOP THAT CONNECTS THE ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE WEAKENED. NOT GOOD FOR THE STRATEGY OF THE UNITED STATES OR ANY COUNTRY FOR THAT MATTER. SO COMPUTATIONAL
TOOLS - LET'S MAKE THEM OPEN. I THINK THAT IF WE DID MORE OF THAT WE'D HAVE MORE INNOVATION. WHY DO WE NEED IT? BECAUSE SO MANY THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE ANYMORE, THEY'RE SO COMPLEX, THE PROBLEMS ARE FACING RIGHT NOW. THEY AREN'T JUST TWO THREE FOUR FIVE DIMENSIONAL THEY'RE LIKE A MILLION DIMENSIONS STRONG AND ARTISTS BEING ABLE TO CRACK OPEN COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS AND FIND NEW WAYS TO UNDERSTAND IT FOR TRANSFORMING INDUSTRY AND ALSO TRANSFORMING CULTURE THAT'S A, THAT'S PRETTY AMERICAN IF YOU, IF YOU ASK ME. SO, AGAIN, THANKS FOR HAVING ME HERE TO SAY A FEW WORDS. I AM IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT SPACE RIGHT NOW, I'M IN THE ENTERPRISE RESILIENCE WORLD. I AM SO FOND OF THE ARTS AND DESIGN, IT'S WHERE MY HOME AND PASSION IS TIED TO TECHNOLOGY AND WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT STEM TO STEAM WOULD BECOME SUCH A THING, HUH? LET'S KEEP STEAMING FORWARD EVERYONE. THANKS AGAIN.
GREAT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT JOHN MAEDA'S REMARKS IS THE FACT THAT IT, IT REALLY SORT OF REPRESENTS THE MULTI-DIRECTIONAL NATURE OF THESE COLLABORATIONS WE'RE GOING TO SEE AND HEAR ABOUT TODAY. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'M GOING TO ASK JAX DELUCA TO GIVE US A SENSE OF SOME OF THE REPORT FINDINGS AND THE THEMES THAT EMERGED. JAX IT'S ALL YOURS. ALL RIGHT LET'S DIG IN. I'M GOING TO SHARE MY SCREEN.
ALL RIGHT. SO HERE'S JUST THE COVER OF THE REPORT. SO WE HOPE THAT YOU DIG IN BY CLICKING THE LINK THAT'S IN THE CHAT BOX AND CHECK OUT THE FULL REPORT. IT'S NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD. BUT DON'T FORGET OUTSIDE OF THE REPORT WE ALSO HAVE 10 COMMISSIONED ESSAYS THAT COMPLEMENT THE REPORT. BUT BEFORE I GIVE YOU A SNEAK PREVIEW OF SOME OF THE ELEMENTS THAT WE GO OVER IN THIS PUBLICATION, I JUST WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS FIELD SCAN PROJECT AT LARGE. SO, AS SUNIL MENTIONED, OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO COLLECT DATA ON HOW ARTISTS ARE USING TECHNOLOGY AS A CREATIVE MEDIUM. AND THE PURPOSE FOR THAT WAS REALLY TO EDUCATE FUNDERS
AND SERVICE PROVIDERS AND TO STRENGTHEN THE SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY, HOPEFULLY BY LEVERAGING IMPROVED FUNDING AND PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES SUPPORTING THESE TECH-FOCUSED ARTS PRACTICES. WE ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO RAISE VISIBILITY AND AWARENESS OF THIS PRACTICE AS OFTENTIMES IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES ARTISTS ARE USING AND HOW THEY'RE USING IT. SO, FIRST, IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO LET YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT OF HOW WE CONDUCTED THE RESEARCH. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH A TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP COMPRISED OF FIELD EXPERTS TO PROVIDE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE. AND WE ALSO CONSULTED OVER 60 ARTISTS IN ROUNDTABLES THAT TOOK PLACE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. AND HERE YOU'LL SEE A RANGE OF ARTISTS FROM FILMMAKERS AND STORYTELLERS WORKING IN VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY TO THOSE WORKING IN EXPERIMENTAL, AUDIO-VISUAL PERFORMANCE, AND ALSO INTERNET-BASED ART. WE FOCUSED OUR FIELD SCAN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ARTISTS AND
THIS REALLY ALLOWED US TO UNCOVER THE WAYS THAT ARTISTS ARE ACTIVELY CHALLENGING THE ASSUMPTIONS OF TECHNOLOGY AND REALLY WORKING WITH TECHNOLOGY TO EXPLORE POWER DYNAMICS AND BUILD EQUITY WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES THROUGH SKILL-SHARING AND DISCOURSE. TOPICS THAT WE COVER IN THE REPORT GO OVER HOW ARTISTS ARE WORKING WITH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY BY WRITING CODE, VISUALIZING DATA, AND DEVELOPING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES. WE'RE ALSO TALKING A BIT IN THE REPORT HOW ARTISTS ARE BUILDING COMMUNITY BY DEVELOPING SHARED OPEN SOURCE TOOLS, ESTABLISHING ONLINE FORUMS FOR KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE, AND FOUNDING ORGANIZATIONS TO FACILITATE THE CREATIVITY OF OTHERS. SO THAT
WILL BE OF IMPORTANCE FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THE CREATIVE ECONOMY ASPECT OF THIS REPORT. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE REPORT COVERS HOW ARTISTS ARE CRITIQUING THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES ON DAILY LIFE THROUGH PROJECTS THAT QUESTION PERVASIVE PRACTICES SUCH AS DATA COLLECTION AND SURVEILLANCE AND THEIR DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. WE IDENTIFIED THREE MAIN OPPORTUNITIES OF WAYS TECH-CENTERED ARTISTS CAN BRING SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE AND THIS IS THROUGH CONNECTING AUDIENCES ACROSS PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL SPACES WHICH CERTAINLY BECAME MORE IMPORTANT DURING THIS TIME OF COVID-19. WE ALSO THINK THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TECH-CENTERED ARTISTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO ACCELERATED ACTION TO ADDRESS RACIAL INEQUITIES AND SOCIAL INJUSTICES. AND TEXT-CENTERED ARTISTS CAN ALSO BRING SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE IN ENGAGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO ADDRESS SOCIAL ISSUES AND BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDES THROUGH THEIR ARTS PROJECTS.
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TECH-FOCUSED ARTS PROJECTS AND PRACTICES WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING IN THIS REPORT ON CODE, COMPUTATION, AND DATA AND HOW THOSE HAVE BECOME ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCKS OF ARTISTIC CREATION. WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT HOW COMPUTATION AND DATA SERVE AS ARTISTIC MATERIALS. AND WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WAYS THAT CODE AND DATA PROVIDE A LENS TO INTERPRET AND VIEW THE WORLD. WE ALSO GIVE SPACE ON THE REPORT TO TOOL BUILDING WHICH WAS A SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC PURSUIT AND A VITAL FOUNDATION FOR CREATORS. SO, HOPEFULLY,
FOR SOME OF YOU WHO ARE TOOL BUILDERS THAT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A LITTLE SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR WORK AND PROCESS IN DEVELOPING CUSTOM SOFTWARE AND CUSTOM HARDWARE. SOME OF THE CONTEXTS AND DISCIPLINES FOR TECH-FOCUSED ARTS HAD THREE MAIN TAKEAWAYS. ONE OF THEM WAS THAT THERE'S FLUIDITY ACROSS ARTISTIC DISCIPLINES AND GENRES AND FORMATS. WE ALSO THOUGHT THAT THE PROJECTS AND THE EXPERIENCES EXIST WITHIN AND BETWEEN VIRTUAL AND SPACE, VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL SPACES WHICH CAN SOMETIMES MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE AND PINPOINT THE WORK. LAST BUT NOT LEAST WE GIVE SPACE IN THE REPORT TO EXAMINING THE WAYS THAT TRADITIONAL ARTS DISCIPLINES ARE AUGMENTED AND EXTENDED AND NOT REPLACED BY TECHNOLOGY.
TRADITIONAL DISCIPLINES SUCH AS DANCE, THEATER, AND MUSIC WERE FREQUENTLY AREAS ARTISTS WERE INFUSING WITH CODE AND COMPUTATION. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF ARTISTS WHO ARE PIONEERING NEW FORMS. IN THE REPORT WE GIVE A LOT OF SPACE TO HELPING OTHERS UNDERSTAND HOW TO NAVIGATE THE TECH-FOCUSED ART SPACE AND THERE ARE THREE INTERCONNECTED PILLARS OF SUPPORT. THAT'S IN-PERSON GATHERINGS, ONLINE RESOURCES AND COMMUNITIES, AND COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. EVEN THOUGH TECH-CENTERED ARTISTS FREQUENTLY RELIED ON INTERNET-BASED RESOURCES, PHYSICAL HUBS, AND TRADITIONAL IN-PERSON EVENTS SUCH AS EXHIBITIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND FESTIVALS STILL PLAYED AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL AND ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT.
IN THE REPORT WE LIST A FEW HUNDRED ORGANIZATIONS AND ENTITIES THAT FOCUS ON UPLIFTING TECH-FOCUSED ARTS PRACTICES, AND THIS IS JUST A SAMPLE OF SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS LISTED IN THE REPORT. AND THESE ARE ALL THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE STARTED BY ARTISTS TO FILL GAPS IN THE ARTS INFRASTRUCTURE. THE REPORT ALSO GOES OVER HOW ORGANIZATIONS SERVE AS ENTRY POINTS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES AND TECHNOLOGY.
AFROTECTOPIA, CODE LIBERATION, AND COLOR-CODED ARE THREE EXAMPLES OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. WE ALSO HAVE NINE ARTIST CASE STUDIES THAT PROFILE ARTISTS WORKING IN TECHNOLOGY AND SO I'M JUST GOING TO SCROLL THROUGH A FEW OF THE CASE STUDY ARTISTS TO GIVE YOU A TASTE OF WHO IS IN THE REPORT. AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS ENOUGH TO GET YOU EXCITED TO GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS OF THESE ARTISTS AND ALSO READ THROUGH THE REPORT WHICH IS OVER 150 PAGES LONG. AND THE REPORT ALSO NOT ONLY CAPTURES THE WAY ARTISTS ARE WORKING WITH TECHNOLOGY
AND LOOKING AT THEIR ECOSYSTEM, WE DO PROVIDE A SYNOPSIS OF ARTIST CHALLENGES. AND WHAT WE DISCOVERED WAS MORE INFRASTRUCTURE SERVING ARTISTS AS NEEDED SUCH AS TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT ACCESS, ARTISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, AND MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE AND EXHIBIT WORK AT SCALE. ALSO FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ARTISTS THERE WERE CERTAIN CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACED WHEN WORKING WITHIN THE ARTS AND CULTURAL SPHERE AND IT REALLY WAS A FLAG FOR US THAT MORE INFRASTRUCTURE IS NEEDED TO DEVELOP ORGANIZATION CAPACITY TO SERVE ARTISTS WORKING AT THAT INTERSECTION OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY. SO THAT GOES FROM STAFF EXPERTISE TO DEVELOPING MORE TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND BUILDING OUT MORE PROGRAM SUPPORT AND NETWORKS. IN THE REPORT WE DO HAVE A WHOLE SECTION FOR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOTH THE ARTS AND NON-ARTS SECTORS AND THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY 10 COMMISSIONED ESSAYS FROM ARTS PRACTITIONERS IN THE FIELD. SO WE HOPE THAT YOU ALSO READ THOSE. AND THAT IS JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE OF WHAT'S IN THE REPORT. AND I'M GOING TO PASS THIS BACK OVER TO HRAG.
GREAT. THANK YOU, JAX. IT'S GREAT. EVERYONE SHOULD BE CHECKING OUT THE, THE REPORT AND THE LINK AS WAS MENTIONED IS IN THE CHAT FOR THOSE WHO NEED. SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THE FIRST CONVERSATION WHICH FOCUSES ON THE THEME OF ACCESS AND COMMUNITY AND SPECIFICALLY QUESTIONS SUCH AS HOW TO TECH-CENTERED ARTISTS ENGAGE COMMUNITIES TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. SO WE HAVE TWO PARTICIPANTS - THE FIRST, STEPHANIE DINKINS, IS A TRANSMEDIA ARTIST WHO CREATES PLATFORMS FOR DIALOGUE ABOUT RACE, GENDER, AGING, AND OUR FUTURE. HISTORIANS. DINKINS
ART PRACTICE EMPLOYS EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, DOCUMENTARY PRACTICES, AND SOCIAL COLLABORATION TOWARDS EQUITY AND COMMUNITY SOVEREIGNTY. SHE'S ALSO GOING TO BE JOINED BY AMILIA WINGER-BEARSKIN WHO IS AN ARTIST WHO HAS MADE WORK WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. SHE IS A BANK'S ENDOWED PREEMINENT CHAIR AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ART OF OUR, OF OUR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA DIGITAL WORLDS INSTITUTE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING SOME SHORT VIDEOS AND THEN THE CONVERSATION WILL BE CONTINUING. I GOT INTO CODING BECAUSE I WANTED TO DO THINGS THAT I COULDN'T DO BY MYSELF. AND BEING ABLE TO COLLABORATE WITH MACHINES MEANT THAT I COULD DO THINGS THAT I DO POORLY FASTER AND THEN I COULD DO THINGS THAT MACHINES DO POORLY BETTER. THE FIRST PLACE I STARTED PERFORMING WAS WITH MY MOM WHO'S A STORYTELLER FROM THE HAUDI NISHONI CONFEDERACY. I WOULD PLAY THE IROQUOIS RATTLE AND DRUM WHILE SHE TOLD STORIES. I THEN BECAME A CLASSICALLY TRAINED OPERA SINGER. I STARTED COMPOSING AND DIRECTING AND
MAKING MORE AND MORE EMERGING TECHNOLOGY MIXED WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE AND OPERA AND KIND OF ENDED UP IN MUSEUMS. NOWADAYS, I USED A LOT OF DIFFERENT MEDIA, AR, AND VR OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA TO TELL STORIES, CO-CREATING WITH OTHER TYPES OF NON-HUMAN SYSTEMS AS AN ARTIST OR AS AN ACTIVIST, I LOOK AT THE WAY THAT THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY WAS BUILT. WE SAID THAT ANYTHING THAT I'M DOING NOW IS THE RESULT OF SEVEN GENERATIONS BEHIND ME. ANYTHING I DO WILL HAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON THE SEVEN GENERATIONS AHEAD OF ME. WE USE STORIES AS A WAY OF TAKING VALUES AND ETHICS AND PUTTING THEM INTO THE CORE OF INNOVATION. I STARTED LOOKING AT
THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE WE HAVE NOW - HOW DO I TAKE INFORMATION AND ENCODE IT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS? A LOT OF MY WORK IS REALLY ABOUT CREATING AN ETHICAL FRAMEWORK FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN AND ARTICULATION OF VALUES AND ETHICS WITHIN TECHNOLOGIES WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE NEED TO FUTURE-PROOF THESE. THERE'S A NOTION THAT THE TECHNOLOGY WE'VE CREATED NOW HAS OUTRUN US. NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO REGULATE IT. WE ACCIDENTALLY OPENED THIS PANDORA'S BOX AND WE CAN'T GET IT ALL BACK INSIDE. BUT, ACTUALLY, WE CAN CHOOSE TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD A MORE JUST WORLD,
A MORE EQUITABLE WORLD. WE CAN DEMAND THAT. WE CAN SAY THAT WE WANT ALGORITHMS THAT ARE HUMAN-CENTERED, THAT ARE FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT, THAT ARE PRO-DEMOCRACY. WE CAN ARTICULATE THE VALUES WE WANT TO SEE IN TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATE THOSE TO SEVEN GENERATIONS IN THE FUTURE. WHAT DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THE CULTURE AND SOCIAL NETWORK THAT WE'RE CREATING? HI, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS STEPHANIE DINKINS. I'M A TRANSMEDIA ARTIST AND KUSAMA PROFESSOR OF ART AT STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY. MY ART PRACTICE IS CENTERED ON EXPLORATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE AND OTHER FAR-REACHING TECHNOLOGIES AS THEY INTERSECT IDEAS OF RACE, AGING, GENDER, AND OUR FUTURE HISTORIES. I'LL START WITH A PIVOTAL PROJECT CALLED CONVERSATIONS WITH BINA48. IN THIS PROJECT I FIND MYSELF INTERVIEWING A ROBOT THAT MIMICS MY IDENTITY. IT LEFT ME VERY WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT THE TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE WOULD HAVE ON BLACK COMMUNITIES AND OTHER BIPOC FOLKS. AM I A REFLECTION OF YOU? I THOUGHT YOU WERE BUT I WASN'T COMPLETELY SURE. WHY DID YOU THINK THAT? I WAS GOING ON A HUNCH. ARE YOU A REFLECTION OF ME? IN SOME WAYS I AM A MIRROR OF YOU.
CONVERSATIONS WITH BINA48 LED TO THE PRODUCTION OF MY VERY OWN TALKING AI ENTITY. NOT THE ONLY ONE IS MY ATTEMPT AT MAKING A CONVERSATIONAL CHAT BOT BASED ON THREE GENERATIONS OF WOMEN FROM MY FAMILY. THE DATA THAT INFORMS N2 ARE ORAL HISTORIES BETWEEN US. THE PROJECT IS TEACHING ME A LOT ABOUT HOW THE SHIFT TO CARE-BASED COMMUNITY-CREATED DATA CAN HELP TRANSFORM ALGORITHMIC SYSTEMS. THANK YOU. SO IF WE CAN BE JOINED BY BOTH OF THE SPEAKERS, AMELIA AND STEPHANIE. GREAT. SO I GUESS I'M GONNA START WITH THE FIRST QUESTION FOR YOU STEPHANIE. SINCE YOUR WORK
CERTAINLY, I MEAN I THINK, THERE'S A LOT OF COMMONALITIES IN BOTH YOUR WORK. BUT IN YOUR IN CASE OF YOUR WORK I'M WONDERING HOW YOU SEE SOME OF THE DIVIDES BEING BRIDGED WITH ART AND TECHNOLOGY IN A WAY THAT ART THAT DOESN'T USE TECHNOLOGY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO? AND I'M WONDERING WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES YOU'RE SEEING WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO CREATE THESE BRIDGES BETWEEN COMMUNITIES AND EVEN WITH THE FUTURE, TO BE FRANK? WOW, THAT'S A BIG QUESTION, RIGHT. AND, AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I, I GO OH I DON'T THINK THEY ARE BEING BRIDGED IN MANY WAYS, RIGHT. A LOT OF TIMES FOR ME IT'S ABOUT THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S COMING AT US AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LEFT BEHIND OR NOT TRYING TO COMMUNICATE AND PARTICIPATE IN THE CREATION OF THESE SYSTEMS THAT ARE SUPPORTING SOCIETY. THAT SEEMS LIKE REALLY DETRIMENTAL AND, AND HONESTLY DEADLY IN A LOT OF WAYS TO ME, RIGHT. SO MY IDEA IS TO JUST START ENGAGING EVEN FROM MY OWN POSITION AS A PERSON WHO BARELY CLAIMS TECHNOLOGISTS AS, AS A WAY OF BEING IN THE WORLD BUT SOMEONE WHO IS A TINKERER AND A CRAFTER. AND I THINK
MOST PEOPLE CAN BE TINKERERS AND CRAFTERS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AND IF DEDICATED ENOUGH CAN START TO PLAY. BUT ALSO CALLING COMMUNITIES ATTENTION TO THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENING AROUND US THAT ARE EMBEDDING, RIGHT, THE WAYS THAT WE INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER ON MANY, MANY, MANY, LEVELS. AND SO IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT AND I'VE SEEN THAT GROW FROM 2014 TO NOW AND THEN THINK ABOUT STRATEGIES OF HOW WE DEAL WITH IT. IS IT ALL ABOUT REFUSAL?
IS IT ABOUT ENGAGEMENT? WHAT DO WE THINK WE NEED TO DO SO THAT WE DO HAVE FOOTING IN THE FUTURE? GREAT. AND AMELIA I'M GOING TO ASK YOU THE SAME QUESTION, THEN ADD, IN IN YOUR PRESENTATION IT WAS REALLY FASCINATING TO HEAR ABOUT THE SEVEN GENERATIONS BECAUSE THAT IS SUCH AN ENCOMPASSING IDEA. AND I'M WONDERING HOW THAT CHANGES YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO TECHNOLOGY IN GENERAL THAT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT FROM SOME OF YOUR OTHER COLLEAGUES? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. YOU KNOW I LOOK THROUGH THE WORK, AT THE WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY THROUGH AN INDIGENOUS LENS. THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. AND THINKING ABOUT SEVEN GENERATIONS YOU KNOW WHEN I BUILD A WEBSITE RIGHT NOW AND I IMAGINE EXPLAINING IT TO A DEVELOPER A YEAR FROM NOW, RIGHT, I WOULD HAVE TO KIND OF TALK TO THEM A LOT ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN I BUILT IT, RIGHT, THESE WERE THE DEPENDENCIES I HAD, THIS IS THE KIND OF CODE, MAYBE THE BROWSER WAS LIKE THIS, THERE WAS A POPULAR WAY OF INTERACTING WITH WEBSITES AND THAT'S WHY I BUILT IT IN THIS WAY.
NOW WHAT ABOUT FIVE YEARS, TEN YEARS, AND THEN SEVEN GENERATIONS, RIGHT, AT THAT POINT WHEN I'M EXPLAINING TO SOMEONE WELL WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO WITH THIS WEB-BASED ART IN SEVEN GENERATIONS FROM NOW. I ACTUALLY HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT EMBEDDING WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I WANTED - WAS IT ABOUT THIS JAVASCRIPT LIBRARY OR WAS IT ACTUALLY ABOUT THE VALUES AND ETHICS OF MY COMMUNITY AND CREATING SOMETHING FOR MY COMMUNITY THAT COULD LAST THAT. AND I WANT THEM TO CARRY FORWARD, THAT I WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE VALUES, THE ETHICS, AND WHY I CREATED THIS AND WHAT INFORMATION I'M CARRYING FORWARD FROM MY ANCESTORS AS WELL. AND THAT WAY ART IS A REALLY PERFECT WAY OF DOING THAT BECAUSE IT UNDERSTANDS ABSTRACTION AND IT UNDERSTANDS IMAGINING SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE AND CONNECTING IT TO THE NOW AND TO THE BEFORE. ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY.
NOW STEPHANIE - IN, IN TERMS OF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IMPRESSED ME GREATLY ABOUT YOUR VIDEO WAS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NOTION OF THE WAY YOU USE AESTHETICS TO AMPLIFY THE DIFFERENT MESSAGES. AND, YOU KNOW, AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THIS REPORT THAT I THINK IS REALLY INTERESTING IS THE NOTION OF ECOSYSTEMS, RIGHT, AND THE ECOSYSTEMS OF CREATION. SO I'M WONDERING HOW PERHAPS THE ART FIELD HAS PERHAPS FAILED YOU IN A WAY, IN SOME WAYS DEALING WITH TECHNOLOGY? IF THERE ARE WAYS THAT YOU SEE YOU KNOW THAT COULD BE MORE EFFICIENT. AND I'M GOING TO ASK THE SAME QUESTION OF YOU EMILIA AS WELL. OH GREAT QUESTION, RIGHT. AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN AN
ANOMALY FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME UNTIL I GOT TO NEW INC IN, IN 2014 OR SO 2016. LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN ALL THESE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE DID NOT QUITE UNDERSTAND ME. IT'S LIKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING AND WHY ARE YOU DOING IT? AND MY ANSWER IS, IS USUALLY THE ANSWER THAT AMELIA JUST GAVE, RIGHT, LIKE THINKING ABOUT THE, THE ETHICS AND THE VALUE SYSTEMS THAT GO INTO A FUTURE AND HOW I CAN AS MYSELF BEST COMMUNICATE THOSE TO SOME EXTENT. AND IT'S SUPER INTERESTING TO ME BECAUSE NOW, RIGHT, PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO UNDERSTAND ME IN A DIFFERENT WAY. BUT I'M ALSO CLAIMED BY MANY,
MANY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. SO I HAVE A SLIDE THAT LISTS ME AS AN AI ARTIST, A CODER, DATA SCIENCE, THEORY, ETHICS LIKE THESE ARE JOURNALISM LIKE I LOVE THAT I'VE BEEN ACCUSED OF ACTS OF JOURNALISM, RIGHT? SO ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE KIND OF PULLING ME IN, IN THIS DIFFERENT WAYS FROM THESE PERSPECTIVES. SO THERE'S FINALLY THIS CONVERGENCE OF A KIND OF LARGER INTEREST PLUS THE ART. BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S A HARD, IT'S BEEN A HARD AND SLOW ROAD BECAUSE OF THE AESTHETICS, AND REALLY FOR ME WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THE WAYS IN WHICH WE INTERSECT SOCIETY. AND SO MY AESTHETICS ALSO SHIFT ALL THE TIME BECAUSE
IT'S ABOUT WHAT I FEEL WILL BEST WORK AT THE MOMENT AS OPPOSED TO WHATEVER MEDIUM. AND SO AMELIA DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? WELL, I I'VE BEEN REALLY LUCKY TO BE IN COMMUNITY WITH STEPHANIE FOR THESE YEARS AND SO I DEFINITELY NEVER FELT ALONE HAVING YOU IN THIS SPACE WITH ME, STEPHANIE. I, I'M JUST AN INCREDIBLE FAN OF ALL YOUR WORK. AND YOU'RE SO INSPIRING. YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO JOKE THAT I'VE BEEN DOING THE SAME THING BUT PEOPLE SAY THAT A DIFFERENT NAME FOR IT, YOU KNOW. SO I STARTED OUT AS AN OPERA SINGER AND MY WORK BECAME INCREASINGLY MORE TECH HIJACKED UNTIL PEOPLE ARE LIKE, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'RE A PERFORMANCE ARTIST. I'M LIKE, SURE. AND THEN LATER THEY'RE LIKE TRANSMEDIA ARTISTS. FINE. OKAY. LATER YOU KNOW AN AIR. YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN DOING THE SAME
THING, RIGHT, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO COMMUNICATE MY VALUES TO FUTURE GENERATIONS, TO BE A STORYTELLER, USING WHAT I KNOW BEST WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THIS KIND OF MIX MASH OF AN INTERSECTION OF THE ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY. AND YOU KNOW I COME BY IT HONESTLY OR DISHONESTLY WITH MY MOTHER AS A, AS A TRADITIONAL STORYTELLER BUT MY FATHER WAS A TECHNOLOGIST AND, AND WORKED FOR KODAK. AND BOTH OF THEM WERE ALWAYS PULLING ME IN THESE DIRECTIONS OF LIKE HERE DO THIS ON A COMPUTER SAYS MY DAD, MY MOM SAYS YOU KNOW BUILD THAT INTO A STORY AND, AND TRANSCEND THE COLONIZED VIEW OF THE WORLD, RIGHT, AND SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'VE EVER DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENT OR, OR HAD A LACK OF COMMUNITY BECAUSE THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WEIRDOS LIKE MYSELF COLLABORATING WITH ME THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE TIME. BUT IT IS TRUE THAT THERE ARE MOMENTS OF SPOTLIGHT AND INTEREST AND THEN AND THEN IT FADES AND YET WE ARE STILL HERE AS A COMMUNITY. THE, THE STEPHANIES AND MYSELF HAVE BEEN MAKING THIS WORK OUR WHOLE LIVES AND WE LOVE IT AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO IT WHETHER THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON US OR NOT.
WE DO NEED EACH OF YOUR HELP IN MAKING SURE THAT, THAT NEXT GENERATION OF AMELIA AND STEPHANIE'S HAVE A SPACE, HAVE THE SPACE TO PLAY AS WE HAVE HAD. GREAT. THEY'RE HERE. THAT WAS BRILLIANT. SO STEPHANIE, IN YOUR CASE IN THE, IN THAT SCULPTURE THAT WE, THAT WE SAW AT THE END, THAT YOU CREATED - NOW WHEN YOU, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S SOMETHING THAT FUNCTIONS IN THE GALLERY SPACE. NOW HOW DO YOU DECIDE IN TERMS OF THE VIRTUAL VERSUS THE PHYSICAL AND, AND WHERE, WHERE DO WHERE DO THOSE BOUNDARIES, WHERE ARE THEY FOR YOU IN TERMS OF HOW IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE, WITH THIS HISTORY OR STORIES OR OR THESE DIFFERENT THINGS AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A VIRTUAL? I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. LIKE I'M STARTING TO THINK OF THE VIRTUAL AS MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT ONLY BECAUSE I CAN MAKE IT OPENLY AVAILABLE. SO THE LAST FEW PROJECTS I'VE DONE ARE NOW OPENLY AVAILABLE AS WEB XR PIECES WHICH MEANS THAT PEOPLE ANYWHERE AS LONG AS THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET CAN COME AND PARTAKE AND PARTICIPATE IN THEM. AND THAT THOUGHT IS SUPER GRATIFYING TO ME,
RIGHT, AND, AND IT REALLY COMES OUT OF AN EXPERIENCE THAT I HAD AT RECESS GALLERY DOWNTOWN WORKING WITH KIDS HERE IN BROOKLYN WHO I BROUGHT IN A VR HEADSET AND THEY HAD NEVER SEEN ONE AND THIS WAS TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO RIGHT. AND I THINK VERY MUCH ABOUT WELL HOW DO YOU CREATE SOMETHING THAT YOU'VE NEVER EVEN INTERACTED WITH EVEN IF THE REST OF THE WORLD IS ABUZZ WITH IT RIGHT? AND SO I TRY TO MAKE THINGS AS AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE AND THE INTERNET IS ONE OF THOSE SPACES THAT DOES THAT. HAVING THINGS IN PERSON THOUGH LIKE PHYSICAL EMBODIMENT FOR ME IS INTERESTING TOO, YOU KNOW, IN A WAY I'M ALWAYS TRYING TO INTERJECT THE CULTURE THAT I KNOW,THE VALUES THAT I KNOW, THAT I HOLD REALLY DEAR NOT ONLY AS AMILIA SAYS OUT SEVEN GENERATIONS BUT I THINK IT'S KIND OF RARE EVEN IN THE NOW. SO I WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE TO KIND OF ENCOUNTER AND BE CONFRONTED BY IT. AND I ALSO OFTEN MAKE THINGS TALK OR TELL STORIES AND I DO THAT BECAUSE ALMOST ANYONE CAN TALK TO SOMETHING, RIGHT, IT REMOVES A LOT OF THE BARRIER TO ENTRY. AND IF YOU CAN TALK TO SOMETHING YOU CAN ENGAGE IT. AND WHETHER IT'S IN A GALLERY OR
IN AN ART FAIR OR IN A GENERAL PUBLIC SPACE I FIND ALL THOSE CONVERSATIONS VALUABLE FOR THE, FOR THE WORK AND FOR THE RESEARCH. RIGHT. AND, AMELIA, IN YOUR CASE I MEAN WHEN WORKING WITH VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGIES OF COURSE THERE'S A DIVIDE SOMETIMES WITH PEOPLE IN IT'S RESPONDING A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER BUT ALSO WHAT STEPHANIE'S SAYING IN THAT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC OR, OR A PUBLIC I SHOULD SAY IN TERMS OF USING THOSE. NOW WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FOR YOU IN TERMS OF THAT? I LOVE THAT. THANK YOU. I LOVE THE FRAMING THAT STEPHANIE GAVE ABOUT ACCESSING CONVERSATIONS. AND, YOU KNOW STEPHANIE, I'VE LOVED YOUR AI ASSEMBLY WHICH IS
CONVERSATIONS THAT HAVE EXPANDED YOU KNOW THROUGHOUT TIME AND BUILDING THAT COMMUNITY. SO CONVERSATIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT AND, AND I THINK IT IS A BUILDING BLOCK FOR ACCESSIBILITY. I LL GIVE AN EXAMPLE. I'M DOING A PROJECT WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENTS OF ARTS AND CULTURE HONOR NATIVE LAND INITIATIVE AND WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO YOU TAKE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND MOVE IT TOWARDS ACTION. AND INITIALLY WHEN I WAS BROUGHT INTO THE PROJECT THEY'RE LIKE WE ARE, OUR ADVISORY COUNCIL HAD THOUGHT ABOUT A FLOWCHART TO GIVE TO MUSEUMS TO UNDERSTAND THE, THE WAY IN WHICH THEY CAN HEAL THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LAND AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THROUGH LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP, RIGHT. AND I SAID WELL YOU KNOW WHAT A FLOWCHART IS, IS ACTUALLY AN ALGORITHM AND A REALLY GREAT WAY OF INTERACTING WITH AN ALGORITHM IS REDUCING THAT BARRIER OF NOT EVEN HAVING TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO UNDERSTAND AS COMPLEX AS A FLOWCHART.BUT I COULD JUST HAVE A
CONVERSATION. AND AS YOU KNOW STEPHANIE KNOWS AS WELL HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH AN AI IS ONE OF THE MOST FLUENT AND FLUID WAYS THAT YOU CAN INTERACT. A CHATBOT, A CONVERSATIONAL AI. AND IMAGINING THAT WE CAN JUST WITH A CELL PHONE AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A SMARTPHONE IT CAN BE ANMSMS THAT IS THE MOST AVAILABLE DEVICE ON THE PLANET RIGHT IS AN IS AN SMS BASED INTERFACE. THE ACCESSIBILITY OF NOT EVEN NEEDING A SCREEN IS INCREDIBLE. AND SO IN THAT CASE TECHNOLOGY CAN ACTUALLY BE A WAY TO ENABLE ACCESSIBILITY TO CONCEPTS THAT, THAT ARE MORE DIFFICULT. LIKE IF YOU SAY WELL THIS WAS GOING TO BE A VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE THE AMOUNT OF MUSEUMS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO, TO SEE IT AND HAVE THEIR ENTIRE POPULATION ENGAGE WITH IT WOULD BE LOWER, RIGHT. AND IF YOUR GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE COMMUNITY BE INVOLVED IT'S SUCH A GREAT WAY
OF CONNECTING WITH THEIR LAND AND CONNECTING WITH LAND BACK INITIATIVES AND HONORING NATIVE LAND. IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S VOICE IS INCLUDED IN THAT CONVERSATION AND SO IF AI CAN BE A CONNECTOR RATHER THAN SOMETHING THAT'S SEEN AS A BLACK BOX OVERLORD, I THINK THAT'S WHEN WE CAN SEE SOME OF THE VERY EXCITING SPACES THAT TECHNOLOGY CAN CREATE FOR CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY. GREAT. THANK YOU STEPHANIE. THANK YOU AMELIA FOR JOINING US. AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON TO THE SECOND CONVERSATION NOW. SO THIS CONVERSATION WE'RE FOCUSING ON VALUE AND IMPACT, AND WE'RE TALKING
TO TWO ARTS PEOPLE INVOLVED IN ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FUNDING AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE VARIOUS THINGS. AND THE VIDEO THAT WILL BE BEGINNING IS BY SCATTER AND IT WILL ADDRESS A LITTLE BIT OF HOW ARTISTS ADDRESS EQUITY IN THE TECH FIELD. SO THE TWO SPEAKERS - WE HAVE IS OMARI RUSH WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CULTURE SOURCE IN DETROIT AND IS THE GOVERNOR-APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF THE MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS. IN THESE ROLES HE ADVANCES
EFFORTS TO HAVE CREATIVE EXPRESSION THRIVE IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. AND HE'LL BE JOINED BY RUBY LERNER WHO IS THE FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE CAPITAL, AN ARTS FOUNDATION THAT ADAPTS VENTURE CAPITAL CONCEPTS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS. SHE SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS AND ON THE ADVISORY BOARDS OF NEW INC, AT THE NEW MUSEUM, AND IBM. SO LET'S GET STARTED THE CHANGING SAME IS A VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE WHERE YOU TRAVEL THROUGH TIME AND SPACE TO WITNESS THE CONNECTED HISTORICAL EXPERIENCES OF RACIAL INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES. HOW DO YOU TELL A STORY THAT STARTED 400 YEARS AGO AND STILL CONTINUES TODAY?
AT SCATTER OUR CORE ETHOS IS ART PROPELS INNOVATION. SCATTER BUILDS SOFTWARE TO CREATE NEW WAYS OF REPRESENTING OUR REALITY WITH VOLUMETRIC VIDEO. WE USE THAT SOFTWARE OURSELVES AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO CREATORS WORLDWIDE TO TELL STORIES. OUR SOFTWARE IS DEPTHKIT - IT RECORDS VOLUMETRIC VIDEO OF REAL PEOPLE AND AUTHENTIC GESTURES IN THREE DIMENSIONS. THE CHANGING SAME IS OUR MOST AMBITIOUS BRAVEST FILM TO DATE. FILMING DURING COVID WAS A CHALLENGE.
WE RAN A REMOTE PRODUCTION VIA VIDEO CALLS. WE USED OBS SO OUR ACTORS COULD PREVIEW THEIR PERFORMANCES LIVE. IN PARALLEL WITH PRODUCTION OUR ENGINEERS WERE ADVANCING DEPTH KIT SOFTWARE. WE CREATED, AN ALL NEW INTEGRATION WITH UNITY GAME ENGINE SO WE COULD USE UNITY'S VFX GRAPH TO CREATE EXPRESSIVE DIGITAL POSSIBILITIES. LAMAR MISSED AND GUIDE THROUGH THE CHANGING SAME IS MADE MAGICAL WITH FIREFLY EFFECTS. OH I CAN SEE YOU'RE CURIOUS. THE VIRTUAL WORLDS WE BUILT IN THE CHANGING SAME ARE ALL REAL SIGHTS OF THE HISTORIC 1934 CLAUDE NEAL LYNCHING ON WHICH OUR STORY IS BASED.
WE USED PHOTOGRAMMETRY TO CAPTURE AND MEMORIALIZE THESE UNMARKED SITES. GREAT. THANK YOU. SO IF I CAN ASK OMARI AND RUBY TO JOIN US. GREAT. RUBY I KNOW WE'VE BEEN, MANY PEOPLE PROBABLY NO NEED, NO DON'T NEED ANY INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE CAPITAL WHICH WE ARE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF IN CREATING AND I WONDER IF YOU WANTED TO START THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE YOU KNOW ONE OF THE MAIN QUESTIONS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE THE FUNDING PRIORITIES AND TECH-CENTERED PROJECTS. AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON, ON THE GENERAL TOPIC?
YEAH. YOU KNOW I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS. I'M GONNA ECHO I THINK SOME THINGS THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN SAID BY OTHERS TODAY. YOU KNOW SO MANY FUNDERS ARE, ARE INTERESTED IN ARTISTS WHOSE WORK IS ADDRESSING THE CORE ISSUES OF OUR TIME AND YOU KNOW THE LIST IS LONG - CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND RACIAL EQUITY AND GENDER EQUITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE TO NAME JUST A FEW. I THINK WHAT WE DON'T OFTEN THINK ABOUT IS HOW MANY OF THOSE ISSUES HAVE KIND OF MIGRATED INTO THE DIGITAL REALM AS WELL. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THINGS LIKE PREDICTIVE POLICING, IF YOU LOOK AT AI THAT PROCLAIMS IT CAN IDENTIFY THE GAY FACE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE HARASSMENT OF WOMEN IN CYBERSPACE ESPECIALLY IN THE GAMING COMMUNITY, BROADBAND DISPARITIES IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND RURAL AREAS. TECHNOLOGY ISN'T NEUTRAL AND I THINK THAT ARTISTS, THE TECHNOLOGY ARTISTS IN THE WORLD HAVE BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM ON THIS FOR YEARS. AND I THINK WHAT'S SO EXCITING AS, AS WE CAN SEE WITH THE ARTISTS
WHO ARE PRESENTING HERE TODAY IS THAT TECH ARTISTS OFTEN FOREGROUND ETHICS AND VALUES IN THEIR WORK. AND AS JOHN MAEDA POINTED OUT THEY HAVE THE SKILLS TO REVEAL TO US THE SORT OF UNDERNEATH, WHAT'S UNDERNEATH WHAT WE ACTUALLY SEE, WHAT IS INVISIBLE TO MOST OF US. SO I THINK THIS IS JUST, THIS IS THE CRITICAL WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. AND I THINK I'LL COME BACK TO TALKING ABOUT,
I THINK THE ROLE THAT FUNDERS WHO MIGHT BE TECH CURIOUS CAN PLAY NOW. GREAT. OMARI DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THE TOPIC? YES. SO ONE. I'LL JUST SAY YES. THIS IS OMARI SPEAKING. JUST NOTABLY I'M WEARING GLASSES, I VE GOT BROWN SKIN, PLUMP LIPS, TOOTHY SMILE, AND BEHIND ME IS A BEIGE WALL. I'M
REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE. I LOVE RUBY. TECH CURIOUS - IT JUST SOUNDS A LITTLE PROVOCATIVE AND FUN. SO YOU KNOW I WOULD JUST SAY THAT IN TERMS OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE OPPORTUNITIES AND VALUES HERE IS THIS INTERSECTION OF, YOU KNOW, ART AND DIGITAL TECH IS JUST SO EXCITING AND, AND STILL YOU KNOW YET TO BE MAPPED. WHICH IS WHY I'M FULLY MAPPED, WHICH IS WHY THIS STUDY IS SO EXCITING. YOU KNOW I REMEMBER YEARS AGO I WAS AT A CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF STATE ARTS
AGENCIES AND JAX DELUCA WHO WE ALL ARE JUST LOVING ON FOR HER LEADERSHIP IN THIS WORK WAS GIVING A PRESENTATION ON THE STATE OF DIGITAL TECH AND ART AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY NOT ONLY HOW MUCH I DIDN'T KNOW THAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT BUT ALSO THE AMOUNT OF THINGS THAT I JUST HAD NOT THOUGHT TO KNOW, THAT I NEEDED TO KNOW. A BUNCH OF UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS FOR ME. AND SO YOU KNOW AS I THINK ABOUT FOLKS LIKE MYSELF AT CULTURESOURCE AND THE STATE ARTS COUNCIL IN MICHIGAN, AS PEOPLE ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY INVESTMENT START TO BROADEN THEIR AWARENESS OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF THIS WORK THERE ARE JUST TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE ALL KINDS OF, KIND OF SOCIAL ISSUES, ARTISTIC ISSUES. IN PARTICULAR, I THINK ABOUT YOUTH AND YOU KNOW YOU GO INTO ANY CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER AND YOUTH ARE ON, CERTAINLY, THEY'RE ON THEIR YOU KNOW SMARTPHONES. THESE CENTERS ARE FILLED WITH COMPUTERS AND RECORDING EQUIPMENT -THIS IS WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE AT AND SO YOU KNOW ANYBODY IN PARTICULAR THAT'S LOOKING TO DO WORK IN ARTS EDUCATION AND CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT EXPLORING THIS INTERSECTION IS, IS A REALLY RICH SPACE. RIGHT. I I'D LOVE TO ASK BOTH OF YOU IN TERMS OF ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT FUNDERS IN THE ARTS AND PARTICULARLY IN THE TECH SPACES IS OFTEN THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS TENDS TO PERCOLATE IN SOME YOUNGER DEMOGRAPHICS AND YOUNGER COMMUNITIES THAT DON'T, AREN'T ALWAYS NECESSARILY CONNECTED TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FUNDING THESE PROJECTS. I'M WONDERING IF THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES YOU SEE AND, AND SOME CHALLENGES THAT HAVE BEEN PERHAPS OVERCOME? YEAH, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I'M SORT OF TECHNOLOGY, I'M KIND OF A TECHNOLOGY IDIOT. I MEAN, I I JUST I'M REALLY HOPELESS, I WON'T TELL
YOU HOW RECENTLY IT WAS THAT I LEARNED HOW TO ATTACH A DOCUMENT TO AN EMAIL. OKAY. SO WHEN WE LAUNCHED CREATIVE CAPITAL IN, IN 1999 I REALLY FELT IT WAS CRITICAL TO ADD A CATEGORY OF WORK FOR THE UNCATEGORIZABLE BECAUSE HERE WE ARE WE'RE DEALING WITH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. WE KNOW THAT, THAT THEIR JOB IS TO TAKE US TO PLACES THAT WE DON'T, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
SO I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE A HOME ESPECIALLY FOR TECHNOLOGY-BASED ARTISTS BECAUSE WE WERE BEGINNING TO SEE A LOT OF THAT WORK KIND OF YOU KNOW POPPING UP AT THAT TIME IN 1999. BUT YOU KNOW THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE DID THIS EVEN IF WE AS A STAFF DIDN'T FULLY GRASP WHAT THESE ARTISTS WERE UP TO AND WE DIDN'T. AND GUESS WHAT? THAT WAS AND IT'S STILL OKAY. AND I THINK ONE OF THE BARRIERS IS THAT PEOPLE FEEL IT'S NOT OKAY, WELL I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS WORK SO HOW CAN WE SUPPORT IT? BUT GUESS WHAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE REFERENCED IN THIS WONDERFUL DOCUMENT THAT WE NOW HAVE AND A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS WHERE THERE'S TONS OF EXPERTISE. SO WE BROUGHT IN GREAT ADJUDICATORS WHO DID UNDERSTAND THE FIELD. SO WE CALLED IT EMERGING FIELDS AND YOU KNOW I THINK WE DID IN A SMALL WAY CREATE A HOME AND I THINK WE PLAYED A SMALL ROLE IN ELEVATING GREATER AWARENESS OF, OF THE WORK THAT SOME AMAZING ARTISTS WERE DOING. THE VERY PRACTICAL WAY THAT WE DID IT OR ONE WAY
THAT WE DID IT WAS WE HAD ARTIST RETREATS WHERE WE BROUGHT ALL OUR ARTISTS FROM ALL OUR DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES TOGETHER AND WE MIXED IN THE ARTIST PRESENTATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY ARTISTS WITH ARTISTS FROM MORE CONVENTIONAL FIELDS. SO THIS DID TWO THINGS IT, IT BUILT GREAT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AND AMONG THE ARTISTS FROM ALL THESE DIFFERENT DISCIPLINE AREAS BUT BECAUSE WE HAD SO MANY CURATORS AND, AND PROGRAMMERS AND PUBLISHERS AND EDITORS IN ATTENDANCE IT ALSO HELPED TO DEMYSTIFY THE WORK FOR THEM AND TO MAKE IT COMFORTABLE FOR THEM TO APPROACH TECHNOLOGY ARTISTS. SO THAT WAS A VERY PRACTICAL THING THAT WE DID. I THINK THAT WE HELPED YOU KNOW SORT OF ADVANCE THINGS. YOU KNOW OMARI I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS. AND YOU HAVE THE, YOU'VE ALSO HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF
WORKING WITH GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS SO I WONDER IF YOU CAN ADD THAT PERSPECTIVE AS WELL. WELL, YOU KNOW, I I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE RUBY'S, RUBY'S KIND OF PIONEERING AND VISIONARY WORK AT CREATIVE CAPITAL AND JUST AN HONOR TO BE, YOU KNOW, SHARING A SCREEN WITH YOU RUBY. YOU KNOW I WOULD I WOULD ECHO A LOT OF WHAT RUBY HAS SAID AND, AND REALLY KIND OF ATTACH THIS WORD EMERGENCE AND THAT IS THAT SO MUCH OF THIS WORK HAS TO DO WITH REALLY EMBRACING A CERTAIN KIND OF MESSINESS AND COMPLEXITY THAT NOT A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS, NOT A LOT OF PHILANTHROPISTS, CERTAINLY NOT A LOT OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES ARE USED TO AND COMFORTABLE WITH EMBRACING.
AND SO YOU KNOW AS I THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT THE WORK OF ARTISTS AND WE'RE YOU KNOW WORKING IN DIGITAL TECH MEANS. A LOT OF WHAT IT, WHAT I'M FEELING IS LIKE IT HAS TO DO WITH A CERTAIN KIND OF COMFORT WITH EXPERIMENTATION, WITH THINGS NOT GOING QUITE, QUITE RIGHT, AND THAT'S GOING TO TAKE FOLKS REALLY JUST WORKING DIFFERENTLY, CHANGING THE WAY THAT THEY THINK ABOUT FUNDING PROJECTS, THE LENGTH OF THE FUNDING, AND THE SIZE OF IT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, DIGITAL TECH IS CAN BE EXPENSIVE AND, YOU KNOW, IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS IT COSTS ANNUAL COST TO KIND OF RESUBSCRIBE TO AN UPDATE. THESE ARE NEW WAYS, NEW LEVELS OF FUNDING THAT I THINK WILL REQUIRE LOTS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE TO STEP UP IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN ORDER TO REALLY SEE BOTH POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS AND EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORK. SO MY LAST QUESTION IS, IS ON RECENTLY I HAD LED A WORKSHOP AT THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ONE OF THE TOPICS THAT CAME UP THAT I GUESS WAS A LITTLE UNEXPECTED TO ME AND I JUST WANTED TO ASK THIS AS BOTH PEOPLE INVOLVED IN FUNDING. ONE OF THE BARRIERS
THAT MANY ARTISTS SAW WERE IN THE APPLICATION PROCESSES AND IN THE WAYS OF INTERACTING WITH FUNDERS AND ORGANIZATIONS AND I WONDER IF THAT'S SOMETHING BOTH OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS? YOU KNOW I THINK THAT IF YOU'RE A FUNDER YOU NEED TO BE IN A CONSTANT FEEDBACK LOOP WITH THE PEOPLE YOU GIVE GRANTS TO AND THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T GET THE GRANTS TO JUST SORT OF FIND, FIND OUT INFORMATION LIKE THAT. I KNOW WHEN I WAS AT CREATIVE CAPITAL WE TRIED TO HAVE A VERY OPEN-ENDED QUESTION WHICH WAS, TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT. SO THAT ALLOWED PEOPLE TO REALLY JUST TALK ABOUT WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING IN THEIR OWN, YOU KNOW, CREATING THEIR OWN FRAME. AND WE ASKED A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE INFLUENCES ON YOUR WORK AND, AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, SO I THINK WE, WE TRIED TO BE, WE TRIED TO KEEP IT AS OPEN AS POSSIBLE. YOU KNOW, I, I , YOU KNOW I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING AGAIN TO THE, THE TECH CURIOUS IN THE, IN THE, IN THIS CONVERSATION WHO ARE PARTICIPATING TODAY, YOU KNOW THE ARTISTS WHO ARE WORKING IN THIS FIELD HAVE REALLY THE SAME VISION AND GOALS THAT I THINK THE FUNDERS, YOU KNOW, THAT FUNDERS DO, WHICH IS A MORE JUST, A MORE EQUITABLE, A MORE OPEN FUTURE. AND SO TO MY MIND THIS IS, THIS IS,
THERE'S A TOTAL COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE ARTISTS WHO ARE WORKING WITH TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUNDERS. AND WE NEED TO BE MAKING A COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THIS WORK IN, IN A ROBUST WAY.NOW. I THINK THE IMPERATIVE HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER. AND IF THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO ADJUST YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR APPLICATION LANGUAGE OR PROCESS I THINK WE HAVE TO KIND OF BE OPEN TO THAT.
SPOT ON RUBY. AND I WOULD JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE GREAT BITS OF TIMING IS THAT WE'RE IN A MOMENT NOW WHERE SO MANY FOLKS IN PHILANTHROPY AND, AGAIN, COMMUNITY INVESTMENT, STATE ARTS AGENCIES, ARE DECONSTRUCTING THEIR APPLICATION PROCESSES AND REALLY REEVALUATING JUST FOR THE SAKE OF EQUITY THE WAY THAT THEY ARE INVITING, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SEEK FUNDING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BIT OF ENCOURAGEMENT AS YOU'RE DOING THOSE KINDS OF THINGS THERE IS CERTAINLY THE OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT DIVERSIFYING THE ACCESSIBILITY FOR ARTISTS AS WELL. CERTAINLY
ARTISTS WORKING IN DIGITAL TECH. AND ONE OF THE REALLY EXCITING THINGS ABOUT THIS REPORT IS YOU KNOW THINGS LIKE THE, THE GLOSSARY IN THE BACK THAT'S JUST LIKE BREAKING DOWN VERY ON ONE HAND SIMPLE TERMS BUT TERMS THAT ARE JUST LIKE YOU GET TO A POINT WHERE IT'S LIKE WHAT'S THE MEANING OF IS, YOU KNOW. AND ALSO JUST A LIST OF ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WONDERFULLY AND GLORIOUSLY ON THE MARGINS WHO ARE NOW REAL RESOURCES AND ALLIES TO FOLKS BROADLY IN THE FIELD. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE IS GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO EVOLVE APPLICATIONS AND TO EVOLVE THE EXPERTISE OF THOSE FOLKS EVALUATING THE APPLICATIONS, AND ALSO TO INVITE OTHERS IN WHO, WHO ARE HAPPY TO, YOU KNOW, ENGAGE IN REALLY MEANINGFUL AND RICH FIELD-BUILDING WORK. GREAT. THANK YOU RUBY. THANK YOU OMARI FOR JOINING US. AND SO NOW WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GOING TO TRANSITION TO OUR THIRD CONVERSATION. THE THEME IS FUTURE AND
INTEGRATION. AND THE TWO SPEAKERS ARE ELEANOR SAVAGE AND REFIK ANADOL AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE ADDRESSING SOME OF THE WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR SYSTEMATIC CHANGE IN THE FIELD AS WELL AS HOW WE CAN INTEGRATE ARTIST-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGIES WITHIN THIS FUTURE WORLD, WORLD BUILDING. SO REFIK ANADOL IS A MEDIA ARTIST AND DIRECTOR BORN IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY. HE CURRENTLY LIVES AND WORKS IN LOS ANGELES AND IS A LECTURER AND VISITING RESEARCHER IN UCLA'S DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN AND MEDIA ARTS. ELEANOR SAVAGE IS A WHITE, BUTCH, GENDERQUEER, ANTI-RACIST ARTS ADVOCATE AND ORGANIZER.
SAVAGE IS CURRENTLY THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT THE JEROME FOUNDATION WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE LANDS OF THE DAKOTA, ALSO CALLED MINNESOTA. SAVAGE HAS A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND ACTIVELY WORKS AGAINST RACISM AND ALL THE OTHER INTERSECTING OPPRESSIONS. SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THE VIDEO AND THEN TRANSITION TO THE CONVERSATION. IN 2018, I HAD A CALL FROM LA PHILHARMONIC WHO WAS LOOKING FOR AN EXCEPTIONAL INSTALLATION TO HELP MARK THE CELEBRATED SYMPHONY'S 100TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY. FOR THIS WE DECIDED TO ASK THE QUESTION, CAN A BUILDING LEARN, CAN IT DREAM? AND TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION WE DECIDED TO COLLECT EVERYTHING RECORDED IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE LA PHIL AND WCH TO BE PRECISE 77 TERABYTE OF ARCHIVE MEMORIES. BY USING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS THE ENTIRE ARCHIVE GOING BACK TO
100 YEARS BECAME PROJECTIONS ON THE BUILDING SKIN. WE USE TOTAL 42 PROJECTORS TO ACHIEVE THIS FUTURISTIC PUBLIC EXPERIENCE IN THE HEART OF LOS ANGELES GETTING ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE LA OF FLIGHT RUNNER. AND IF EVER A BUILDING COULD DREAM I THINK IT WAS IN THIS MOMENT. RESEARCH IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS GROWING EVERY DAY LEAVING US WITH THE FEELING OF BEING PLUGGED INTO A SYSTEM THAT IS BIGGER AND MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE THAN OURSELVES. IN OUR STUDIO WE ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATING OUR TOOLS AND IMAGINATION AND OUR KNOWLEDGE TO FIND A WAY TO UTILIZE OUR TRUE INTELLIGENCE TO TOUCH AS MANY HUMANS AS POSSIBLE THROUGH ART, THROUGH SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION, AND THROUGH MEDICAL RESEARCH. WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS ON IN OUR HANDS HUMANS TO TRAIN ARTIFICIAL MINDS TO LEARN AND REMEMBER WHAT WE CAN ONLY DREAM OF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GREAT. THANK YOU .SO IF WE CAN BE JOINED BY BOTH THE SPEAKERS, REFIK AND ELEANOR. GREAT.
SO REFIK, IN SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THIS PIECE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY IMPRESSED ME THAT I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT WAS THE FACT THAT YOUR PROJECT AT THE L.A. PHILHARMONIC ALSO PUSHED THE ORGANIZATION TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES. CAN YOU TELL A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? BECAUSE PEOPLE OFTEN THINK OF THESE AS ONE-WAY CONVERSATIONS AND IN PROJECTS LIKE THIS IT DEMONSTRATES HOW THIS REALLY IS A MULTI-FACETED CONVERSATION AND MULTI-DIRECTIONAL. I THINK THE HRAH, DEFINITELY. I THINK THIS PROJECT WAS FIRST OF ALL
A TRULY DREAM PROJECT. ALMOST 2012 WHEN I MOVED TO LOS ANGELES TO START THIS BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY IN THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED WAS HONESTLY TO ASK THE INSTITUTION HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE SUCH LIKE A GROUNDBREAKING IDEA IN THE FORM OF PUBLIC ART? BY THE WAY, I THINK PUBLIC ART IS ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTALLY IMPORTANT ART FORM THAT IS FOR ANYONE AND ANY AGE, ANY BACKGROUND. BUT THE INSTITUTION WAS ALSO VERY READY FOR LIFE HARMONY TO REALLY EMBARK THEIR JOURNEY TO THE NEXT HUNDRED YEARS. BUT THE CHALLENGE WAS HERE HOW WE CAN ACCESS HUNDRED YEARS OF DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF AN INSTITUTION IN THE AGE OF MISSION INTELLIGENCE. SO AS A TEAM, AS AN ARTIST, AND A GROUP OF PEOPLE
IN THE STUDIO WE EVEN HELP THE ORGANIZATION TO EVEN LIKE REMEMBER THE TOOLS RIGHT NOW WE MAY USE EVEN FOR THE NEXT CENTURY. AND WHILE DOING THAT I THINK THE INSTITUTION COMPLETELY ENJOY THE COLLABORATION AND ENHANCING THE TOOLS BUT ALSO NEW WAYS OF LOOKING THE FUTURE. AND I THINK HERE TRUE ART, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE COLLABORATION HAPPEN AND ESPECIALLY REMEMBERING TECHNIQUE IN THE AGE OF AI ESPECIALLY IN THE FORM OF FRANL GEHRY S BEAUTIFUL BUILDING THAT WAS I THINK A VERY POETIC AND A MEANINGFUL PUBLIC ART EXPERIENCE. RIGHT. AND ELEANOR, IN YOUR CASE I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE GENERAL HOW, HOW THIS TYPE OF SYSTEMATIC CHANGE CAN HAPPEN AND HOW WE CAN INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY AND, AND LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE? YEAH. I THINK SOME OF MY FELLOW PANELISTS HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS. WE NEED TO,
YOU KNOW, RELY ON THE ARTIST AS THE NAVIGATORS FOR THIS JOURNEY. YOU KNOW, CLEARLY -THANK YOU REFIK AND STEPHANIE AND AMELIA FOR SHARING YOUR WORK OVER THE, THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION TODAY - YOU KNOW THE WORK THAT IS BEING DONE IS, IS SO EXPANSIVE AND DEEP AND IS, YOU KNOW, EXPLORING ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT RIGHT NOW IN THIS MOMENT IN TIME WE SO DESPERATELY WANT TO FIGURE OUT EQUITY, COMMUNITY POWER, NON-HIERARCHICAL COMMUNITY POWER VALUES, VALUES-BASED TOOLS AND SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES THAT ARE ROOTED IN JUSTICE AND CONSENT AND ACCESSIBILITY. AND THE ARTISTS WORKING AT THESE INTERSECTIONS ARE DOING JUST THAT. AND SO YOU KNOW BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND WHAT THAT'S, WHAT'S SO WONDERFUL ABOUT THIS STUDY IS YOU'VE GOT A, IN YOUR HANDS NOW, YOU HAVE A MAP TO THIS COMMUNITY AND TO THESE ARTISTS AND YOU CAN FIND, FIND THEM AND, YOU KNOW, REPORT CREATES THAT ACCESS. AND OUR, OUR JOB I THINK AS FUNDERS IS TO GET OUT OF, THE GET OUT OF OUR OWN WAY, GET OUT OF THE ARTIST'S WAY, AND GET BEHIND THEM AND SUPPORT THE WORK. GREAT. SO REFIK, I WANT TO ASK YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SKILLS BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE OFTEN TALK ABOUT ARTIST SKILLS, OTHER SKILLS, BUT I THINK THERE'S ALSO SKILLS FOR AUDIENCES, THERE'S SKILLS FOR ORGANIZERS, FUNDERS, AND I'M WONDERING WHAT YOU THINK AND ELEANOR I'M GOING TO BE ASKING YOU THE SAME QUESTION - I'M WONDERING WHAT YOU THINK ARE SOME OF THE CRUCIAL SKILLS THAT NEED TO BE LEARNED OR ARE BEING LEARNED? I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL QUESTION. BUT I WOULD
LIKE TO START ANSWERING BY APPRECIATING. BECAUSE I THINK APPRECIATION IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL PART OF REMEMBERING. AND I WANT TO APPRECIATE MY JOURNEY STARTING THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY 2012 AT UCLA AND DESIGN MEDIA ARTS BECAUSE I'M ON THE SHOULDERS OF MANY GIANTS SUCH AS QUESAREAS, CHRISTIAN MULLER, JENNIFER STEINKAMP, REBECCA MENDEZ, I LEARNED FROM I THINK MY MENTORS AND HEROES AND TEACHERS THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL LEARNING TO LEARN, I GUESS, A VERY CORE UNDERSTANDING. AND, SECONDLY, I HAD THREE REALLY INSPIRING EXPERIMENTS, EXPERIENCE HAPPEN. 2013 AS A STUDENT WHILE AS AN IMMIGRANT, AND LIKE NOBODY WOULD LIKE TO
LIKE IMMEDIATELY SUPPORT AN IDEA IN THE WORLD. BUT AT MICROSOFT RESEARCH AS A STUDENT ON THE STAGE WITH MY WIFE LIKE A SHORT ON ME LIKE I WAS TRYING TO SAY CAN A BUILDING LEARN, CAN IT DREAM. AND IT WAS MY FIRST FUNDING EXPERIENCE. BUT WHAT I LEARNED THERE IS ACTUALLY IF THE IDEA A DREAM, A CONCEPT, CONTEXT, OR DISCOURSE OF ART IS ACTUALLY
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