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• Strategy session panels (at PP and Murphy Institute)
• Intern Labor Rights virtual global summit
• Reader
• SF Project
• Rad Arts
• New Meeting Structure
• Mapping the workplace
• Alternative Economies
• Commons Coalition

Agenda items

• MOMA
•  Long term strategies/ teach-ins follow up:
• New Meeting spaces
• *Next discussion meeting

Minutes: A&L Wednesday meeting, January 23, 2013

Facilitator: CT
Minutes: YA/AS

Attending: JB, CO, AS, CT, YA, LP, MB, BR, AA

Report backs:

* Strategy session panels (at PP and Murphy Institute):

CT: First panel participants – taxi drivers alliance, Sotheby’s art handlers
union, ALIGN, Domestic workers united. Felt that the domestic workers rep
spoke to issues most relatable to artists. Was having trouble relating the
other presentations to art world struggles.

AS: saw this more as a way to learn about solidarity-building methods. Spoke
to how the media villainizes organized labor reps.

Second session participants: representatives from Queens museum, Project
Projects, Creative Capital, WAGE.

JB: on the first night the presenters were mediators between the workers and
the regulatory body. In terms of the art world- there’s no regulatory body to
work against.

* Intern Labor Rights virtual global summit:

YA: 13 People on google hangout, worked, 7 or 8 international groups to talk
amongst themselves. French group was established in 2005, was successful in
organizing an intern strike in France. Learned many different tactics that
reassured us – big take away is that the groups would like to organize
internationally, to share resources and tactics. First up, two girls from
Intern Aware, working in the fashion industry want to organize around Fashion
Week in London, New York, and Paris. New York is the first one (first week of
February). YA cannot be there, but PW is bottom lining it for the intern
group. Begin to look for the way to target this industry. The group requests
help from anyone who has knowledge or connections in the industry. Would also
like for people to participate in planned actions and assistance in promoting
it.

The London group is going to mass produce the pay your interns tote bag to
give out at London’s fashion week.
ILR needs people to organize with them.
The collaboration with London would help raise awareness.
Next international virtual summit will be in the 2nd or third weekend in Feb.
At YA place, in case anyone wants to join.

* Reader:

YA: reader meeting to happen in the next couple of weeks.
– is there passion?
BR: there is passion.
MB- maybe it’s a matter of giving each other time.
YA: Decided not to do it in time for CAA.

* SF Project:

LP- approached by Invisible Venue, led by SF curator. Thinking of making a
website to highlight and interact with ’5 ways to act.’
– seemed at the last report back there was not enough enthusiasm.
– maybe mediocre project is awesome.
MB – I like the IV curator, seemed to be moving on her own time.
– its seems like a very positive project, giving a positive emphasis to those
who are doing this already, i.e. five ways to act.
– good stories seem to be coming from similar initiatives that could come from
this.

LP – is the tactic of addressing powerful people in the industry, a good way
to start? It highlights power and hierarchy in the industry.

MB – I think we should also get some interns to participate in the project,
not just highlight the  powerful. Success stories in general.

BR – next steps?
LP – we need people to help.
JB – is there a way for people to know how to help.
LB – this started with the 5 ways to act, so how can we get people to respond
to is.
…
MB – maybe we can tap into the stories already within our group. Link to the
project.
…

* Rad Arts:
CT- decided within the group to start doing studio visits and sharing work.
AS2 was the first to present the project she did in LA. Really cool project,
helped me understand her. Very exciting, LW is going to share poetry at the
next meeting at her place. Date TBD.
AS- is this event only for the Rad Art people?
CT – yes, for now.

* New meeting discussion structure:

CT – Tuesday two weeks ago we met and one new person joined. Meeting minutes
can highlight this structure.
YA – what about a new location to meet?
CT – new space discussion will be added to the agenda.

* Mapping the workplace:

MB – little discussion on mapping interest. Suggest to have more targeted
discussion, and invite people to the discussion. Interested in being very
creative on this project. Try to do things in the smaller group.
YA: this will be a private meeting?
BR concerned about a larger discussion about labor, but feels like this sounds
different.
LP – seems beneficial to invite to the Tuesday discussion meeting.
MB – would like to have it more focused.
LP – the idea of the Tuesday meetings is that people can bottom line
discussions.
CT – last meeting seemed to be about reform vs revolution. I bottom lined.
BR – felt the knowledge we got in the first mapping meeting was useful, but
now we should focus it back into the main group.
…
AS: is this for building a tangible map or a theoretical discussion?
MB: first to gather perspectives, then pursue them and continue to build in
the map.

* Alt Econ:

AS: met with solidarityNYC – a small group working on alt economies. Right now
it is a knowledge-sharing website of resources.  Spoke to them about how they
organize projects. One person bottom lines and gets the support of the entire
group.

One member is working for a city run program: Time Banks NYC. Looking for
people to volunteer for the time bank. Met with them to see how the two groups
can collaborate (Alt Econ & solidarityNYC). The next step is to have the two
groups meet in a more formal way with more people.

* Commons Coalition:
AS: the coalition met up, post-Sandy. Organizing smaller, self-initiated
discussions. Trying to formulate the next one around common charters. It will
take place around mid-Feb.

AGENDA ITEMS:

* MoMA:
CT: discussed action in response to MoMA’s policy for artist membership. Will
meet within Rad Arts to discuss possibilities.
AS: should try to stay on point in support of art workers.

* Long term strategies/ teach-ins follow up:
BR: the teach-ins came about from a few meetings (BR, AS2, KP) conducted with
people organizing outside of the workplace. What should the follow up to the
teach-ins be?
(one of the researchers wants to put together a simple pamphlet of labor 101
with arts & labor.)
Proposal: A second session of ‘mapping the workplace’ and then meeting with
the two researchers from the Murphy Institute.
Feels that there is an organizing strategy that can come out of this kind of
meeting. We can gather knowledge that we intuitively know in the mapping
session and then present it to the Murphy Institute to see what we can do with
it.
MB: it’s interesting that what resonated with a lot of us was the work of the
domestic workers, where they went out and interviewed people.
BR: there was a participatory survey done within day laborers that we can look
at.  It’s not even about a survey, it’s defining what info we want to gather
and how to gather it.
JB: it’s like the prep stages of forming an organization or worker center,
etc.
MB: that’s a limiting way to think about it, the “old” way. Would like it to
be more open-ended.
LP: the art world is so much about limitless thinking. Like the idea of doing
something more traditional and specific like gathering information like BR is
proposing.
MB: more interested in things like how can people in the art world make a
sustainable living.
JB: only union or quasi union orgs can work with political power to stop
production. The only end goal is collective politics.
MB: Sotheby’s is a good example that that’s not true. That model doesn’t work
anymore.
JB: Disagree. The Chicago teachers union is an example of how unions still
have political power.
AS: the bus driver strike is being deferred now to a larger org since the city
doesn’t want to deal with them.
CO: these things don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Separate collectives
don’t have to be alienated from each other.

LP: currently trying to work through what it means that the discussions and
projects we do via A&L is free labor on our part.
AS: I this as being something that will benefit me in the long haul. If I’m
focused on alt economy – I’m researching alternatives for other workers, but
also for myself.
We can consider having a time bank within the group.
BR: the working system we have in the group is not sustainable. It builds
resentment. But it’s difficult, because what we’re doing is built on our
desire. When you start to monetize it, it gets messy. Don’t personally think
that a solidarity campaign willhappen on a volunteer basis.
CT: we have to think of how we can have fun doing it.
MB:  aspects of this are work, but aspects of it are fun and enjoyable. It’s
about creating other things in our life that aren’t about consumption.
AS: domestic workers talked about the ‘ambassador’ project – each member is
educated and then they go back into their community and disperse the
knowledge. It seems more realistic for A&L to ground ourselves in these kinds
of group work models. Relationship-building in outer areas.
LP: it’s interesting even thinking of where we work vs. where live, as part of
the mapping project.
BR: agreed.
AS: proposing to go to the outer neighbourhoods and seeing if people want to
interact with us.
LP: you have to help people understand that they can organize (?) like through
a worker center.
CO: as a musician, my community works mostly for free because they think
they’re eventually going to make it big. Workers think of themselves as
exploited, while musicians see themselves as a not-yet-famous musician.
LP: that’s true for actors, models etc – identify with future millionaires,
not exploited.
BR: very interested in the ambassador idea, it’s participatory research. Want
to reach out.
AS: Occupy Lunch was our first outreach.
LP: how do we do outreach to workers and have them generate what they need?
AS: would be good to identify where we can start doing outreach. We should
leave it up to the groups to say what they want.
MB: like what we did at KW in Berlin with Occupy Museums, where we did a
survey of all the employees of the museum about their working conditions.
Agree that we need to start seeing some faces and discovering if other people
are interested in what we’re interested in.
CO: it’s also gratifying to meet other artists.

* New meeting place:

CT: do we want to stick to POPS?
–> most people indicated down or mid twinkles.
AA: would be great to have a place where we can do presentations.
CO: always had a good experience meeting in bars.
MB: not sure it’s great for the people who work in bars.
AA: there’s also a volume issue.
BR: apartments?
AS: some people are uncomfortable about having strangers in their house.
BR: we can ask unions.
AS: we can ask art institutions – Artists Space, THE space (?)
LP: would be interesting to see which institutions are allies, who we can have
a dialogue with about collaborations.
MB: would prefer that it be a centralized location.
CO: what about churches?
MB: like the dynamics of being in a public space
LP: Bluestockings?
BR: can we make a deadline to get out of 60 Wall St? Maybe the next Wednesday
A&L meeting?
BR: will reach out to labor contacts.
YA: limit ourselves for now to south of Union Sq until East Village area – not
too far east, not too far west. We should suggest a spot for the next Wed.
meeting and try it out. It doesn’t have to be permanent.

* Next discussion meeting:

AA: we can read Federici’s housework essay as a platform for the next
discussion.  It’ll be a good way to discuss the success and failures of the
movement in relation to our work.
still need someone to bottom line meeting.

Attending: AB, CT, LW, BW, GR

Suggested topics: relationship between community organizing and labor organizing; “class misidentification”; questions about panel last night/ thursday’s panel

Panel thoughts:
GR- thought the broadness was interesting, thought is would be more specific to artists

CT- wished it were more specific to the artworld. Struggled to apply broader labor issues to struggles for artists

LW- thinking about how workplace organizing could apply to artists

CT- i am an art assistant for example but also an artist. as artist also consider own art as labor. Still feel skeptical about organizing artists using their workplace as the starting
point for organizing artists. Artists work as waiters, etc. not just within the art world.

AB- domestic workers speaker was great. Been feeling that artists should identify as
artworkers. It was interesting to hear Joyce and the taxi driver both identifying as artists
in some ways as well. I have not experienced the extreme abuses that many domestic
workers have faced, but the lack of security is something artworkers and the domestic
workers have in common. Respect the courage of the domestic organizer reaching out
on the ground.

CT- agree, felt like artworkers and domestic workers had the most in common.

LW- the point was made that solidarity needs to transcend class positions. Other
good point was that class can’t be ignored because class affects level of precarity and
security etc.

CT – It’s not either/or.

LW- what does acknowledging that mean though?

GR- recognize life experiences.

BW- think it’s important to recognize there’s different levels of precarity within the same
position or workplace. Those with less security may not be able to be on front lines of
unionizing for example.

AB- differences need to be discussed and a common ground needs to be determined
before you move on. My background is less privileged than I now appear because of
education etc.

LW- different backgrounds that aren’t always apparent based on first impressions.
Trying to work on being mindful of other people.

GR- sothebys for example seemed effective because it seemed like it was initiated by
and important the people involved?

LW- arts and labor members organize around their own workplace conditions.

GR- interested in how to pick actions or focus when there are barriers and differences.
Do the differences erode?

LW- long term question is one I think about in the labor organizing issue. How can we
organize in a way that doesn’t just result in asking for more from people in power but
erasing the big differences in power.

CT- thinking the whole art world system is terrible. I came out of discussion thinking
impossible to organize artists based on these existing models

GR- starving artists can still be considered as elitist by a lot of people because artists
aren’t “productive” in current society art isn’t utilitarian. If you aren’t doing something to
move the productive economy forward are you not creating “value” in a lot of peoples
eyes.

LW- why is the goal to transform shitty workplaces into equitable places why aren’t we
trying to create new equitable places instead?

AB- material conditions for some people are dire. People seem isolated and alienated
from each other. Need to tap into that shared desperation. Labor organizing could shift
ideological norms. Lately have clear sense for what I don’t want but am still identifying
what I do want.

LW- Hopefully one day the new workplace I am involved in will come to fruition. Why
aren’t we starting new models?

CT- this is more practical based on what we know, starting new is daunting. I think it’s
less for ideological reason than practical.

AB- thought about this especially after visiting community garden. Making assumption
that some people are struggling in their daily lives.

LW- poor people do start all kinds of businesses. Last night was depressing- the talk
about the laws that restrict militant unionizing

AB- even the material precarity of newly graduated art students is something to hook
into.

LW- still worried about organizing people to ask for more things from the people in
power limits how far we can think outside this structure

AB- there are still some forms of organized labor that are interested in true equitability.
Better conditions could be first step but not ending there.

GR- lots of different factions through history of cooperatives. For example Spanish
civil war? What does it mean to be up against enemy who wants to destroy labor? Like
today? There was creative work that came out of this situation too.

LW- it’s hard for me to imagine how seizing all the power could happen, especially with
all the anti-strike laws etc.

AB- through small slow ideological shifts, but opportunities don’t just come, we have to
make them. Workers can still organize themselves through refusal and withdrawal.

GR- people in the digital world are able to organize outside the system, for example
anonymous.

AB- I think people can physically walk out still, people need to be radicalized.

BW- there needs to be a structure of support in place first, people’s food, medicine, etc.
is now tied to workplace can’t afford to sever that.

GR- this idea of moving up the chain and then you are in power is pervasive

LW- academia is like this too, there is the false idea that you have freedom within it .
Freedom is limited. But these are also some of the few spaces where people feel like
they they can still have radical ideas and some freedom.

CT- does this need to be either/or? Can’t we address both conditions now and also build
new better conditions?

LW- how do you curb natural impulse to take leadership roles and distribute equitably

RARA
CT, LW, BW decided it was a good idea for raras to get to know each other’s artwork
better. Will have studio visits or presentations. Build trust, get to know each other, see
how it relates to our activism or how those skills can be used for a/l work.

Questions for panelists at thursday’s event:

Do you think another world – not just another art world – is possible? One without this
morally bankrupt artworld, one in which art and finance are not linked, etc. How can we
get there?

Do you sell or buy art? Do you believe that commodifying art destroys any part of it?
Does the existence of an art market hinder artistic production?

Are you an artist, if so how does this identification relate to your role in the art industry?

Arts & Labor, 12/11/2012

Attending: CT, AS, MB
Minutes CT and AS

ANNOUNCEMENT: PRAWC tomorrow. Who can video? MB said she would see if she
could to set up and help with video, but schedule may not allow.

FUNDRAISER:
CT explained webpage plus email letter.
AS suggested adding links on texts to specific things like buttons and t-shirts etc. Since
we have mages and info on website
[Group looks at letter.]
AS prob to “political art”
CT debt quilt is political art
MB “writing letters” problematic. Statements of solidarity?
AS not just “made” buttons, given out
CT & AS must emphasize collaborative methods
MB we need to emphasize context in the larger movement. Align art practice in
collaboration with movement.
AS describe as visionary, how hard this has been.
MB is leaving on the 19th.
MB lets look at it, finalize, send to list. Send out on friday.
CT I don’t have mail chimp password
MB will send to you.
AS will send links. Deadline?
CT send to list tonight.
AS friday is worst day to email. Monday or tuesday?
CT say monday afternoon. Send to list tonight only text if pple want to write, then email
to get google doc.

MAPPING THE ARTWORLD: awesome! We were all there so no report back so just
check the minutes when they’re posted!

MB: how to visualize these experiences outside of already formed experienced. Outside
of corporate tools.

AS: showing how the art industry is enormous with tons of jobs that are outside of artist,
critic and curators. Misclassification.
Make a giant poster with list and drop it at the peace pentagon

COOPER STATEMENT:
Sent to cusos today. Waiting for the students to respond. If they dont respond by
tomorrow, CT will contact them via facebook. Wednesday night or thursday morning
release it via facebook and webpage and allies. Cooper pages.
Spoke about speaking out on friday afternoon.

MEETING TIMES:
Decided that group too small to make decisions tonight.
MB: find a nice place to meet. Like two different meetings, hard to divide focus. How
do you make sure the meeting is open. Warning against losing momentum due to past
experiences
CT: some people in NJ and some people in Brooklyn, so meetings should be in
Manhattan to accommodate. Recommend 2 actual meetings a month and 1 happy hour
AS: like the structure, fine with the place
Two actual meetings a month and 1 bar meeting social…

Agenda Items
MEETING TIMES
FUNRAISER

BR, AS, TJ, TB, CO

Agenda items:
I. CMJ
II. BC proposal- labor talk
III. Eblast
IV. Sf proposal
V. Artist collective
VI. Reader
VII. Alt econ
VIII. All in the red cooper U
IX. art matters grant feedback discussion
X. last add: AS2 about $100 we raised.

Arts & Labor
Meeting Minutes:
Wednesday 28th of November, 2012
60 Wall Street

facilitator: MP
stack: MS
minutes: AS

Attendees: MP, AS, AA, MS, CH, MB, LP, BR, CT, BC, CO, AS2

MP- Began with informal union talk. Any interest in talking about that later or at the bar Maybe, lets just add to end of list.

MP- brief intro to meeting, technical, hand signals , meeting length, etc.
Meeting – 2 hr min agreed.

Intros
Vibe Check- open space introduction by BR
MB- like the party think we deserved it. Glad to see all of occupy coming together for sandy. Glad to feel like part of a group that had many facets.
MS- party was great. Thanks to all who put the party together. It was so great. We really need to do that sometime. Everyone was really a good dancer. Sometimes I think we work too hard and then we are volunteering for the hurricane, i did too.
BR- Confused about the direction [pf Occupy]. A shift to the community organizing, a shift to relationship with the state. I am conflicted in it.
Mp – Ofs is holding these discussions. ” for open space”(name?)
CF- (missed comments)

Reportbacks:

Swedish union
BR- generally speaking, this women from swedish artist union wants to give a presentation. Needs a formal invitation to get funding from her gov. Nothing has been decided about the event at all, anyone interested in shaping the event, please go ahead. Peter is a point person.

Murphy Institute.
bR – so there has been an interest in work centers, KG, AS and MP. Having meetings with people and wondering what type of conditions they are working around.
Rest. Op cent. Taxi workers, and Kim from ?…
We want to make the notes as a public forum around strategies. We also met with murphy ins. They want to host a panel, 2 parts where we would gather those the arts, then people from worker center people, and cross promote these ideas. Trying to do it for early january. Also maybe Sotheby’s guys, or MoMa guys, WAGE, and Queens museums, we can share the list. Projects Project was another space to use.

AA – it sounds great. But unclear about the goals. Did have interesting discussion with Howey of …. , and he wants to put us into the freelancers union, girl from Cornell, and interested in looking for different forms into the discussion. I would want to help get this done, sounds like a great outreach tool.

MS- which apart workers part if it so far, wage? a point in this?

MP- suggest add a point for people to get involved.
BR – timeline due to personal situation. And the planner has been a big part of it from the beginning.
MB – how about seeing this as the beginning of something. So no stress.

Black Friday
MP – mostly people in occupy, Walmart retail and warehouse workers raising the attention, many walk outs, many protest in solidarity with the workers. busing in people, 300 at the protest I was in. All was nice, collaborative sense. Actions inside the store and outside. Tried to slow down the lines with pennies, gifts to the workers. Loved the mic checks in Walmart. Also some in Spanish, mic checks. So many people right outside Walmart. Police where really nice, sort of weird. Good videos and articles about it.. Nobody got fired, they are going to continue.

Puerto Rican Art workers
BR – in the works for 8months. Teach in. Long process to organize. Labor for lecture, exchange. To be held at _____ El Boriqua. Marcos will also participate. She’s organizing everything, she is doing a lot of research and working on a book. confirmed Dec 12.

AGENDA

I. Cmj- MP- next steps... (CMJ meeting at Judson.)
Should we have another meeting for break out ideas?

MB- do we have notes recording
MP- We have notes and an audio recording.
MP- i think we need a space to work together.
BR- seemed like a lot of new people and excitement- how would we capture that.
MS- did u get emails to email out.
BR- we have musicians solidarity.
MS – maybe the 50-60 people there, calling them back for a meeting.
MP – keeping it chill, easy.

II. BC Proposal – Labor Talk
BC- No Longer Empty “how much do i owe you?” show. Curator approached me. Asked to out together a labor panel. Teaches class to make a public art. BC asked about A&L, maybe be moderator.

CH- whats the problem, the institution? No longer Empty, or the money from Deutsch Bank.
AA- did they ask you to org a labor panel? We know its problematic.
AS2- Should we ask first if we want to do this?
LP- gentrification is a big issue, i want to hear more about this mode of critiquing.
ms -agree with everything, doesn’t seem productive to turn it down. Maybe if we moderate can we put these things out there.
AA- can we ask _______, to be in it? Pose questions of modes of engagement and possibility.
AS2- one thing that draws me is the conversation we can have with your students.
BC – wont have my class in january, i have some formal students. I don’t think i can get them out.
MB- Since its around labor, can we question our labor for these events.
AS- needs to have a way to get people doing something.
BR- its not vey really to spend energy on the critique. I don’t think a problem to have this discussion in multiple places, different crowds will be there.
BC- can also make it a step to the Murphy Institute.

III. EBlast
Br- we need to send out Yasmin Ramirez talk. Anything we need to add to the list, we should talk, about it. Anyone want to bottom line it by next wednesday.
MB- i can bottom line it.
AS2- i like it.
MS- i can help too after my deadlines. I cant bottom-line the whole thing. Mostly on the critics thing.
MP- will do cmj, black friday.

IV. San Fran 5 ways to act proposal. (LP)
From Kristian Froth, Arts Practical saw the 5 ways to act card. Interested in building the website. To get people to sign up to the agreement.
Changed to a place to collect stories about how people have acted. Wants to have maybe a skype call, outreach to get people to contribute. Wants the group to consider it. How should we all this. Thoughts.

MS- there was a website doing this in texas, or cali, about a year ago. It was a really good one done last year, etc. its talked about in the google group.
AA – why was the pledge intially shot down?
LP- the oath part was shot down.
AS2- nice to be called on this, would like to see what she can do with it. Its nice kro have a conversation about it.
BR- has been sending this out, on her postage.
MS – it would be ice to see the Art and Labor credit.
MB would like to be on the call.

V. Art Collective
CO- My main interest is to see if it is already happening.
Idea is to build an artist collective. Society doesn’t have equal access art and education. Start to build an artist group to fill in this issue, with mutual aid. Has a strategy plan, some interest on face book. A. first build support in community. B. need teaching artist/workers. C. Set up Class, find locations, spaces and times. Then outreach in lower income communities. So moving to alt econ, we still need to survive, by donations, or by barter exchange. Etc. Is this happening.

AA – my worry n the proliferation of these spaces, like my own, is just that they seem to burn out and get enough funding very quick.
LP- hardest thing is getting access to spaces, its easier to get things done that way. Concrete suggestions. Maybe check out Our Goods, flux factory, see other models like time bank.
MS- altecon booklet come out.
CO- whats artist activist community to come out of this.
CH – good suggestions, big goal.
MB- suggestion… Project movement space, the base.
CH- notre Maar suggestions.

VI. Reader
MS- wanted to do a reader for a while now. Gone through many stages, many people involved. In the meantime, verso, occupy reader, eflux reader. Still wanted to do another reader with a different angle. Some philosophical point that we wanted to be a DA group. But as a book we can get our stuff out in the world. Something like an alternative art history, a diy looking document, to cheaply reproduce it. HENS reader as a model. It would be an alternative history of labor. On political and theoretic problem. I have more time to work on it. Wants to do it sooner than later. Its need to be under the occupy message now, instead of next couple of years. We would like to do this a working group.

MP – explain working group.
MS – a subset of the group. This would be a collective anonymous text. Subset groups to avoid the pain.

Anonymous reader?

Ch- not clear on scope. Text book. Case studies, histories. One concrete example.
Ms- thought of it as a teaching tool. This is around collectives, outside of cannons.
AS2 – we dont want to say much until it.
AS- is there a process? That can be made public.
MS – A&L protocol is a good basis for the process.
MB- Deadline and deliverable to bring the content.
MS – Deadline will be in february. A reader but also an art history text revised.
MS – we are trying to solve these problems in real time, the canon arose with capitalism. If we don’t correct this it would be a big problem.
BR – it would be good to ask for the process. Where we can peek in.
MP – what to avoid these issue.
As- like the alt econ book, will there be new version.
MS – it will be a living document.

Friendly amendments
Add Process info (start with LS A&L original guidelines)
Add Production calendar
Add Open call with end date.

Temp check: yes, no blocks. PASSED

IX. Art Matters
MB- wether or not to get feedback. Proposal not accepted, but we can get feedback.
MS – BR, do you think we should get a feedback?
BR- info is there, in notes, we can get that, it is easy to get from panel.
Getting feed back temp check done.!

VII.Alt Econ
AS- One of the earlier subgroups, meeting one a month…
Two workshops What do we do now? Project. Cannot get a hold of Alt Econ admin to include new people.So how to move forward?

Mutual aid sandy conversation in a big way
Meetings can take place in other places rather than home which create some difficult issues
Backup location
Do a call to the list and start a meeting
Particularly sandy relief mutual aid topic

X. $100 relief money Will go to Brooklyn youth task force Pass

— Meeting Concludes — (VIII, got bumped.)

VIII. All In the Red/ Cooper Union Student Rally
AS. Monday Dec 3. All in The Red/Free Cooper U/ Free U  is Asking for other groups to join on student rally. Games begin at 2, teach-ins possible. Thought it would be good to table and build student support for A&L. Bringing debt quilt? Table with information, Alt Econ Guidebooks?
MB and MS decided to try and help with AS.

• Entrepreneurship and Exploitation in the Music Industry (October 18)
• Occupy Museums talk at Momenta
• Art Writing as Craft, Labor, and Art: A&L roundtable (October 25)
• Organizer training at ALIGN (October 30)
• Mapping the Workplace
• Intern Group

Agenda:

• PARTY
• Book Club
• SF curator request to develop the Five Ways to Act project
• Weekly A&L meeting schedule

A&L Minutes: October 23, 2012

LP, BR, TJ, YA, S
BR facilitating. YA minutes.
Report backs and announcements:
Entrepreneurship and Exploitation in the Music Industry (October 18)

BR: Musician solidarity council, 99 pickets and A&L hosted a panel at Judson Memorial Church about the labor conditions of musicians and other workers. There were over 60 people – not the typical A&L crowd. Felt a bit like organizers talking to organizers. If anything – people wanted just a lot more time to talk so there were a lot of questions and discussions.

There were ice skaters, taxi alliance representatives, people from the Justice for Jazz Campaign. After the event they went to the protest of Justice for Jazz campaign at Blue Note. It is highly recommend to check out their marches.

YA: will there be a follow up event?
BR: a follow up needs to happen but didn’t feel like A&L are the ones who should do it. A more music-based group should do it.
There was a guy who is a fashion student trying to organize a similar event for the fashion industry. He is already working with people on it.
YA: he should get in touch with the intern group.
BR: the model of venting and then discussing solutions worked – it felt lie it was a catalyst for something more.

Occupy Museums talk at Momenta
TJ: there was a panel about ‘what is value?’ The panel included an artist, art advisor, and writer.  It was very interesting. Was difficult to determine what value is. It was observed from the viewpoints of rhetoric/language, the role of context, and the art market.
LP: the event it was recorded, not sure where it will be published.

Art Writing as Craft, Labor, and Art: A&L roundtable (October 25)
BR: Will be on Thursday at Housing Works Bookstore Café in SoHo.

Organizer training at ALIGN (October 30)
BR: Will be on Tuesday 10/30 at the offices of ALIGN at 50 Broadway. Will be basic, just so we have some framework to work around. RSVP to BR if interested in attending.

Mapping the Workplace
BR: There is a Doodle poll (http://doodle.com/digumteaf96gph7p) to work on mapping art workers – who and where are they? Who is invisible and visible. The brunch meeting is proposed for either Nov 11 or Nov 18.
There’s also a proposal to organize a two-day event at the Murphy Institute that will explore these issues (in addition to the mapping project).

Intern Group

YA: ILR is working on how unpaid labor limits diversity in the art world with
the ultimate goal of organizing an event at a cultural institution to discuss
unpaid internships in the arts. We’re at the research stage – reaching out to
immigrant organizations to collect data on the career advancement
possibilities available and/or utilized by their communities. If anyone has
information or resources that could be relevant, or is interested in partaking
– contact YA.

Agenda:
A&L Party
BR: hosting a birthday party may set up a milestone that could be weird. Maybe should just be a party.
S: if you want to pull people together, just do that.
LP:  one-year is worth reflecting. Currently organizing a project at Tensta (Sweden) of interviews with different (artworld?) people who are organizing. Wanted to propose to do a collective interview with A&L to reflect on the one-year of the group. Honorarium is approx. $375 – could be used for the party.

YA: it’s really important to have in-person interviews with a variety of people from the group because the multitude of voices is something often absent from our collective writing.
TJ: location?
BR: MP’s rehearsal space on Douglass St is an option.
TJ: can approach The Oracle Club but may not be good for a dance party.
BR: we were thinking of doing this in November.
We have $500 from EFA and we got an extra $150 from the Denmark event, but people still need to be reimbursed before we spend it on the party.
TJ: Cabinet? Will contact.
White Horse?
YA: Gowanus Studio Space?
BR: propose Nov 17 or Nov 30. We have to decide by the next A&L meeting on Nov 7.
Would be nice to have a slide show in the background of images from the events we’ve held.

Book Club
YA: set up doodle poll, no responses
BR: is the problem the reading?
YA: would like to read something more current
S: what’s the common knowledge that you’re trying to get through the book club?
BR: the books have had practical application to our work.
S: go for info on organizing, and then go to the law.
How does a young movement move beyond spontaneity?
LP: Declaration by Negri and Hardt?
BR: read it and got a lot out of it. It may be interesting for us to talk about it.
TJ: another option – The Coming Insurrection by the Invisible Committee

Consensus: the group is  not interested in reading Mutual Aid. YA will post
those two books to the thread and ask which people prefer.

SF curator request to develop the Five Ways to Act project
LP read to the group the email from the curator (“Invisible Venue”) who is requesting the reproduction of the art worker card, Five Ways We Can Act and development of the project into a kind of interactive contract.
BR: this is a version of what we ended up deciding on doing for Smack Mellon in order to reach art workers. We don’t have to give the SF curator a definite answer, but just need to let her know if we’re interested. No timeline from her yet.
The curator wants to create a kind of personal contract – on a website.
TJ: this sounds a bit odd.
S: not a fan of pledges.
TJ: the moment you make the vow you begin transgressing it.
LP: why not ask her to just distribute the ‘five ways’ text?
S: do we just become content providers? Is her distribution in our best interest?
BR: so we’re not agreeing with the contract idea?
Consensus: the group is not supportive of the contract idea.
S: maybe we can suggest that she turn this into a survey?
BR: if A&L will come out with a survey, we would really benefit from collaboration with the Murphy Institute.
S: having a narrative behind these “Five Ways” may really draw people. Letting people tell their story. It would be interesting to develop this from a personal narrative standpoint.
TJ: once you give people an outlet, they may realize how problematic the way they act is…
S: it would be content-producing-content.
YA: this kind of a project would best be started in a city like SF, more manageable size.
BR: will send the curator these notes.
LP: can take over communicating with her.
Weekly A&L meeting schedule
BR: beginning to feel that weekly meetings aren’t sustainable at this point.
If we meet less frequently we could probably get more people.
Can we meet every few weeks to exchange report backs from subgroups and events and make decisions?
YA: We can set dates for the next few months and that way people pencil these
in advance and plan around them.
Concerned that if we hold monthly meetings – if someone misses one, then a lot of time goes by before they see others again and their sense of connection to the group may quickly get untied.
LP: are there other ways to have meetings? Specifically, how do we build trust in meetings? The meetings are very tedious – how can we bring other things into the meeting structure that emulates the exchanges at the bar after meetings or quilting session.
TJ: we need to figure out how to bring play and work into the meetings.
LP: would like to have theoretical discussions in meetings.
YA: the original meeting model of A&L is not all that bad – “play” is built into the meeting structure with the end at the bar.
TJ: perhaps we should invert this model? Make the “play” the focus where the free discussion happens. People are desperate for that space to discuss other types of experiences in the art world.

BR: the OWS process is no longer proper for what we’re trying to do, but we have to come up with a different model.
S: should have different types of meetings and different people will come to each one – organizational, brainstorming, theoretical meetings etc.
Why have people drifted away?
BR: there is no discursive space anymore.
S: how do you make this a discursive space again?
BR: people that do the work, will do it anyway.
LP: that goes back to the trust issue – if you build this, more people will be inclined to actively participate.
TJ: if we had more discursive space, our ideas will percolate and bleed into
our day to day lives.
YA: what if we go to the extreme and envision that our meeting was really just a gathering where everything was informal? We will be able to talk, but would that really allow us to produce events, etc.?
S: ‘Artists Meeting for Cultural Change’ could be a model – it’s a discussion group. They decide on a topic and then meet to discuss it one evening. If someone is interested in planning around a certain aspect – they form a group and it either succeeds in going further, or not. You build upon natural affinities.
YA: what if there are meetings that are just report backs – can we trust that
those report backs lead to new focuses and actions?
YA: seems like we’ve agreed that the meeting focus should be discursive. We should be consistent about dates and venues.
S: recommend that we set dates for separate organizational meeting and discursive meeting.
TJ: we can have different venues for different meetings.
BR: we should revisit this online and set the meeting in two weeks (Nov 7) as when we make a decision on a new model and frequency of meetings.
TJ: we should state that it is a model for a few months, not make it sound permanent.
YA will post it to the group online.
YA will announce that next meeting (Halloween) is canceled. The next meeting
will be Wednesday, Nov 7 (Nov 6 is election night).

Attendance: BW, MS, L, A, MB, TJ, CT, AS, N

013—Friday 10/12/12 & Saturday 10/13/12
– Friday – meeting: logistics, making maps; GA at 6:00; maps all had different fruits and vegetables;

– Saturday – marches – 5th Ave; loud, at least 100 people; started with OWS banner then Strike Debt banner; dropped OWS banner above Rock. Ctr ice rink; no arrrests

– and banner drop at Columbus Circle : “Debt is the New Colonialism”; and residence of CEO of Goldman Sachs

Smack Mellon
– “aesthetics of resistance” – using space to advantage; text on wall; “five ways to act” current idea for proposal, with buttons

Puerto Rican Art Workers
– can do in December

CMJ
thursday october 18 at Judson Memorial church 6:30

So things seem to be shaping up nicely for Thursday. We have several musicians I know will be great committed to speaking (from a variety of backgrounds), as well as at least one writer, a dancer, a taxi driver who is also a DJ, possibly a worker from Domestic Workers United and an ice skating coach from a group of them that recently organized (?!?!). Plus everyone that just shows up at the event — the people I mentioned are kicking it off, but everyone is encouraged to speak. It should go without saying that we are really hoping that folks from A&L will show up and speak. We have 45 folks on FB saying they’re coming, who knows what that means.

• We’ll have a brief section at the end where people from each of the 3 groups that collaborated on this can tell how to get involved. Can someone from A&L commit to being this person?
• Turnout: please come, and tell your freelancer friends. Forward the announcement, share the FB event, RSVP if you’re planning on going.
• Help flyering  @ CMJ in the next couple days. Could be day at Kimmel or shows at night. Some shows are free and we could have a good time. Email Matt
• Does anyone have access to NYU that can get me (or someone else) into the Kimmel Center? Email Matt
• Help with documentation of the event… note-taking. Audio or video if possible. Email Matt
• We can bring food. Might be cool if people bring snacks.

Art Writing Panel

MS organized with others. Art writing as craft labor and art. Like word craft. More recently , eg jbw, very interested in craft, queer, feminist, etc. ms always crafted fiction. Thinking about canonization, hierarchy etc how can craft serve as model for other structures?

MS shows flyer. Wanted diverse crowd, BR reached out to lots of people. MS will moderate. There’s reason for a lot of these people but ended up being a lot of white guys Will be big convo so didn’t feel the need for additional q’s, but open. Nonhierarchical setup.

Ben davis worked for artinfo but used to come to a/l meetings. Kareem thru BR, knows nonprof. Ken J from Times. was soft supporter of ows. Paddy blogger, afc, first to make inroads to internet artwriting, now with l mag. Omar more of a curator now, connected to s america. Walter was with artnet for 15yrs. Mira Schor, artist blogger, feminist. MS tried to get younger people and tried for diversity but didnt happen.

BW is there anything we can do to help?

AS film it?

TJ stream it? Useful.

AS would be hard to set up

MB can look into it

MS just document?

AS yes thats better. Live stream less important. Just document

MS gran fury had prob didnt want that. This group is diff. But will ask them.

AS michelle kuo speakng same night. Critic as outsider!

MS will prob bring up while moderating

-Monday OWS planning/strategy meetings

BW P and MP movement mondays. Larger ows thing, is really good, affinity groups present projects see if one action can support another.

MB list serve is s17?

BW dont know will find out. Meets judson or other labor bldg in usq but not sure. Long meetings. 6-9 or 10

MS. Can you mention writers thing there?

BW yes.

MB musicians panel on occupy newsletter?

BW will contact them

-book club

BW arts labor book club? Which texts?

TJ kropotkin?

MS David Graeber syllabus from yale. Wanna see? Its good

All: yes!

L first meetings. Lots of reading lists. Where?

MS. Remember gg? Lots of books thrown in there. Somewhere is a pdf of those. We as group created doc of important things to read. As a/l project would be great contribution.

TJ press from ows went from under reported to big boom

MS i can contribute lots from occ oakland anarchists. Interested in knowledge dissemination

MB i can be a helping hand. Is exciting

MS need trained on wordpress

MB can do wordpress

-A/L one year anniversary

BW Party!

All: yay!

BW tomorrow is one year anniversary.

AS started here at 60 wall with a sea of people

TJ a hive!

MS we’re still here!

TJ we’re still poor!

MB party when? Tomorrow?

AS No. one day… mid nov?

MB doodle?

MS white horse?

TJ sentimental place. Our maxs kansas city. Also lorelei in gp.