Arts For Art & The Vision Festival

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Rise Up - An Artist Movement
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To improve our own situations and to be as useful as we would like to be:
- we need more art spaces
- more funding
- more arts programming.
Rise Up is a separate effort from Arts for Art. Although AFA is kicking the effort off, Rise Up will address a much wider range of issues than Arts for Art.

Other Articles:

Artist Demand Space

The August 21, 2007 meeting was the kick off for this new pressure group. We had a number of small group meetings previously. The purpose of the Aug, 21 meeting was to rally support within a wider music community and to hear their concerns and perspectives.

Below is a more detailed list of what Rise Up Hopes to achieve: (THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS)
We will modify or expand our goals and committees, depending on how many folks are willing to give of their time. That is the ultimate determiner of our success. Though, I don't think that we can really fail. We have already begun to succeed - We have come together.

Rise Up Goals
Every thing that we do will be built through Creative Positive Action and RESPECT.
We will work as individuals together and bring organizations together to accomplish our common goals. Respecting uniqueness and diversity within a Unity that Empowers us all.

Changing the Conversation
To have a society where art is considered important - and therefore creativity is cherished. For it is through creativity that we solve problems. We wish to bring about the understanding that creativity is not defined by the latest technology - but by how art can speak to us - lift us up - heal us - challenge us and help us to resolve our conflicts. Innovative, creative art should not be self indulgent - nor should it be easy - nor should it make us feel self-satisfied.

Performance Spaces
-Centrally located (preferably in the LES) performance space that would accommodate up to 200 audience members as well as have recording and rehearsal studios that would be affordable. Arts for Art is working on this - there are other groups working on this in other parts of the city - we hope to work together.
-Get a building for a Community Art Center - a multi-use facility with different size performance spaces / rehearsal & recording studios / various education programs - Arts for Art will be working on this - Find ways to make available our schools /museums/ community centers that already exist so that local and international artists can utilize these spaces.
-Build community arts centers in Every neighborhood.

Housing Space
-Create programs that give financial assistance to artists in the form of Housing, medical care, and materials.
-Attain artist housing and/or build more affordable housing. Have some of it built with soundproofing to make it work for musicians and their neighbors - Connie Cruthers among others is spearheading an effort to get the city to provide artist housing
-Create senior artist housing - support the Jazz Foundation's effort in this regard

Media Reform
-Increase varied art coverage on city radio and TV- WNYC and NYC TV

Radio
- Work on getting a broader range of jazz played on WBGO -
what is the legality of the playlist on public radio - is there payola involved? - how are different public radio stations connected? research on what is going on and deciding on appropriate creative actions designed to put pressure on Radio to make a broad range of music available to the public (as it was in the 60's and early 70s)

TV - Work on coverage on shows like The Tonight Show, BET, Conan O'Brian, Tavis Smiley, Like it is, and PBS etc - finding connections in TV and figuring out how to work them.

Print media - needs to have new standards - We Need to Critique the Critics. It seems as though knowledge of what is being critiqued is not given any importance in having writers published.
look at what is not happening in print media - why it is and find creative ways to bring attention to this

Black Media - black journals do not cover jazz - PBS equates black music as mostly R&B and posture that Jazz is Dead - NAACP music awards? etc.

Education
-make music, dance, spoken word and art workshops available in different communities - initially saturating a community one at at time - -Arts for Art will be working on organizing getting creative programs into the schools - as are other groups - make inquiries into already existing community arts programs and see if we can create goodwill with them, including them in our struggle

A Million Artists March. - This is a longer range goal and should come out of concrete achievements made in NY and then duplicated in other cities.
We need to start something then build momentum
The march will develop out of All the activities that we are working on.

Rise Up committees
For the foreseeable future, all activities will need to be done by a volunteer staff. Any one interested in serving on a committee should email info@visionfestival.org

1.	Community Outreach and Audience Development (EVERYONE who is part of Rise Up - must participate in this out reach effort )
	a. b. c.	student Outreach word of mouth Leaflet fliers on Rise Up
2.	Communications / office work
3.	Documentary filmmakers
4.	coordinating a letter writing campaign - to politicians and press
5.	Fundraising Committee & Celebrity Outreach
6.	Making the connections between our artists/and environmental and political issues -
7.	Action committee
8.	Locating Buildings and Spaces
	a. b. c.	For housing For performances For community art center
9.	Arts Education
10.	Media Reform
	a. b. c. d.	Radio TV Print media Black Media