Intros
Meeting tech stuff
Vibe check general
Report backs
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.