New York State Council on the Arts Annual Report 1984-85. Reports by Film and Media Programs

Total Local Assistance Awards: $35,300,000, Media: $1,275,000 (1984-5)

MEDIA PROGRAM

Director: John Giancola (to July 1984), Dai Sil Kim-Gibson

Program Analysts: Eugene Matta, Arthur Tsuchiya

The Media Program, since its birth in 1970, has played a paramount role in the field of video and audio arts by helping artists and institutions create programs and make them accessible to the citizens of the State. As the first state media program in the country, it has shaped and been shaped by the field and has firmly established its position of leadership. Through its support, in the past year, the Program has continued to help this relatively young field of video and audio to obtain stronger footing with wider recognition as important new art forms.

The Program participated in the excitement of the expanding field as the range of video became increasingly vast, especially when it was accompanied by the growing capacities of computers. The technical advances raised a number of complex questions and issues. As artists gained better control of the equipment and a greater control of their technical options, the development of technology accelerated. The question of who can afford to pay for access to technology became serious; the question of balancing technical innovation with artistic vision and integrity attracted the attention of artists and funders. Mindful of the complex questions, the Program supported those individuals and institutions which had a strong impact on the field while constantly searching for and supporting emerging institutions and artists throughout the State.

In 1984-85, the Media Program awarded funds to 78 organizations for 150 projects (including 32 production awards). Expressing its fundamental conviction that production is still vital for this new and growing field, the Program expended 25% ($321,952) of its total allocation ($1,275,000) for production of individual artists' works through sponsoring organizations, supporting various genres--video art, video documentary/narrative, audio art, audio documentary/narrative and cable TV series. The awards ranged from $2,412 to record and broadcast the Blue Mountain Folk Festival by the North Country Public Radio (WSLU) in St. Lawrence County to $20,000 for Vito Acconci's Discipline, a video art work sponsored by Haleakala (the Kitchen). A complete list of production awards including media artists, sponsoring organizations and titles of projects appears on pages 146-147.

Recognizing the importance of making artists' works available to the public, the Program supported a number of exhibition projects, which accounted for 23% of its budget, totaling $289,415. The grant in the Exhibition category made possible year-round exhibition programs, single exhibitions and touring exhibitions, curated and presented by both small and major institutions throughout the State. Through these exhibitions, numerous new and experimental works were presented to young and adult audiences. The Program awarded a grant to the Staten Island Children's Museum for installation of audio art in the museum's Soundtrack exhibition which explores sounds in the environment, simple and complex musical instruments, felt vibrations and visible electronic signals, combining informational and experimental units. The Media Alliance received a grant in this category to assist the New York State Museum in Albany in preparing its first exhibition of video art, and eventually co-sponsor a tour of this exhibition to high schools and art centers around the State.

The Services to the Field category occupied a high percentage (28.5% or $363,394) of the Program's budget, reflecting the growth of service organizations and their expanding activities, including acquisition and distribution, information sharing, study centers for artists and institutions, and equipment services. The Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System received a grant to add to its collection of video art tapes by independent artists. The works in the collection are shown at its headquarters, loaned with the necessary equipment to member libraries and to galleries for special video exhibits. The Program awarded a grant to Locus Communications to complete a video equipment pool which will be made available at low cost to arts organizations proposing to present exhibitions of multi-channel video installations.

The Program increased support in the Artists-in-Residence category, expanding programs in this area to upstate New York. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy received an award for the initiation of a video artist-in-residence program. This program provides access to the Institute's outstanding computer graphics facilities. Support continued for general operating expenses of those institutions which render important services to, and play a crucial role in the growth of the field. Due to the difficulties some organizations experience when trying to raise the required "matching" money, the Program experienced a slight decrease in the Regrant category. The Program continued to provide funds for regrant programs, recognizing the importance of broadening production resources for independent artists by encouraging eligible organizations to match Council funds.

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Bronx Museum of the Arts $6,000 
Downtown Community Television Center; Manhattan $6,000
Global Village Resource Center; Manhattan $7,000  
Harvestworks; Manhattan $5,000  
Holographic Film Foundation; Manhattan $5,000  
Museum of Holography; Manhattan $5,000  
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy $4,350  
Visual Studies Workshop; Rochester $6,500  
Women's Interart Center; Manhattan $24,000  

AUDIO ART  
Fashion Moda; Bronx $8,000  
Harvestworks; Manhattan $17,040  
Rio Grande Union; Manhattan $7,000  
Roulette Extramedia Resources; Manhattan $8,000  
WSLU-FM; Canton $2,412  
ZBS Foundation; Fort Edward $18,000  

AUDIO DOCUMENTARY NARRATIVE  
New Radio and Performing Arts; Manhattan $4,000  
New York Foundation for the Arts; Manhattan $12,000  
Performing Artservices; Manhattan $8,000  
Radio Foundation; Manhattan $10,000  

CABLE TV SERIES  
Experimental Intermedia Foundation; Manhattan $9,000  
Locus Communications; Manhattan $3,000  
North Bronx Neighborhood Restoration Association $10,000  
Queens Council on the Arts $3,000  
Raindance Foundation; Manhattan $8,500

EQUIPMENT PURCHASE
Akwesasne Cultural Center; Hogansburg $1,050
Museum of the American Indian; Manhattan $3,002
Tonawandas Council on the Arts; North Tonawanda $3,894

EXHIBITION  
Alternative Center for International Arts; Manhattan $5,000  
Artmusic; Brooklyn $3,500  
Asian Cine-Vision; Manhattan $5,000  
Astoria Motion Picture and Television Foundation; Queens  $7,500  
Black Filmmaker Foundation; Manhattan $5,000  
Bronx Museum of the Arts $6,000  
Brooklyn Arts and Culture Association $7,550  
Center for New Art Activities; Manhattan $5,000  
Collaborative Projects; Manhattan $3,500  
Educational Broadcasting Corporation; Manhattan $11,000  
Experimental Intermedia Foundation; Manhattan $7,000  
Film Art Fund; Manhattan $13,500  
Franklin Furnace Archive; Manhattan $2,000  
Friends of the Davis Center; Manhattan $4,500  
Global Village Resource Center; Manhattan $15,000  
Haleakala; Manhattan  $39,000  
Hallwalls; Buffalo $10,000  
Institute for Art and Urban Resources; Queens  $7,000  
International Center for Photography; Manhattan  $9,000  
Locus Communications; Manhattan  $5,000  
Media Study; Buffalo  $38,000  
Mid-Hudson Library System; Poughkeepsie $4,600  
Museum of Broadcasting; Manhattan $1,000  
Museum of Modern Art; Manhattan  $18,500  
Museum of the American Indian; Manhattan  $4,085  
New Radio and Performing Arts; Manhattan $2,000  
New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; Manhattan $1,920  
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy $2,500  
Soho Baroque Opera Company; Manhattan $4,000  
Staten Island Children's Museum $3,800  
Tonawandas Council on the Arts; North Tonawanda $3,000  
Visual Studies Workshop; Rochester $11,050  
White Columns; Manhattan $6,860  
Whitney Museum of American Art; Manhattan $15,000  
Women's Studio Workshop; Rosendale $2,050 

GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
Asian Cine-Vision; Manhattan $5,000
Downtown Community Television Center; Manhattan $46,000
Experimental Intermedia Foundation; Manhattan $6,000
Experimental Television Center; Owego $31,000
Inter-Media Art Center; Huntington $30,000
Locus Communications; Manhattan $20,325
Media Alliance; Manhattan $16,128
Media Bus; Woodstock $15,000
Portable Channel; Rochester $12,500
WSLU-FM; Canton $2,000 

MEDIA COLLABORATIONS 
People's Communication Network; Manhattan $12,000

REGRANT PROGRAM
Film Fund; Manhattan $12,000

SERVICES TO THE FIELD  
185 Nassau Street Corporation; Brooklyn $17,960  
Alternative Media Information Center; Manhattan $17,767  
American Federation of the Arts; Manhattan $10,000  
Asian Cine-Vision; Manhattan $2,000  
Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library; Jamestown  $5,000  
Electronic Arts Intermix; Manhattan  $35,500  
En Foco; Bronx  $4,000  
Film News Now Foundation; Manhattan  $1,500  
Foundation for Independent Video and Film; Manhattan  $29,500  
Free Media; Manhattan  $4,000  
Haleakala; Manhattan $45,000  
Harvestworks; Manhattan  $12,000  
Locus Communications; Manhattan $13,840  
Media Alliance; Manhattan  $5,400  
Media Study; Buffalo  $15,000  
Mid-Hudson Library System; Poughkeepsie  $817  
Museum of the American Indian; Manhattan  $1,050  
New Wilderness Foundation; Manhattan  $9,000  
New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; Manhattan  $12,900  
Pacifica Foundation; Manhattan $8,000  
Parabola Arts Foundation; Manhattan  $6,000  
Port Washington Public Library $20,650  
Staten Island Children's Museum  $5,000  
Visual Studies Workshop; Rochester  $5,500  
WSLU-FM; Canton  $2,000  
Women Make Movies; Manhattan  $5,000  
Young Filmakers Foundation; Manhattan  $69,000

VIDEO ART

Collaborative Projects; Manhattan $8,000
Electronic Arts Intermix; Manhattan $8,000
Experimental Television Center; Owego $41,000
Haleakala; Manhattan  $28,000
Media Study; Buffalo  $21,000
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy  $4,000

VIDEO DOCUMENTARY
185 Nassau Street Corporation; Brooklyn  $15,000
Akwesasne Cultural Center; Hogansburg  $12,000
Alternative Media Information Center; Manhattan $8,000
Basement Workshop; Manhattan $10,000
Film News Now Foundation; Manhattan $10,000
New York Foundation for the Arts; Manhattan $10,000
Video Repetorie; Manhattan $19,000

WRITING ON MEDIA ART
185 Nassau Street Corporation; Brooklyn $2,000
Educational Film Library Association; Manhattan $1,500
Foundation for Independent Video and Film; Manhattan $2,500
Future Press; Manhattan $2,000
Harvestworks; Manhattan $2,000
Visual Studies Workshop; Rochester  $5,500

Advisory Panelists:

Mr. Jay Allison, Radio Producer; Accord

Mr. Peer D. Bode, Program Coordinator, Experimental Television Center; Owego

Mr. Ed Bowes, Independent Video Producer; Manhattan

Mr. Luis Cancel, Director, Bronx Museum of Art; Bronx

Mr. Collis Davis, Jr., Video Artist; Brooklyn

Mr. John Driscoll, Audio Artist; Brooklyn

Ms. Ronnie Geist, Administrator/Producer, Women's Interart Center; Manhattan

Ms. Julie M. Gustafson, Video Artist, Global Village Video Research Center; Manhattan

Mr. Robert Kanter, Independent Producer, Robert Kanter Productions; Manhattan

Ms. Shigeko Kubota, Video Artist, Curator, Anthology Film Archive; Manhattan

Ms. Barbara London, Video Curator, The Museum of Modern Art; Manhattan

Mr. Nathan Lyons, Director, Visual Studies Workshop; Rochester

Ms. Karen Ranucci, Assistant Director, Downtown Community Television Center; Manhattan