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Re: “Halloween: Get On It”
A closing titles on the first video has a typo: The date of the sale is this Saturday, September 26th (not June). As video editor I take full responsibility for a dumb mistake. And, yes, the advance sale on Friday evening includes hosted beer and wine (as well as the $10 admission fee). Please think of it as a gallery opening reception, not a keg stand party! OLCC licensed servers will maintain decorum, and that alligator makes for a mean bouncer.
Re: “In Which I Don't Say Goodbye”
I guess I'll have to unfollow you on Twitter now that you're a nobody again. Never mind, I've got nothing better to do anyway.
Re: “Visitors To Portland Generated $3.8billion In '08—Are We "Buying" Favorable Press Coverage?”
Thanks for the link to www.cultureshockpdx.blogspot.com. I was wondering how a relatively ancient post managed to elicit a new comment this morning. I didn't read the rest of your post, but I'm confident it was interesting. Where do we sign up for junkets?
Re: “TBA's Labor Day Picnic”
I was going to make a bad joke about that being the wurst costume I've ever seen. (I guess I just did). I recall having seen that hot dog before--the image must have been seared into my memory. http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/Blogto…
Re: “Fall.ART.(Dead?)”
As far as I know, nobody involved in this event is pretending that it's a "city-wide arts festival" or a mini-TBA, or that it completely fills the gap created by the demise of OBT Exposed. It's a free arts fair for Christ's sake. With beer and food, performances and workshops. Did I mention that the event is free? Did you notice that the economy is hammering arts organizations lately? Some organizations are generously contributing performances. Others can't afford to do that, or don't have work that can easily be mounted on an outdoor stage. OBT has generously offered to set-up tables for those to distribute information and answer questions from the public. Do you seriously have a problem with that? Because you're kind of implying that they're dicks for hawking their tickets and pimping their wares without performing. So yawn and snicker and don't bother coming to it if it bores you.
Re: “Another Week, Another Arts Bailout? Not So Fast...”
Stephen, I'm sure you feel quite brave for posting such a bold call to ...what exactly? So you think Conduit is in disarray and hasn't properly done its duty in fundraising. You're welcome to keep your pocketbook shut to them. But are you seriously advocating that others should do the same because, in your judgment, Conduit hasn't done enough and ought to be merging with ... who? BodyVox, White Bird? Do BodyVox and White Bird want to take on responsibility for running a dance center right now? (By your argument, shouldn't the Bach Cantata Choir merge with Portland Vocal Consort? After all, each has a "narrow mission" and are presumably feeling the economic pinch).
I have lots of opinions about which arts organizations "deserve" support and which ought to be allowed to fade away. Because I don't pretend to have any clue about how any of them are managed, or the kinds of challenges they are facing, I try not to publicly pillory them or imply that they are mismanaged. I certainly don't advocate for others to close their pocketbooks to them just because I choose not to support them.
Is a $15,000 shortfall excessive on a $45,000 budget? I don't know. The Oregon Symphony reportedly has an $8 million accumulated deficit on its $16 million budget. Like Conduit, the Symphony is trying to figure out what to do about that -- adjusting and recalibrating to fit current economic conditions. Unlike a scrappy start-up theater company, Conduit can't easily retract its ambitions when times get tough. You see, it's primary expense (I presume) is rent for its space in the Pythian Building. That space, and the availability of it for the dance community, is largely what defines Conduit. It's not an arts producer (like BodyVox) or a dance presenter (like White Bird); rather, as part of Portland's arts infrastructure, it has hefty fixed costs. If it raises its rental fees, it runs the risk of shutting out users who are just as financially strapped.
Beyond the issue of Conduit, you do a disservice to the arts community by using incendiary terms such as "bailout" and "handout." Sure, you can argue that any request for emergency funds is "asking for a handout." But the semantics are important; in our current economic clusterf*ck, "bail out" and "handout" have become pejoratives with specific meanings.
Any nonprofit arts organization that is asking the community to make a contribution should not be accused of begging for a handout. Conduit is not asking for the unwilling public to give them money. It is posing this simple question: "Will you help us?" It is telling the community what its needs are, and asking those who support its mission to step up. If you don't support them, don't contribute and don't attend the benefit performances. Please don't encourage people who don't support the arts to bitch and moan about how the arts are screwing them out of their hard-earned dollars.
Re: “For the Love of God, Erika… DO NOT MARRY THIS MAN!!”
Do you suppose the Disney Overlords had anything to do with staging this spontaneous event purely as a publicity stunt in the hope that it would go viral and now you've done their bidding? The best actor in the bunch is dear Erika who had to fake being surprised.
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