After the debacle of the Vanity Fair article last week, I've been mulling over a few thoughts regarding the viewability of the Fandom. So far the only publicity we've received has been negative; the very few positive articles we've had have been far overshadowed and long forgotten by the general public. It's not something that can really be overlooked anymore, and in spite of the admonition of a few, it really does matter and it really does hurt us. Therefore, it is time to start looking seriously at creating positive publicity for ourselves, and to start putting the focus on where it belongs: on the Furry Arts.
It's no good continuing with a passive philosophy that 'no one wil notice and it will all blow over'. It doesn't blow over. The wind merely pauses until the next big blow. It's time for a more aggressive approach. Passivity doesn't accomplish anything. Neither has the Burned Fur movement, which for all it's talk, does more to stir up discontent than to further any goals of the fandom; it concentrates far too much, in my view, at being at opposition with the negative influences than it does with involving itself with building the positive influences. (And my apologies to the Major and the one or two BFs who are clearly exceptions to the rule, who -are- doing more on their own to improve things.) As a matter of philosophy, it is time to grow, and the only way to more effectively combat the poor image we've been receiving is to work more effectively at showing and emphasizing the -positive- qualities of the fandom. Not just in private, but in public.
To this end, I've been giving some thought.
The following is a series of serious proposals for the advancing of the furry arts. Please understand that these are broad sketches only; I don't have details worked out, and I really don't know how realistically feasible they would be. I know that each has its own set of particular difficulties in becoming established, but they are not entirely way out there in the realm of absolute impossibility. What they require mainly is serious discussion, sincere consideration, and, above all, a genuine commitment in order to be realized. For right now, I'm simply throwing these on the table. I'm convinced the time is here for taking a leap to the next stage, that of actively promoting the furry arts. The idea that furry fandom is unorganized and can never accomplish anything at all is a fiction. If it were true, there would be no fanzines, no publishing, and certainly no conventions. It -does- get organized, if only in certain corners by determined individuals with set goals. I think it can also become organized around any of the following proposals, given that the right people become motivated and interested enough to give any of them a reasonable chance. I know there's problems involved with each. No, I don't have all the answers. No, I can't do any one of things myself, and certainly not -by- myself. For all I know there may be -other- and better proposals to be put forth. But these are my suggestions, and I put them forth as such. What I would -like- to hear is not so much why they -can't- work, because I can probably come up with those myself, but ways they -could- work in some form or another by one or more people working together with some form of commitment, working towards some form of personal (or even general) ideal of what furry art -could- be.
1. Furry museum or a furry art exhibit
Many years ago, when I briefly lived in NYC, I made regular visits to the Supersnipe Comic Art Gallery, which was a small art museum that specialized in displaying comic art (cover paintings, interior line art, etc). I always thought that was a cool idea, and was something of a novelty at the time. Since then, several professional cartoonists erected the Cartoon Musuem of Art down in Florida, featuring similar works primarily by syndicated newspaper strip artists. This is not a bad way to go to publicly display furry art: either to start up a small museum (which might be stretching our capabillities, to be honest) or to open a small gallery, or to just simply arrange for public exhibitions from time to time. This isn't an unrealistic goal, though it might certainly be a problematical one logistically. It would require the purchase of space (which might realistically be beyond financial reach), or leasing of same. (A musuem might very well be a bit much in the beginning, but a gallery might be more feasible.) There's no lack of high-quality talent that -could- be exhibited in such a gallery (provided they were willing): Gallacci, Wyman, Terrie Smith, Gibson, Harpold – just to name a very few off the top of my head. Exhibits might also include works by artists outside of the furry fold who have done works considered to be within the furry mold. Special shows could feature furry art of particular themes: subject (such as military, fantasy, SF, etc), medium (oils, watercolor), style (toon, photomorphs, impressionalism, etc). Work would have to be deliberately selected, and the work would have to be top of the line – this isn't a fanzine where anything goes, but an exhibition to put our very best foot forward for public viewing. The material chosen would have to be screened with that in mind as well, and adult material would have to be -very- carefully considered. There would need to be some form of directorship, perhaps a board of directors, to take charge. And of course, the inevitable funding of such an enterprise.
2. Furry story collection
This would be the creation of a Furry Literature Journal (to put it formally) that would focus on the collecting of furry stories and publishing them as an annual event, representing the best of the upcoming genre. As it's intended for general readership, it would have to be edited with that in mind; a guideline would need to be constructed outlining the goals of the book and making clear just what is and what isn't acceptable for publication in this volume. The basic goals are to create a permanent literary record and to distribute it in the general book market (if at all possible) or at least through the usual fan outlets at furry and SF cons. There are certainly details to be worked out, such as publication frequency (I would suggest annually at least to begin with), how the book would be funded and distributed, and how the creators would be paid.
3. Furry art journal
This would be along the lines of the American Journal of Anthropomorphics, which was published semi-annually a few years back by Darrell Benvenuto. That was rather a classy book, with a reasonably good representation of furry art. It did poorly and didn't get great distribution, but is nevertheless a watermark in terms of displaying furry art and artists for public consumption. An annual yearbook of this sort, perhaps released in conjunction with one of the major furry cons, but put into general distribution as well, would be a good idea. I would suggest it focus on being a showcase book, though, and refrain from publishing stories (comic or otherwise), and that it rotate artists, not repeating those from previous volumes.
4. Furry Awards
There's been some talk of this before, and I believe something along the lines is being (or has been) done at Anthrocon (?). Much as I don't particularly like awards of this nature, as they tend to fall along the lines of popularity contests, they do nevertheless afford -some- recognition for talent and for accomplished work, which a number of artists and writers deserve and seldom receive. I suggest this be pursued by one or more of the current cons, or by an outside organization (such as an ad hoc committee) who could design a set of categories to select candidates from, and to create some sort of cash prize or award to be given to the winners. The two things I stress primarily is that first, all selections be strictly within a set time period (that is, an award given in 2001 be for work created and displayed in 2000), and that a board of judges be selected to determine the qualifications of the work rather than let it be decided by a mass vote of fans (that way the work can judged by its merits rather than by personal preferences). As I noted, I'm aware there was, and may still be for all I know, one such award program going at one time; if it's still in progress, or if I'm stepping on the toes of similar programs already in the works, I apologize. I'm just tossing out ideas.
5. Public relations or press laisons
I think the time has come for this. Despite the insistance of some that we should never talk to the press (or any other inquiring writers) at all whatsoever, I still think we do ourselves grave damage by not doing so. Obviously we do not want tabloid coverage – we have had far more than enough of that. But we -should- encourage and participate in garnering -positive- coverage when press comes calling. Cons should get into the habit (if they haven't already) of designating a member of the staff to 'handle' the press when they arrive, to either dissuade their presence or to cooperate in gathering information and pictures that would help to create a positive image of both con and fandom. In fact, it wouldn't be imprudent to consider creating press releases to hand out to reporters -if- they should stop by, with history of fandom and con. (Sending them out at this point of time would probably only serve to invite unneeded problems.) Along the same lines, it doesn't hurt to get good press in trade zines or specialty mags; Mike Curtis has already taken a huge step in that direction with the Comic Buyer's Guide issue highlighting furry comics that came out a year ago. More of the same, such as articles for sf magazines, wouldn't hurt.
Summing up:
You'll notice that one or more of the proposals mention the need for funds or at least -require- the needs for funds. Obviously none of any of the above is
...
> 3. Furry art journal > This would be along the lines of the American Journal > of Anthropomorphics, which was published > semi-annually a few years back by Darrell > Benvenuto. That was rather a classy book, > with a reasonably good representation of > furry art. It did poorly and didn't get great > distribution, but is nevertheless a watermark > in terms of displaying furry art and artists > for public consumption. > -Chuck Melville- "
A.J.A. is much missed; but I fear the economics of the situation, and the problem of limited distribution, remain unresolved. So I was wondering, as you mentioned the major stumbling blocks it could not overcome, if you had any ideas of how a newer version might suceed - since I believe paper costs alone have increased greatly since those days. Also, AJA's monetary problems went much further beyond simply paying for printing and distribution at the time of its demise. If memory serves some of the art was higher-quality because the artists had been led to believe there would be some limited monetary compensation, and that never transpired; much to the irritation of certain contributors.
But yes, that was one nice furry art book with a quality layout. Still seemed to only end up only in comic shops or at conventions. Darrell could not get the book into Barnes & Noble - though I believe he stated that as a goal. With the massive movement towards the Internet since the book's ending I suspect a newer version has a much higher hurdle to overcome; I fear all we can hope for is something the quality of the Wild Side Annual by United Publications. Which, though nice, is of course not the art journal you are seeking.
So attempting to come up with some positive direction for this suggestion, I cannot. However if you and Martin Dudman - with your experiences in publishing - think you could make it work, I know I would subscribe in advance. But you could ill afford any slips, such as the mistake with paper quality as happened to one of the Little Paw books.
An excellent, POSITIVE set of proposals.(I especially like #5 - Public relations or press laisons - & I volunteer to work on that one. (In fact I already have - did you see my letter to Liz Smith responding to her gossip column?))
I think it's very important for the public (or at least the non-furry part of the public that's going to bother paying any attention to this in the first place) understands that anthropomorphic representation, furriness or whatever you want to call it is a basic part of human awareness - we're just folks who enjoy exploring that realm a little more than most (and the fursuiters etc are folks who really, really enjoy exploring it...)
I just bought the VF issue this morning, haven't read the accursed article yet -- but the first thing I noticed on the contents page was a sultry-posed guy in gorilla drag. First I thought it was a photo from their furry article -- but it turned out to be from a separate article on the "Planet of the Apes" remake. I wonder if the magazine itself is aware of this synchronicity (& I bet they didn't make any snide comments about the sex lives of people making the movie, since magazines like that live to provide the entertainment industry with publicity) & it's a perfect example of what I pointed out in the previous paragraph.
I guess from VF's perspective, spending $9 to enrich Hollywood & go see an $80 million movie starring intelligent apes (or "Monkeybone" or "Chicken Run" or "Stuart Little" or "Lion King" or Jim Carrey covered in green fur - need I go on?) is OK, but dressing up & pretending to actually BE a furry animal for a little while is just too sick for words. Let's just make sure they DON'T convince the public a) that that's true, & b) that their article describes the scene as a whole. I'll have more to say after I've sat down & read the article....
Charles Melville wrote: > After the debacle of the Vanity Fair article last week, I've been > mulling over a few thoughts regarding the viewability of the Fandom. So > far the only publicity we've received has been negative; the very few > positive articles we've had have been far overshadowed and long > forgotten by the general public. It's not something that can really be > overlooked anymore, and in spite of the admonition of a few, it really > does matter and it really does hurt us. Therefore, it is time to start > looking seriously at creating positive publicity for ourselves, and to > start putting the focus on where it belongs: on the Furry Arts.
> It's no good continuing with a passive philosophy that 'no one wil > notice and it will all blow over'. It doesn't blow over. The wind > merely pauses until the next big blow. It's time for a more aggressive > approach. Passivity doesn't accomplish anything. Neither has the > Burned Fur movement, which for all it's talk, does more to stir up > discontent than to further any goals of the fandom; it concentrates far > too much, in my view, at being at opposition with the negative > influences than it does with involving itself with building the positive > influences. (And my apologies to the Major and the one or two BFs who > are clearly exceptions to the rule, who -are- doing more on their own to > improve things.) As a matter of philosophy, it is time to grow, and the > only way to more effectively combat the poor image we've been receiving > is to work more effectively at showing and emphasizing the -positive- > qualities of the fandom. Not just in private, but in public.
> To this end, I've been giving some thought.
> The following is a series of serious proposals for the advancing of the > furry arts. Please understand that these are broad sketches only; I > don't have details worked out, and I really don't know how realistically > feasible they would be. I know that each has its own set of particular > difficulties in becoming established, but they are not entirely way out > there in the realm of absolute impossibility. What they require mainly > is serious discussion, sincere consideration, and, above all, a genuine > commitment in order to be realized. > For right now, I'm simply throwing these on the table. I'm convinced > the time is here for taking a leap to the next stage, that of actively > promoting the furry arts. > The idea that furry fandom is unorganized and can never accomplish > anything at all is a fiction. If it were true, there would be no > fanzines, no publishing, and certainly no conventions. It -does- get > organized, if only in certain corners by determined individuals with set > goals. I think it can also become organized around any of the following > proposals, given that the right people become motivated and interested > enough to give any of them a reasonable chance. > I know there's problems involved with each. No, I don't have all the > answers. No, I can't do any one of things myself, and certainly not > -by- myself. For all I know there may be -other- and better proposals > to be put forth. But these are my suggestions, and I put them forth as > such. What I would -like- to hear is not so much why they -can't- work, > because I can probably come up with those myself, but ways they -could- > work in some form or another by one or more people working together with > some form of commitment, working towards some form of personal (or even > general) ideal of what furry art -could- be.
> 1. Furry museum or a furry art exhibit
> Many years ago, when I briefly lived in NYC, I made regular visits to > the Supersnipe Comic Art Gallery, which was a small art museum that > specialized in displaying comic art (cover paintings, interior line art, > etc). I always thought that was a cool idea, and was something of a > novelty at the time. Since then, several professional cartoonists > erected the Cartoon Musuem of Art down in Florida, featuring similar > works primarily by syndicated newspaper strip artists. > This is not a bad way to go to publicly display furry art: either to > start up a small museum (which might be stretching our capabillities, to > be honest) or to open a small gallery, or to just simply arrange for > public exhibitions from time to time. This isn't an unrealistic goal, > though it might certainly be a problematical one logistically. It would > require the purchase of space (which might realistically be beyond > financial reach), or leasing of same. (A musuem might very well be a > bit much in the beginning, but a gallery might be more feasible.) > There's no lack of high-quality talent that -could- be exhibited in > such a gallery (provided they were willing): Gallacci, Wyman, Terrie > Smith, Gibson, Harpold – just to name a very few off the top of my > head. Exhibits might also include works by artists outside of the furry > fold who have done works considered to be within the furry mold. > Special shows could feature furry art of particular themes: subject > (such as military, fantasy, SF, etc), medium (oils, watercolor), style > (toon, photomorphs, impressionalism, etc). > Work would have to be deliberately selected, and the work would have to > be top of the line – this isn't a fanzine where anything goes, but an > exhibition to put our very best foot forward for public viewing. The > material chosen would have to be screened with that in mind as well, and > adult material would have to be -very- carefully considered. There > would need to be some form of directorship, perhaps a board of > directors, to take charge. And of course, the inevitable funding of > such an enterprise.
> 2. Furry story collection
> This would be the creation of a Furry Literature Journal (to put it > formally) that would focus on the collecting of furry stories and > publishing them as an annual event, representing the best of the > upcoming genre. As it's intended for general readership, it would have > to be edited with that in mind; a guideline would need to be constructed > outlining the goals of the book and making clear just what is and what > isn't acceptable for publication in this volume. The basic goals are to > create a permanent literary record and to distribute it in the general > book market (if at all possible) or at least through the usual fan > outlets at furry and SF cons. > There are certainly details to be worked out, such as publication > frequency (I would suggest annually at least to begin with), how the > book would be funded and distributed, and how the creators would be > paid.
> 3. Furry art journal
> This would be along the lines of the American Journal of > Anthropomorphics, which was published semi-annually a few years back by > Darrell Benvenuto. That was rather a classy book, with a reasonably > good representation of furry art. It did poorly and didn't get great > distribution, but is nevertheless a watermark in terms of displaying > furry art and artists for public consumption. An annual yearbook of > this sort, perhaps released in conjunction with one of the major furry > cons, but put into general distribution as well, would be a good idea. > I would suggest it focus on being a showcase book, though, and refrain > from publishing stories (comic or otherwise), and that it rotate > artists, not repeating those from previous volumes.
> 4. Furry Awards
> There's been some talk of this before, and I believe something along > the lines is being (or has been) done at Anthrocon (?). Much as I don't > particularly like awards of this nature, as they tend to fall along the > lines of popularity contests, they do nevertheless afford -some- > recognition for talent and for accomplished work, which a number of > artists and writers deserve and seldom receive. I suggest this be > pursued by one or more of the current cons, or by an outside > organization (such as an ad hoc committee) who could design a set of > categories to select candidates from, and to create some sort of cash > prize or award to be given to
boojum grins at this. "I've actually thought about starting a furry art gallery. Unfortunately I don't have time or money at the moment, but it's something I've been thinking of. If you don't mind a reccomendation, it should be an art gallery coffee shop. That way you have the income from the food and drink as well as the portraits. Change the art once a month, do themes, have opennings, the full works. I think a gallery of current art and artists would be MUCH better than a museum."
> 2. Furry story collection
boojum considers. "I know that AAE is putting together a "Furry Publications" library. This is both for at FurtherConfusion and for other events. You might contact them and see about talking over your idea with whomever is heading it up. Right now it is a collection of various fanzines, comics and books. They may well be able to pull together something like your suggesting for a lot less effort than starting from scratch and I suspect they wouldn't mind sharing it about."
> 3. Furry art journal
boojum nodnodnods! "I collected every issue of that journal and they were wonderfull! I loved the opportunity to compare a wide variety of artists and see their commission requirements. This might work out better as an online journal than a paper journal however. Just as something to think about."
> 4. Furry Awards
The brown bunny thinks about this a bit. "I can see it, though I wouldn't participate. I tend not to go to award ceremonies. They get very political very quick. Basically you are judging who did the best at something and someone always wants to know why they were passed over. I think this may lead to more bad feelings than good."
> 5. Public relations or press laisons
boojum nodnodnods, "I know that FurtherConfusion had a press liason. If someone was press and checked in then they were shown around the con by a curteous staffer. I definitely think this is a good idea!"
> At any rate, these are my proposals. Are there any takers? Is there > any -serious- discussion to be had? What are the major stumbling blocks > (beyond any already mentioned) and how do we overcome them?
> And is any of this worth your time or effort?
boojum grins. "Everything in FurryFandom was created by individuals who felt strongly that something needed to be added. Even if it doesn't work out I feel that all of your proposals have merit and would be worth the time put in to putting them together. Some of them are ones that I wouldn't mind working on myself given time."
"To me there is a huge difference between asking everyone to accept new definitions of what people are and working to add things that take fandom in a direction you want." He continues, bouncing gently. "For me, this IS the way to make a change and something I've been putting my own time and money into in different areas. I think your idea's are great though they need to be refined some."
Charles Melville wrote: > 1. Furry museum or a furry art exhibit
I think AAE was working on this a while back... where is that now?
> 4. Furry Awards
> There's been some talk of this before, and I believe something along > the lines is being (or has been) done at Anthrocon (?). Much as I don't
No, that is our baby at The ConFurence Group. We initially invited nominations from all over the fandom, starting with the attendees of Anthrocon. Nominations ended on Dec. 31 and the ballot with 10 nominees in each of 4 categories was first being distributed (to pre-registered members of CF12) at Further Confusion last month.
The rest of the ballots will be mailing out this week, as soon as I finish writing the progress report to mail along with them.
> I suggest this be > pursued by one or more of the current cons, or by an outside > organization (such as an ad hoc committee) who could design a set of > categories to select candidates from, and to create some sort of cash > prize or award to be given to the winners. The two things I stress > primarily is that first, all selections be strictly within a set time > period (that is, an award given in 2001 be for work created and > displayed in 2000), and that a board of judges be selected to determine > the qualifications of the work rather than let it be decided by a mass > vote of fans (that way the work can judged by its merits rather than by > personal preferences). > As I noted, I'm aware there was, and may still be for all I know, one > such award program going at one time; if it's still in progress, or if > I'm stepping on the toes of similar programs already in the works, I > apologize. I'm just tossing out ideas.
That's exactly how we have it set up... an ad-hoc committee of three ConCom members (Fred Patten, Rod O'Riley, and Greg Bilan) are in charge of the nominations, the balloting process and selecting the award, etc. The ConFurence Group is simply bankrolling the awards process, and limiting voting to CF12 members is supposed to help increase pre-registrations, since the ballot deadline is the same day as the pre-reg deadline (giving us time to figure out *how* to award the winners once we know who they are).
If this year goes well (with the "Best of the 20th Century" awards) we will continue this annually... "Best of 2001", "Best of 2002", etc... and probably increase the number of categories as well.
> 5. Public relations or press laisons
> I think the time has come for this. Despite the insistance of some
Almost all the cons have a press policy or Press Liason position on staff now. It's a necessity... but can't be expected to stop everyone. It certainly stopped "The Daily Show" and "Ruby Wax's American Pie" from ever attending a furry con (although "TDS" got in to a Gay SciFi con and featured the small furry presence there as part of their article).
> Obviously we do not want tabloid coverage – we have had far > more than enough of that. But we -should- encourage and participate in > garnering -positive- coverage when press comes calling.
I had a fashion reporter attend CF11, and she wrote an alternative fashion article that should be appearing in the European "Nova Magazine" any time now.
This year, the assistant Editor of MakeupArtist Magazine will be my guest at CF12.
NPR did a wonderful radio spot of FC '99 a couple years ago.
Anyways, all are very good suggestions, and many are already being worked on. Suggestions on additional improvements would be welcomed.
Charles Melville wrote: > The idea that furry fandom is unorganized and can never accomplish >anything at all is a fiction. If it were true, there would be no >fanzines, no publishing, and certainly no conventions. It -does- get >organized, if only in certain corners by determined individuals with set >goals.
Indeed, furry fandom is what you make of it. The new conventions we've seen in the past few years are evidence enough of that.
>5. Public relations or press laisons > I think the time has come for this. Despite the insistance of some >that we should never talk to the press (or any other inquiring writers) >at all whatsoever, I still think we do ourselves grave damage by not >doing so.
Correct. Not talking to the media eliminates the possibility for positive coverage. It's not like we haven't gotten positive coverage before, it just tends to get brushed under the rug and ignored for some reason.
We've gotten good coverage before. We can do it again.
>Obviously we do not want tabloid coverage – we have had far >more than enough of that. But we -should- encourage and participate in >garnering -positive- coverage when press comes calling.
Yep. I think the negative press furry has gotten mainly has been due to the people covering it. A tabloid reporter running around a convention unsupervised is not going to garner any sort of good press. A tabloid reporter running around a convention supervised isn't going to garner any sort of good press either.
>Cons should get >into the habit (if they haven't already) of designating a member of the >staff to 'handle' the press when they arrive, to either dissuade their >presence or to cooperate in gathering information and pictures that >would help to create a positive image of both con and fandom.
Press liasions are a very good idea, and any convention that doesn't have them, should. (I am wondering if Gaylaxicon had one.)
A good press liasion would be responsible for writing up press releases, scheduling time for the media to interview people (i.e., Guests of Honor, artists, dealers, panel moderators, &c.), ensure they have a good position to photograph events such as the charity auction or masquerade, and basically escort them around the convention.
I think we'd see more positive articles by showing the press what we want them to write about, instead of letting them wander around on their own and having to come up with their own ideas.
At least, that's what I'd do, if it was me. (Not that I'm volunteering for the job.)
>In fact, >it wouldn't be imprudent to consider creating press releases to hand out >to reporters -if- they should stop by, with history of fandom and con.
It's good to see you've changed your mind about press releases. I think a press release is supposed to get sent out to the media before the con gets underway, though. They're basically your first opportunity to tell the media what the event is about, and give them ideas about what would be newsworthy. Along the lines of "Hey, this is what we're about, this is when it's happening, if you're interested, give us a call." Tell them enough, you might find a good deal of it ending up in the article.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. The more you tell them, the better idea they'll have of what to put in the article, the less they have to work to find a story.
> Along the same lines, it doesn't hurt to get good press in trade zines >or specialty mags; Mike Curtis has already taken a huge step in that >direction with the Comic Buyer's Guide issue highlighting furry comics >that came out a year ago. More of the same, such as articles for sf >magazines, wouldn't hurt.
Hint: These are the articles we should be putting in the spotlight.
Could you imagine what we could accomplish if articles like the Comic Buyer's Guide generated even a fraction of the discussions the Vanity Fair article did?
> And is any of this worth your time or effort?
As I've said elsewhere, I'm hoping people use the Vanity Fair article as an opportunity to work together so something good comes out of this eventually. Doing positive, constructive things to improve the fandom is something I've been supporting (and yet, ironically, getting flamed for) for years now.
In other words, the question for me is not whether it's worth my time or effort; it's whether or not you're finally willing to accept my help.
-- _________________________________________________ Karl Xydexx Jorgensen / Xydexx Squeakypony, KSC Working Together to Improve Furry Fandom: http://www.xydexx.com/anthrofurry
boojum wrote: > boojum grins at this. "I've actually thought about starting a furry art > gallery. Unfortunately I don't have time or money at the moment, but it's > something I've been thinking of. If you don't mind a reccomendation, it > should be an art gallery coffee shop. That way you have the income from > the food and drink as well as the portraits. Change the art once a month, > do themes, have opennings, the full works. I think a gallery of current art > and artists would be MUCH better than a museum."
I hadn't thought of that particular permutation. That -could- work pretty well; it's probably more feasible than a regular gallery or museum.
> > 3. Furry art journal
> boojum nodnodnods! "I collected every issue of that journal and they > were wonderfull! I loved the opportunity to compare a wide variety of > artists and see their commission requirements. This might work out better > as an online journal than a paper journal however. Just as something to > think about."
Well, I was thinking specifically of something that was -not- online that folks could pick up at a con or at a bookstore. Something to set out on the old coffee table.
> > 4. Furry Awards
> The brown bunny thinks about this a bit. "I can see it, though I > wouldn't participate. I tend not to go to award ceremonies. They get very > political very quick. Basically you are judging who did the best at > something and someone always wants to know why they were passed over. I > think this may lead to more bad feelings than good."
Always a danger, I admit, which is one reason why I generally don't bother watching or getting concerned about such things. But you can't expect perfection. And like I said, it's nice to be able to give some of the creators some -real- recognition for their work. And it just -might- make a few competitive enough to put forth some even better work in the future. Competition is not -always- a dirty word.
> > At any rate, these are my proposals. Are there any takers? Is there > > any -serious- discussion to be had? What are the major stumbling blocks > > (beyond any already mentioned) and how do we overcome them?
> > And is any of this worth your time or effort?
> boojum grins. "Everything in FurryFandom was created by individuals > who felt strongly that something needed to be added. Even if it doesn't > work out I feel that all of your proposals have merit and would be worth the > time put in to putting them together. Some of them are ones that I > wouldn't mind working on myself given time."
Your interest, Boojum, is at least a start. Thanks.
> "To me there is a huge difference between asking everyone to accept new > definitions of what people are and working to add things that take fandom in > a direction you want." He continues, bouncing gently. "For me, this IS > the way to make a change and something I've been putting my own time and > money into in different areas. I think your idea's are great though they > need to be refined some."
No doubt. I expect that. Like I said, they're only broadstroke suggestions. I'm hoping there's some way to fill in the detail.
> An excellent, POSITIVE set of proposals.(I especially like #5 - Public > relations or press laisons - & I volunteer to work on that one. (In fact I > already have - did you see my letter to Liz Smith responding to her gossip > column?))
I'm not surprised to hear that from you, Joe. Go to it... and welcome to the monkey house. :)
> > There's been some talk of this before, and I believe something along > > the lines is being (or has been) done at Anthrocon (?). Much as I don't
> No, that is our baby at The ConFurence Group. We initially invited > nominations from all over the fandom, starting with the attendees of > Anthrocon. Nominations ended on Dec. 31 and the ballot with 10 > nominees in each of 4 categories was first being distributed (to > pre-registered members of CF12) at Further Confusion last month.
> The rest of the ballots will be mailing out this week, as soon as I > finish writing the progress report to mail along with them.
> > I suggest this be > > pursued by one or more of the current cons, or by an outside > > organization (such as an ad hoc committee) who could design a set of > > categories to select candidates from, and to create some sort of cash > > prize or award to be given to the winners. The two things I stress > > primarily is that first, all selections be strictly within a set time > > period (that is, an award given in 2001 be for work created and > > displayed in 2000), and that a board of judges be selected to determine > > the qualifications of the work rather than let it be decided by a mass > > vote of fans (that way the work can judged by its merits rather than by > > personal preferences). > > As I noted, I'm aware there was, and may still be for all I know, one > > such award program going at one time; if it's still in progress, or if > > I'm stepping on the toes of similar programs already in the works, I > > apologize. I'm just tossing out ideas.
> That's exactly how we have it set up... an ad-hoc committee of three > ConCom members (Fred Patten, Rod O'Riley, and Greg Bilan) are in charge > of the nominations, the balloting process and selecting the award, etc. > The ConFurence Group is simply bankrolling the awards process, and > limiting voting to CF12 members is supposed to help increase > pre-registrations, since the ballot deadline is the same day as the > pre-reg deadline (giving us time to figure out *how* to award the > winners once we know who they are).
> If this year goes well (with the "Best of the 20th Century" awards) we > will continue this annually... "Best of 2001", "Best of 2002", etc... > and probably increase the number of categories as well.
D'OH!! (slaps forehead) That's right! I'd forgotten; Fred gave me a flyer about during Conifur. Never mind then.
(Though there's no reason other cons couldn't do similar...?)
> > 5. Public relations or press laisons
> I had a fashion reporter attend CF11, and she wrote an alternative > fashion article that should be appearing in the European "Nova Magazine" > any time now.
That's not quite what I was expecting... but it certainly should be interesting.
> This year, the assistant Editor of MakeupArtist Magazine will be my > guest at CF12.
Also unusual, but I can see the connection. Should also be interesting.
> A.J.A. is much missed; but I fear the economics of the situation, and the > problem of limited distribution, remain unresolved. So I was wondering, as > you mentioned the major stumbling blocks it could not overcome, if you had > any ideas of how a newer version might suceed - since I believe paper costs > alone have increased greatly since those days.
No, I don't, really. Which is one of the reasons I'm throwing out these proposals -- in the hopes that some folks out there might have some ideas of their own to throw into the hat. The Journal might have to be reformatted, slimmed down, whatever. I don't know. Think of this as just a starting point at the moment.
> Also, AJA's monetary > problems went much further beyond simply paying for printing and > distribution at the time of its demise. If memory serves some of the art > was higher-quality because the artists had been led to believe there would > be some limited monetary compensation, and that never transpired; much to > the irritation of certain contributors.
Yeah, that's something that would have to be considered. Fees, rights considerations, contractural guarantees... I think it's a given that these things would have to be factored in. Of course, I think it should also be clear from the outset that this intended as a promotional showcase more than anything else, and that it probably -wouldn't- make much of a financial return; just so that creators wouldn't get any unrealistic hopes up over the project.
> But yes, that was one nice furry art book with a quality layout. Still > seemed to only end up only in comic shops or at conventions. Darrell could > not get the book into Barnes & Noble - though I believe he stated that as a > goal. With the massive movement towards the Internet since the book's > ending I suspect a newer version has a much higher hurdle to overcome; I > fear all we can hope for is something the quality of the Wild Side Annual by > United Publications. Which, though nice, is of course not the art journal > you are seeking.
Getting the book into book shops like B&N is a sharp goal, though difficult; book distribution is a tougher market than comic distribution, and the rules are quite different. A whole 'nother set of problems to overcome. But very definitely a direction to move in.
> So attempting to come up with some positive direction for this suggestion, I > cannot. However if you and Martin Dudman - with your experiences in > publishing - think you could make it work, I know I would subscribe in > advance. But you could ill afford any slips, such as the mistake with paper > quality as happened to one of the Little Paw books.
Gee, thanks for reminding me of that. :P I'll be paying for that mistake forever...!
> This would be the creation of a Furry Literature Journal (to put it >formally) that would focus on the collecting of furry stories and >publishing them as an annual event, representing the best of the >upcoming genre. As it's intended for general readership, it would have >to be edited with that in mind; a guideline would need to be constructed >outlining the goals of the book and making clear just what is and what >isn't acceptable for publication in this volume. The basic goals are to >create a permanent literary record and to distribute it in the general >book market (if at all possible) or at least through the usual fan >outlets at furry and SF cons. > There are certainly details to be worked out, such as publication >frequency (I would suggest annually at least to begin with), how the >book would be funded and distributed, and how the creators would be >paid.
Books are (obviously) more expensive to produce than a 'zine, as as you noted, distribution is a problem. Someone would have to convince a published to take the project; some of the smaller presses such as Vision might do that.
One possible solution would be to self-publish the books through XLibris, although they're sort of pricey. The paperback short story anthologies that I tend to buy cost around $7-8; XLibris prints trade paperbacks for $16 a piece. Ouch.
I would suggest getting feedback from folks like Jim Doolittle, Conrad Wong or Jeff Eddy, since they already have some experience in getting quality stories together and published. They're busy folks, but I would be more than willing to help out in anyway that I can. Perhaps getting together a sort of informal board to decide on stories and other things would be a good idea, rather than deciding on one editor.
> > So attempting to come up with some positive direction for this suggestion, I > > cannot. However if you and Martin Dudman - with your experiences in > > publishing - think you could make it work, I know I would subscribe in > > advance. But you could ill afford any slips, such as the mistake with paper > > quality as happened to one of the Little Paw books.
> Gee, thanks for reminding me of that. :P I'll be paying for that mistake > forever...!
> -Chuck Melville-
Sorry, but I was pretty upset about that one.
You might get in contact with Martin Dudman and play with some funding dollars. Then when you two are in agreement you could go out to the fur.artwork groups and put up a quick, short, polite post for the reader to email you with how much he/she might be willing to subscribe each year for blah, blah, blah, blah (brief description of the journal).
I would pay a $60 annual subscription for 2 journals per year, each half the size of AJA as it used to exist (this being a "for example).
I mean, didn't even National Geographic have to start somewhere?
I can think of a project that can be worthy of a museum collection...Has anyone ever heard about mailArt? Artists(and non-Artists) make a bunch of postcards and send them to one another to add bits and pieces. Since furry stuff is basically very much spread out, this might be a good way to garner positive attention to ourselves. The finished pieces are often quite spectacular. I've seen some shows from the Russian-block nations. Just think, they didn't have money to do them, either...yet, they got done:> ~llothcat
D C wrote: >Re: 1. Furry museum or a furry art exhibit
> I can think of a project that can be worthy of a museum > collection...Has >anyone ever heard about mailArt? Artists(and non-Artists) make a bunch >of postcards and send them to one another to add bits and pieces. > Since furry stuff is basically very much spread out, this might be a >good way to garner positive attention to ourselves.
I've done mailart before, back in my zine publishing days. (Operating as Ed's Pregnant Yak Service, from around 1990-1992 or so.) I mainly did single pieces that I sent to other friends with zines. I also sent one per week to the temp agency with my timesheet. It was a lot of fun.
Great suggestion, BTW!
-- _________________________________________________ Karl Xydexx Jorgensen / Xydexx Squeakypony, KSC Flamewars: The only winning move is not to play. http://www.xydexx.com/anthrofurry
An invite-only minicon inviting all the creative folks who have left the fandom for whatever reason over the past few years. Sitting around and shooting the shit with the likes of Donna Barr, Dan Flahive, Daphne Lage, and so forth would be close to heaven. (happy sigh)
> > There's been some talk of this before, and I believe something along > > the lines is being (or has been) done at Anthrocon (?). Much as I don't
> No, that is our baby at The ConFurence Group. We initially invited > nominations from all over the fandom, starting with the attendees of > Anthrocon. Nominations ended on Dec. 31 and the ballot with 10 > nominees in each of 4 categories was first being distributed (to > pre-registered members of CF12) at Further Confusion last month.
Not an argument, just a minor correction. I believe that Mr. Melville was thinking of awards that were supposed to be presented at the first Albany Anthrocon. From what I understand (I was not there), it did not work out as well as they would have liked and the experiment has not been repeated there.
Charles Melville <c...@zipcon.com> wrote: > 4. Furry Awards
> There's been some talk of this before, and I believe something along > the lines is being (or has been) done at Anthrocon (?).
For the past two years the Anthrocon Art Show has given award ribbons for exceptional pieces in the Art Show, with winners chosen by the two Guests of Honor, the con chairman, the Art Show director, and by staff and popular vote. (Up to six categories, with separate awards for the Main Room and Adult Room, plus Honorable Mentions; not all were awarded.) These are based on similar awards I've seen done at SF cons (Philcon, Arisia, Boskone).
For those who missed them, here are the lists of winners:
1999:
Guest of Honor Vicky Wyman's Choice Main Room - "Unicorn Tower" by Alex Schlarmann Adult Room - "On Display" by Heather Bruton
Guest of Honor S. Andrew Swann's Choice Main Room - "Homecoming" by Conrad Wong Adult Room - "Got Cheez? Get Whizzed!" by Mitchell R. Beiro
Chairman Kage's Choice Main Room - "The Fox and the Cheese" by Rebecca S. Gallant Adult Room - "Nekobe" by Paul Simon
Director PeterCat's Choice Main Room - "American Anthro Salute" by Mitchell R. Beiro Adult Room - "Held Breath" by Paf
Honorable Mention (Main Room): "Darth Tyyg" by Mitchell R. Beiro "Highland Lassie" by Margaret Carspecken "Reese's" by Po Shan Cheah "Fun Krafts for the Kids" by Thomas K Dye "A Mouse Defiant" by Alex Schlarmann "Guardian of the Stars" by Shannon Stuart "Black Unicorn" by Vicky M. Wyman
Honorable Mention (Adult Room): "Blossom" by Kim Arndt "Kyoto Lady" by Heather Bruton "Open for Business" by Bushycat
Chairman Kagemushi's Choice Main Room - "Concerto for Harp and Flute" by Krahnos Honorable Mention - "New Moon" by Dark Natasha Adult Room - "Bathing Wolf" by Wookiee Honorable Mention - "Wash My Back?" by Wookiee
> AJL wrote: > > No, that is our baby at The ConFurence Group. We initially invited > > nominations from all over the fandom, starting with the attendees of > > Anthrocon. Nominations ended on Dec. 31 and the ballot with 10 > > nominees in each of 4 categories was first being distributed (to > > pre-registered members of CF12) at Further Confusion last month.
> Not an argument, just a minor correction. I believe that Mr. Melville was > thinking of awards that were supposed to be presented at the first Albany > Anthrocon. From what I understand (I was not there), it did not work out as > well as they would have liked and the experiment has not been repeated there.
> If the ConFurence Group can manage it, go for it.
I've just posted the latest Progress Report online at http://confurence.net/cf12/cf12pr3.pdf (requires Acrobat reader). It has the list of nominees on the ballot.
Voting will be by pre-registered members of ConFurence, only... and the pre-registration (and voting) deadline is March 12, 2001... less than a month away, folx! </shameless plug>
-- Darrel L. Exline -- Director, "The ConFurence Group" http://confurence.net darr...@confurence.net The ConFurence Group, PO Box 84721, San Diego, CA 92138-4721 619-523-9814 (Voice/Fax) ! ConFurence 12: April 19 to April 22, 2001, Burbank Hilton ! ! Pre-registration form: http://confurence.net/pre-reg.pdf !
