The State of the Field: A Report from 2003 Regional Meetings
For the third year in a row, NAMAC welcomes Paula Manley to the pages of MAIN. Paula is the designer and facilitator of an ongoing series of think-tank discussions with staff leaders in our field. Her up-to-the-minute reports on the state of the media arts have focused in previous years on Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Diego. NAMAC undertook this project so that our programs and services would reflect the experiences and needs of independent media organizations as they continue to evolve.
In the fall and winter of 2003, NAMAC conducted think-tank discussions with media arts leaders in the Boston metropolitan area and the triangle area of North Carolina, including Chapel Hill, Durham, Wilmington, and Asheville. NAMAC sought to engage organizations in thinking together about the direction of the independent media field, to strengthen relationships among participating groups, and to generate information to help assess NAMAC s service to the field.
This report includes three sections: key trends and issues in the independent media field, based on the experiences reported by participants; the types of national support and assistance needed by those organizations; and the implications for NAMAC. A total of 30 organizations were represented (see sidebar). Local sponsoring organizations were: University of Massachusetts, Community Media and Technology Program; Boston Neighborhood Network, Multimedia Center; Ibiblio.org/University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and the Center for the Public Domain.
KEY TRENDS AND ISSUES IN THE MEDIA ARTS
Participants identified the following trends and issues in the field: low awareness of the media arts; technological retooling with digital video, wireless technologies, and the Internet; the media preferences of younger generations, which differ significantly from those of their older colleagues; growing acceptance of twenty-first century literacies; continuing funding challenges; expanding global connections; the emergence of a media democracy movement; intensified threats to public space; and a renewed interest in the community-building potential of independent media.
Awareness of the media arts remains low and confusion over terminology continues.
Among funders and the general public, there is still a low level of awareness of our field. Internally - among media makers - there is a limited awareness of the field s history. The challenge of broadening awareness is made more difficult by the lack of shared definitions of the media arts. Noting the confusion around terminology, a North Carolina community educator commented that definitions are difficult to pin down, as the media arts change to encompass multiple tools and various disciplines. She asked, "What do the terms 'media arts' and 'indie media' mean today?" A Boston area media educator advocated the development of definitions that "focus on creativity and the creation of work - not the tools, but the generation of ideas and the cycle of producing and distributing work." Participants at the Boston gathering also emphasized the need for definitions as a basis for public policy work.
One Boston attendee emphasized the need to share the history of the media arts field with media makers, particularly the younger generations, "so that they can work with conscious awareness of what came before." Independent work must be made more visible, but "on our own terms" - for example, by creating DVDs with wrap-arounds that provide context.
As technological retooling continues, digital video, computer networks, and the emerging broadband environment are changing the face of independent media. North Carolina attendees commented on both the positive and negative implications of expanded streaming and wireless capability. For example, while Internet distribution is helping to develop new audiences and new donors, streaming capability and uplinking to National Public Radio via satellite will likely result in the demise of some local public radio stations.
Participants noted that filmmakers are becoming web-savvy and more conversant with multiple media tools as better, simpler, digital audio and video equipment has become broadly available. Fair compensation for filmmakers continues to be a challenge in the emerging environment. A Boston educator/filmmaker reported that "draconian" contract negotiations have become prevalent in the quest for cross-platform distribution rights.
Younger generations have different media preferences than their older peers.
Younger generations use the Internet extensively and tend to make use of media 24/7 from a variety of locations. Watches are available with MSN, and wireless tools such as Bluetooth enable links between mobile computers, mobile phones, portable handheld devices, and the Internet. Participants suggested that many educational institutions and media arts organizations need to become more responsive to the expectations of youth toward media.
Young media makers continue to blend styles and formats, making use of the latest technology while also experimenting with older formats (for example, analog signal processing). Instead of becoming obsolete, media are now being combined in contemporary contexts. The DJ/mixing aesthetic is now prevalent in the visual realm as young media makers incorporate multiple overlapping sources (sounds, images, text) and interactivity into their productions.
Acceptance is growing for twenty-first century literacies. Awareness of new literacies - digital, information, visual - is growing in both formal and informal education circles. A Boston media educator emphasized that the media arts field is well positioned to "take more ownership" of the move toward digital literacy, based on its long history with media literacy and education. North Carolina attendees highlighted the emerging need for curriculum and content in multimedia classroom environments and among home-schoolers. Participants emphasized that media artists play important roles in provoking critical analysis, and that there is a continuing need for media education from an early age.
Creative collaborations continue despite persistent funding shortages.
Financial support for media arts organizations and individual artists continues to decline, yet creative collaborations have persevered. For example, one North Carolina social-issue filmmaker integrates evaluation and community-engagement strategies within every project, building a network of partners and supporters throughout the production and distribution processes. In Massachusetts, the Commonwealth Broadband Collective is working on a long-term, multiple-agency effort to create an alternative distribution network. The director of a North Carolina public access television organization has been successful in building relationships and mapping the skills present in his community to engage volunteers in independent media projects. Another filmmaker has been able to secure resources for "activist" projects that are couched in educational terms - for example, a media project, funded by national foundations for 250 North Carolina classrooms, that teaches workplace literacy, including right-to-work and union issues.
Despite these positive examples, the impact of funding shortages remains a serious concern for education institutions, independent media organizations, and individual artists. While the importance of the arts as a driver of economic development is becoming more widely understood (spurred by Richard Florida s influential study, The Rise of The Creative Class), this has not translated into adequate financial support for the media arts. One Boston attendee spoke of the tension media makers experience between "the need to get paid and the desire to just get the work out there." A North Carolina filmmaker reported, "Media artists are often expected to work for free, particularly by nonprofit clients who are unaware of how much work is involved in the process of media making."
Global connections have surged and a U.S. media democracy movement is re-emerging.
Think-tank participants highlighted the growth of online activism and the upsurge of global dialogue through the Internet. Widespread dissatisfaction with corporate media has fueled a new generation of media activists and the re-emergence of a media democracy movement in the United States. As popular understanding of the dangers of media consolidation has grown, alternatives to corporate news sources, such as "Indy Media" outlets, are gaining broader audiences. As one North Carolina attendee noted, "It s not just lefties anymore."
Threats to public space have intensified along with a renewed interest in the community-building potential of independent media.
In Boston and North Carolina, think-tank participants expressed alarm over escalating threats to public space as well as hope for the renewed interest in community-building catalyzing many media makers, educators, and community organizers. In response to continuing attacks on fair use and public domain in copyright law, one Boston attendee highlighted the opportunity to "broaden our realm of concern from public media to public spaces," thereby opening the door to joining forces with like-minded allies such as libraries and museums.
Attendees highlighted the paradox that greater access to media tools (for example, many filmmakers have editing systems at home) has contributed to isolation, creating more of a need for places of connection. A North Carolina free-net operator noted that community technology centers are examples of gathering places where individuals are trained on equipment while interacting as a community.
A North Carolina activist reported seeing an increased "thirst for social justice and real community," which, in his efforts at community organizing, has been the foundation for building one-on-one relationships and integrating media literacy. Recalling Louis Mumford s early warnings about the potential of technology to isolate and disenfranchise, a North Carolina educator asked, "In a society where social mobility is tied to technological advancement, we have to ask ourselves: What is impact of technology on the community? How can all of us in independent media use media to build community?"
SUPPORT NEEDED BY MEDIA ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
Think-tank participants were asked, "What support or assistance would be most useful to your organization in this environment?" Answers included those efforts requiring local or regional cooperation, as well as those in which NAMAC can play a role as a national organization which convenes and encourages the field. Both regions identified a need for national support in creating and defining common terminology for the media arts field. Other needs included: telling the stories and histories of the media arts, articulating a vision for the field, and influencing public policy through strategic alliances.
Create common definitions for the media arts field.
An emphasis was placed on the importance of creating common terminology and defining the media arts as a foundation both for self-knowledge and for awareness and support among the public, funders, allied organizations, and policy makers. A related suggestion from attendees involved mapping the field - creating baseline statistics that identify "who does what," including media access, production, education, distribution, and preservation/archiving.
Convene and encourage the field.
The need for convening media arts practitioners continues. Forums, such as panels at national conferences, are needed for critical feedback and cross-pollination with other disciplines. As the media arts field continues to change, it is crucial to develop opportunities for interaction and learning, ranging from "encouraging the creation of visionary work," to "learning what the possibilities are for integrating and working with new media tools," to "collecting best practices for creating sustainable media arts organizations."
Tell the stories and histories of the media arts.
The media arts field must do a better job of telling its own stories and histories. Boston participants emphasized the need to make use of the power of visual media and the talents of the NAMAC membership to "tell our stories and present our histories in context." One specific suggestion was to put out a national call to create a historic DVD that could be used in education and advocacy efforts.
Articulate a vision for the field.
Closely related to the need to tell the field s stories was the importance of articulating a vision for the field. As one Boston attendee said, "There is a role for NAMAC to provide leadership beyond supporting individual makers and organizations. We need to articulate an alternative political vision for public media, including distribution models." A future-focused vision must be created by convening dialogues that involve people new to the field, who view media differently than NAMAC's well-established members.
Create strategic alliances to influence public policy. Boston area think-tank attendees commented on the need for both short-term and long-term strategies to influence public policy. They highlighted the need to turn around the momentum that is narrowing fair use and the public domain, and they emphasized the importance of forging relationships with others involved in public space issues such as libraries, museums, the humanities, and national service organizations.
Ideas for short-term strategies included: educating the field on cultural policy issues, as was done at NAMAC s 2002 national conference, teaming with like-minded groups to hire a lobbyist, and joining policy-oriented campaigns initiated by groups such as the Media Access Project, Digital Democracy Project, and Americans for the Arts.
IMPLICATION S FOR NAMAC S SERVICE TO THE FIELD
Many of NAMAC s current program offerings serve to convene, encourage and build knowledge in the field. These include a national conference, a peer technical assistance project that supports organizational development, a residential leadership institute for experienced and emerging staff leaders, and a forthcoming executive directors' retreat. Other examples are the annual publication A Closer Look, featuring best-practices and case studies; online resources, such as a detailed directory of media arts organizations and a field-specific consultant directory; and a new technical assistance initiative that assists youth media organizations with program evaluation.
The scenario-planning initiative recently undertaken by NAMAC and partners (see MAIN, Fall 2003, pp. 3-4) is particularly well-timed in light of the "big picture" needs highlighted by think-tank participants This ambitious planning effort, which incorporates multiple perspectives from the arts, sciences, industry, and academia, will create a series of "plausible futures" which provide a foundation for the work of defining/redefining the field, articulating the social benefits of the media arts, shaping a vision for the future, and forging a public identity.
Major public policy challenges underscore the importance of NAMAC s role in helping members understand the policy environment and its implications. Attendees expressed appreciation for the cultural policy workshops and plenary sessions at the 2002 conference, as well as a desire to see NAMAC take a larger role. As one Boston attendee commented, "We re seeing more policy activism than at any time since the late 1970s. Getting our points of view out is critical, and NAMAC is a critical vehicle for articulating the field s collective will." One important opportunity to explore and articulate the field s collective will is NAMAC s 2005 conference, which will take the form of a national congress designed to engage the field in the development of a national platform for the media arts, including policy statements and specific initiatives to broaden the impact and public awareness of independent media.
Finally, the call by for a greater effort to tell the stories and histories of the media arts field is a reminder of the centrality of storytelling within our endeavors as media makers and citizens: It is storytelling that enables us to make meaning of our experiences by finding our place within the larger trends and narratives of our world. It is storytelling that calls forth vision, connects us to others, and makes collective action possible. As NAMAC approaches its twenty-fifth year of service, it is well-positioned to catalyze the processes and the audio-visual artifacts involved in telling stories that will connect the field s rich past with new generations of media makers and widen our circle of listeners, viewers, and supporters. The importance of this work cannot be overstated. As one North Carolina educator said, "Right now there are high hopes for independent media as a link to true democracy."
Three ways to use this report....
1. Engage your organization in big picture discussions. As we juggle day-to-day pressures in the lives of our organizations, we often focus more on next week or next month than next year or the next five years. Use this report to catalyze big picture conversations with the staff and board about the "state of the field" and what that means for the future. It is empowering to zoom out -- to be reminded that we are not operating in isolation, but as vital links in a much larger network of artists and cultural institutions.
2. Use the data to inform strategic planning. An important part of strategic planning involves becoming aware of the trends that influence our work as media arts organizations. Consider the trends in this report a "starter list" for discussion during a planning retreat. Which of these trends ring true for your community? What other political, philanthropic, socio-economic, cultural, or technological factors are shaping the environment for independent media in your town?
3. Educate your funders. Share this report with funders. Be sure to highlight instances in which your organization is already operating strategically based on trends and issues that are emerging nationally. For example, perhaps your media education program is already focusing on 21st Century literacies or your organization is working with others to preserve and expand the public domain. With broadened awareness of the contexts in which media arts organizations operate, funders can become better allies.
PAULA MANLEY is an organizational development consultant who works with nonprofit groups and public agencies. She is cofounder of The Learning Commons, devoted to nurturing public spaces and community-based leadership.
© 2004 National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture. All Rights Reserved.
