Hi Rhizomers:
When we made the transition from free membership to requiring membership
contributions last January, there was a lot of debate on
Rhizome.org and
elsewhere. It was a difficult decision for us, but in the end it was the
decisive factor in keeping
Rhizome.org alive.
If you are getting this message, then you are one of about 4,400
Rhizomers who decided to support
Rhizome.org with a contribution. I'm
writing to you now to let you know that we need your support once again.
Our goal this year is to raise $37,000 by the 1st of February. So far we
have raised about $5,000.
Please renew your membership now at
http://www.rhizome.org/support/?list, and consider increasing your level
of support.
Although our affiliation with the New Museum of Contemporary Art helps
us reduce our overhead significantly, we are still a small, independent
nonprofit and we must raise own funds to survive. It will cost about
$210,000 to operate
Rhizome.org this fiscal year (this is about
two-thirds of what our was budget last year). Though they offer other
forms of support, the New Museum does not support us financially. Many
economies around the world have started to recover, but the funding
environment for American nonprofits remains very challenging.
Your support will be put to good use. In the next few months, we will
initiate a new cycle of commissions in which we will award more than
$12,000 to Rhizome artists, revamp our search engine, develop a new
ArtBase curatorial program and launch Rhizome Memberships for
Organizations, a new program that will provide access to
Rhizome.orgthrough schools, libraries and arts organizations from Chiang Mai to
Chile. And we will continue to offer our core programs, including the
Rhizome.org web site and email lists, with a focus on further improving
the quality and relevance of our content.
Starting now, Rhizome members who donate more than $15 will receive a
10-20\% discount on all items purchased at the New Museum's Online Store
(the discount range depends on the producer -- books or editions
published by the New Museum are discounted 20\%). The New Museum Online
Store, which you can peruse at
http://www.newmuseum.org/comersus/store/comersus\_dynamicIndex.asp, has
wonderful books and gifts. Their book inventory is wide-ranging across
the fields of art, theory, and media. Titles include Uncanny Networks by
Geert Lovink, Snap to Grid by former Rhizome Regional Editor Peter
Lunenfeld, and the New Museum Press' Art After Modernism: Rethinking
Representation edited by Brian Wallis. These are just three terrific
books you could buy at a significant discount! They would each make a
nice holiday gift. The Online Store also sells artists editions,
CD-ROMS, clothes, gifts, and children's merchandise. If you contribute
$50 or more, we will also will thank you with a "SOYLOVE" T-SHIRT
designed by Rhizome artist Cary Peppermint. Cary's wearable art is a
resounding hit among art and media crowds internationally!
Please renew soon by making a donation here
http://www.rhizome.org/support/?listI hope you will enjoy the New Museum Online Store discount or Cary
Peppermint's conceptual art t-shirt. I also hope you'll let me know what
you think about Rhizome.org's direction.
Sincerely,
Rachel Greene
Rhizome.org