Art Through Technical Alternatives

Harnessing the potential of household physical and technological infrastructure as network for democratic interchange will be the focus of PirateProperty Network Project (PPNP). This project will invite Minneapolis and St. Paul residents to volunteer temporary access and use of their property and personal technology to local and national media artists as public art space during the course of The UnConvention. Artists and residents will be matched based on the fit of the residents volunteer resources to the artist project needs as well as any personal/political restrictions. Artists will work with residents to install projects in windows, on rooftoops, lawns and exterior walls, using combination of resident and artists contributed hardware and network connections. The PPNP will focus on developing concentrations of projects within neighborhoods within the metro areas, allowing local out of town visitors a drive or walk-through “holiday lights” experience.

Carleton College

The Cinema & Media Studies Department at Carleton College in Northfield, MN will be inviting one or two leading new media groups for a residency in the spring of 2008 where they will work with students on projects to be deployed during The UnConvention. These visits will be in conjunction with a special course, “Site Specific Video & Photography,” offered by Professor John Schott. In this class student will be introduced to critical concepts and works around the themes of open access and participatory democracy, and they will develop projects of their own. Additionally, Carleton is considering creating a multi-team video and audio documentary project to post web-based media reports on the events comprising The UnConvention.

Intermedia Arts

Intermedia Arts continues to deepen participation of diverse communities in our digital programming. With programs such as Immigrant Status and Espejos, we have been able to extend our reach into the Twin Cities area and highlight the voices of Latino and other immigrant communities. Our Broadening the Dialogue initiative furthers our ability to connect with the community-at-large and engage them in cultural dialogue beyond the physical and into the virtual space. As we continue to grow our audience and nurture emerging artists, we are developing new programs and program models designed to cultivate artist communities that will diversify the communityís access to cultural development and broaden our understanding of artistic excellence. Intermedia Arts has also been exploring any present barriers to our arts experiences and we continue to incorporate accessibility into our staff dialogues. Intermedia Arts will advance our initiative that promotes social connections between immigrant and receiving communities as a community health strategy. Specifically, work of our Digital Community Advisory Committee, comprised of immigrant artists, leaders and members of the receiving community.

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

“MCAD educates individuals to be professional artists and designers, effective leaders, and active citizens and, through this work and other activities, advances the cultural life of its community.”As the mission statement of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design reflects, we recognize the powerful impact art, design and culture in general have on our life, and the character of our society.The political climate during the elections, presidential elections specifically, typically presents the act of voting as the sole and central expression of political engagement in our society. We believe that the spectrum of political life is much broader, richer and encompasses a variety of cultural, creative, participatory activities.Recognizing public spaces as cultural spaces presents possibilities for new, open, direct and often more nuanced dialogue in our community. Such flow of creative energy is needed not only at the time of important political events, but is necessary for a healthy life of any society. As artists, designers and educators, we work to establish a firm basis for the growth and flourishing of these constructive ideas. Through activities and events related to The UnConvention, such as lectures, classes, art and design projects, we aim to expand this space for active participation, public dialogue, cultural and critical engagement of our communities.

University of Minnesota Institute for New Media Studies

The Institute for New Media Studies focuses on how the changing media environment is creating new digital story forms and functions. The Institute’s UnConvention activities will involve the hosting of lectures and demonstrations on Gaming Politics (how interactive games online are being used to engage citizens in the political process) and on how online news is packaging vital information about election year events.

Walker Art Center

The Walker Art Center is planning several activities related to The UnConvention during the spring and summer of 2008. In the spring, our annual Insights series of graphic design related lectures will explore democracy and design. Issues ranging from the design of user interfaces for voting machine and ballots to the democratization of design though D-I-Y aesthetics and practices.During the summer, the popular series “Summer Music and Movies in the Park” will center on the theme of election with classic films that portray American democracy and political folly. The Film and Video department has also proposed a project called Garden Soapbox that would revive the old-fashioned notion of political speech in public through a video-based installation that would invite visitors to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to share their opinions on anything they choose. Local video makers would be involved to animate the activity.Target Free Thursday Nights, the Walker’s weekly evening for adult education and free programming, will feature artist talks, lectures and workshops related to themes of art and the political process. A number of these events may be organized and promoted by the Walker Art Center Teen Art Council (WACTAC), and award-winning program for teens and mnartists.org, a website for artists in Minnesota created by the Walker and the McKnight Foundation. Additionally, Walker’s New Media department will create and host a website for The UnConvention.

Steering Committee

The UnConvention is an open forum. To find out how your organization can participate contact steeringcommittee@theunconvention.com.The UnConvention Steering Committee consists of:

• Laurence Bricker, CEO, Popular Front
• Robin Dowden, Director of New Media Initiatives, Walker Art Center
• Marlina Gonzalez, Programs Manager, Intermedia Arts
• Nora Paul, Director, Institute for New Media Studies, University of Minnesota
• Scott Sayre, Sandbox Studios
• John Schott, Carleton College
• Piotr Szyhalski, Professor, Minneapolis College of Art and Design