Author: Schlien, Helen

Publication Year: 1976

Media Type: Directory

Summary:

Media Alliance is pleased to offer Media Arts/New York: A Directory of Media Alliance Members highlighting the range of excellent services and programs offered throughout the State. The publication marks the tenth anniversary of Media Alliance, which was established as a membership organization in 1979 for the purpose of representing the artists and groups comprising the electronic arts field. In 1990, Media Alliance's membership continues to grow and diversify - reflecting new vitality and strength.

Abstract:

Purpose:
This directory grew out of my interest, as a member of the Boston Visual Artists Union, in knowing what similar groups in other cities were doing, and expanded to include the older and more traditional kinds of artists' associations as well as those that have sprung up in the 1960s and 70s. I hope that many groups will find it useful for communication and sharing of information.

Sources:
Because I used the State Arts Councils, and occasionally, federations of arts groups within states, and notices in art newspapers, (The Art Workers News in New York, The New Art Examiner in Chicago, Artweek in San Francisco, and State of the Arts, a bulletin supported by the California Arts Council in Sacramento), for sources of information and actual lists of artists' associations, the lists, all to some degree incomplete, accidentally reflect different emphases. Thus in some places there seem to be a large number of rural, amateur and semi-amateur groups, in others mostly crafts, or mostly groups that have developed into art centers, or mostly co-op galleries.

Much of this is due to my limited resources (the Arts Councils range from those providing a well organized printed book of all the arts organizations in their state to those that could only supply three or four names, or none at all), but there are undoubtedly real regional differences, reflecting different populations, geographical situations and local customs. In general, probably because of the influence of the American Crafts Council, crafts people are better organized and there is more information about their associations than there is for painters and sculptors, practicing what many groups listed here still call fine arts. A few photographers, film and video listings have been included, but mostly as they overlap with other visual artists. Profit-making co-ops have been excluded.

Method:
The procedure used to compile this directory, a one-year project partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, in 1976-77, consisted of contacting each of the State Arts Councils in the fifty states for their lists of artists' groups within their state, running notices in the above-mentioned newspapers, and using the information available to me as newsletter editor for the Boston Visual Artists Union, which exchanges newsletters with similar groups, and as a participant in three recent Artists' Congresses, that met respectively in Boston, St. Louis and Buffalo.

In this way, I was able to gather the names and addresses of approximately 1600 associations. Each association was sent a questionnaire, and more than 400 responded, filling out the questionnaire (see copy in the appendix) and often enclosing supplemental material. Their response indicates their eagerness to learn of other groups and to share information. I have condensed their replies but have tried to retain their wording as much as possible. The associations are arranged by states, which are alphabetical, and by towns, arranged alphabetically within each state. The information from the questionnaire immediately follows each listing of a group that replied.

CONTENTS
Introduction.
Listings of Associations, arranged alphabetically by town within each state.
Appendix: Artists' rights and health hazards.
Questionnaire sent to Artists' associations.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Artists-Resources for