FUR: A Few Furry Proposals
Charles Melville
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 going very far without money. (Or dedicated people, for
that matter.) That is one of the major hurdles in the way, and I have
no ready solution. I certainly don't have thousands, or hundreds, or
for that matter even tens of dollars to put into any of these
proposals. Doubtless few of you do either.
For all that, -somebody- made the cons possible, and -those- weren't
cheap either. And -somebody- managed to come up with lots of money for
the various charities at several of the cons, for special causes. And
did very well, too. That somebody was us: a few of us, some of us, a
lot of us... but us, in one form or another.
I'm no financial wizard, and I'm certainly not expecting some one fan
with a small fortune to burn to come to the fore to back one or more of
the proposals, but I'm certain one or more of you out there has -some-
notion or some expertise, who has some idea of how to come up with cash
to make these possible – either one or all. The one thing off the top
of my head that I -could- suggest would be the creation of a funding
auction, with work -contributed- specifically for getting something
started.
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?
--
-Chuck Melville-
http://www.zipcon.net/~cpam/index.htm
Bruce
Charles Melville" <cp...@zipcon.com> wrote in message
news:3A893446...@zipcon.com...
> 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.
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.
Joe Strike
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....
-J
boojum
Charles Melville wrote:
>
>
> 1. Furry museum or a furry art exhibit
>
>
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."
boojum the brown
bunny
AJL
> 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.
Timothy Fay
If I can help out, just let me know.
--
http://www.umn.edu/~fayxx001
"Hey, ho -- let's go!" -Ramones
M. Mitchell Marmel
>
> A reasonable and very creative reponse to the situation, Chuck.
> If I can help out, just let me know.
One of the few occasions I can agree with Tim online. :D
-MMM-
Xydexx Squeakypony, KSC
> 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
Charles Melville
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.
Charles Melville
Joe Strike wrote:
> Chuck-
>
> 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. :)
Charles Melville
AJL wrote:
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.
Charles Melville
Bruce wrote:
>
> 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...!
Atara
cp...@zipcon.com (Charles Melville) wrote in <3A893446...@zipcon.com>:
>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.
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.
--
Atara
"I've got a pantheon of animals
in a pagan soul..." -Rush
http://www.FurNation.com/Atara/
Bruce
>
>
> Bruce wrote:
> >
> > 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...!
>
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?
D C
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
Xydexx Squeakypony, KSC
>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
M. Mitchell Marmel
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)
-MMM-
Charles Groark
> Charles Melville 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 (?). 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.
If the ConFurence Group can manage it, go for it.
Charlie
PeterCat
> 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
2000:
Popular Choice
"Dreamwall" by Gawain
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall1.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall2.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall3.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall4.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall5.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall6.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall7.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall8.jpg
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/artwork/dreamwall9.jpg
Honorable Mention - "Guardian" by Chris Goodwin
http://velar.ctrl-c.liu.se/vcl/Artists/Chris-Goodwin/guardian.jpg
Staff Choice
Gawain (Body of Work)
http://sj.znet.com/~gawain/warehouse.htm
Guest of Honor Sara Palmer's Choice
Main Room - "Guardian" by Chris Goodwin
http://velar.ctrl-c.liu.se/vcl/Artists/Chris-Goodwin/guardian.jpg
Honorable Mention - "Miko" by T'
Adult Room - "Savanna Heat" by Dark Natasha
Honorable Mention - "Aquarius" by Chris Goodwin
http://velar.ctrl-c.liu.se/vcl/Artists/Chris-Goodwin/aquarius.jpg
Guest of Honor Paul Kidd's Choice
Main Room - "Warm Grey Cheesecake" by Shannon Stuart
Honorable Mention - "Lipstick" by Joe Rosales
http://www.FurNation.com/Animus/graphics/lipstick.gif
Adult Room - "Hunter of Ancient Fehnnia" by Steve Gallacci
http://www.yerf.com/gallstev/hunterf.jpg
Honorable Mention - "Say Hello to the iMac 10" by Baron Engel
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
Director PeterCat's Choice
Main Room - "Missing" by Steve Carter
http://www.furnation.com/mousehouse/missing.jpg
Adult Room - "Mer-Fox" (ornament) by Vicky Wyman
Honorable Mention - "Aquarius" by Chris Goodwin
http://velar.ctrl-c.liu.se/vcl/Artists/Chris-Goodwin/aquarius.jpg
--
PeterCat <a...@anthrocon.org> Anthrocon Art Show Director
http://www.anthrocon.org
Darrel L. Exline
>
> 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 dar...@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 !