—– Original Message —–
>
> but i felt that eryk's concerns should naturally be addressed…the very
fact that rhizome allows superusers to publish posts from the list to the
front page, that rhizome invests enough trust in its members to do this
(imagine the whitney doing something similar!) to me shows that rhizome
cares deeply about community…


I find it odd however that some people pay five dollars and it gets them
superuser "priviledges", while others do not. I am curious as to why anyone
would pay five dollars to work for a company that has no interest in thier
ideas or opinions. I don't see this so much as trust or respect for the
community- if there was trust for the community, we could self regulate
ourselves, and there would have never been a need for a "rare" list.

Rhizome is a community, the Whitney is a hierarchial institution- the
Whitney never pretends to be a community. The two can't be compared. You are
forgetting that you and I are rhizome, rhizome is not something that
"happens to us." That being said, Rhizomes "move towards
institutionalization" is not "natural." It can be stopped with the
application of responsible behaviors from the people who run it. Again, we
are asking to be cheerful collaborators in a project where we can make no
suggestions to the other half of the collaborating team.

Also, can you ask yourself why, after several weeks, Mark Tribe is still not
taking an active and honest part in this discussion? Is it because he is
"too busy?" That is unacceptable. This is part of his job, as part
collaborator of this social sculpture. I am busy too. I also work a job, and
that has nothing to do with Rhizome. I edit a webzine, I am making a cd for
a record label, I am writing grants and making work as well as a being a
college student and having a rich social life. And yet, I find myself with
time to discuss his job with the rest of you. Why doesn't he make the time?
There is an actual demand for him to come out and be honest, but he has been
silent. Why is this? When do we start asking where he is all the time?


> i support the decision to make these recent changes…truth is, rhizome
needed funding…and giving mark a reasonable salery is, well,
reasonable…an organization such as this requires manhours, and mark puts
them in…so to me, the whole "after rhizome" debate is pointless…like
pall, i'm just too damned busy making art and looking at art…


I am not complaining about the five dollar fee, or how much money Mark Tribe
makes. I am nervous about the closing off of the community, and the
administrations unwillingness to hear the voice of the community it claims
it is responsible for. I am concerned about the lack of balance between
individual members- why historically some writers were paid and others were
not. Why we have a European expansion when only two months ago we were told
the site was barely staying alive. I want to know who the rhizome legal fees
are paying and for what. I want to know why artists with works in the
rhizome art base are being told that thier work has no commercial value. I
want to know what the actual mission statement of Rhizome is, and what new
actions will be taken as a result of them. I want to know how that mission
statement changed when we went from a .com to a .org.

Furthermore, as I said to Pall, I don't see how having other people discuss
this subject gets in the way of the art that you make. If the fact of this
conversation is distracting you, I invite you to consider that there is
something about this conversation that is affecting your focus, and I
encourage you to get it out so that you can get back to work. My goal here
is not to prevent people from making art. I don't even really understand how
this discussion has that impact on people.


-e.

Is Rhizome only for Computer generated Art? How About Photography or Paintings?