Welcome to ArtMaker

Katrina here, I am having some email problems this week as I am still visiting my parents wayyyy north of ny, and have their ancient AOL computer to reckon with. I have received copies of all the mail from you earlybirds and judging by your posts in other forums here I am very excited about what will be coming up.

This forum is really Tonya's brainchild and I am here from the Mboards side to provide all kinds of tech support to her and to you. So, if you are having problems logging in to forum, (after last night's problems were resolved this morning I trust,) attaching, uploading, or any software-related issues, feel free to write directly to me at katrina@motherboardsnyc.com
and I will troubleshoot. (There may be a slight lag this week but I will be back at my own computer on Tuesday of next week.)

For all other concerns please continue to write to the artmaker@motherboardsnyc.com address.

Cheers! As far as unacceptable content, the regular forum rules apply to the ArtMaker Forum.
(I am reprinting them here for convenient access, but recommend all new users to the boards read "Welcome/How to use these Boards").

From Chi Chi ...
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1) solicitations or planning of illegal activities, bandwidth theft (image links to sites that don't know they are serving pictures for us,) offering for sale pirated copyrighted materials, or other activities that could get the boards closed down are forbidden.

2)posts so hateful that they disturb the entire flow of conversation for an extended period of time or extremely nasty personal attacks, will be removed (this has happened twice to date.)

Though there are other kinds of speech that occasionally pop up here that I find personally repugnant (rascism, ageism, sizeism, etc.) I still defend their author's right to post it as long as it is not so extreme or prolonged as to threathen the community, or illegal. These posts are not removed.

You will find when this happens that the moderators will come in and defuse the situation, often with humor. The community will also step in and make it clear how distateful they find this. Usually, the person either retreats or tempers their words from then on. I prefer whenever possible to let the community do it.

3)Links to images that clearly could be classified as kiddie or animal porn will be immediately removed.
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When I said we look forward to seeing a wide-range of "artists" in the forum, what is meant is that I want this forum to give everyone a chance to call their creations "art".

I am selfish in this. I would love to see hair/make-up artists, fashion designers, art students, trendMakers, chefs, event and art directors, androgeny/gender artists, illustrators, poets, musicians, sound engineers, DJs, filmMakers, actors/actresses, producers, dancers, etc. ... pretty much all levels, all makes and all models. Even B.S. artists and comics welcome as I know I can often take myself too seriously ...

The definition of "artmaker" in the ArtMaker forum is as diverse as the talents of those who post. Art snobbery is best left to the critics who get paid for the necessary evil they do in providing information on the art world in forms the public can accept and will pay for.

[This message was edited by TonyaKnudsen on 08-22-02 at 11:55 PM.]

Anything on them!!! I love them/her and find them/her some/one of the best ArtMakers in the New York scene currently.

As the band's first groupie (silly, swaying girl in the front row), who they didn't know from a hole in the wall ... I, by fate, somehow caught the first half-dozen, earliest performances of "Don't you know it hurts when the mean people love you ..."

Help me get her in here posting, I'm fascinated and want to know all that I can and then some !! ;-)

[This message was edited by TonyaKnudsen on 08-22-02 at 09:37 PM.]

Greetings all, Thanks TK for the backstage pass!

some questions:

Will there be a forum for traditional art and topics for each artist?

Do you want me to copy the Vulgaras topic from NY nightlife and events to the Vulgaras topic here? V. should however keep the up to date showdates in NYnightlife to keep the public informed.


thx,

T

[This message was edited by Ted & Di on 08-19-02 at 06:50 PM.]

Ted and Di - There are several artists with topics on the boards like Velocity, Derrick in a Dress, etc. They did create their topics in these areas because there was no place for artists to be listed together before on the MBoards. I would like to get their permission and wait until we launch. If they choose to move, then I'd love to have them here and would do the best job I could to let them be all they can be. I would like for all such artists thinking of moving into ArtMaker to have pre-launch access so they can contribute and take a look for themselves. The ArtMaker BackOffice is on a little hyatis for the moment, so granting access is going to take a few days, but getting a list together of people who might like to be moved in here may not be a bad idea. But have no idea who to ask to help with this.

Thanks for the offer and putting your trust in me, but I know Velocity, not well, but well enough to know that she should be given the choice. No matter, I'll always come and dance at her shows, she plays damn good music.

Regarding artists in existance, topics on fine art should of course go in here. They could only be discussions unless we had the rights of the artists' images to post, but we could always reference sites of interest. Who knows maybe down the road fine artists would want to be showcased here? But you are right, such topics are very important and necessary. Ted and Di -- do you have a favorite artist you'd like to start a topic on in here to set an example others may follow?

I know V. as well. Love the music! I really like the stagecraft. She never ceases to disturb me. That is a real accomplishment after being so jaded for so long.

Can we ask Chi Chi if folders within folders is possible? For example under fine art there could be a folder of discussion for each artist. That way there could be cogent discussion therin without the cross topic chatter more related to other artists. See Ny nightlife where each party has its own topic section. the Zenwarp and Cheeze wiz topics are prime examples of ongoing discussion.

I am creating a topic in the artmaker section titled John Gillian fine art photographer. I will give you his e-mail under seperate cover. Perhaps you could contact him directly for his more direct involvement in Artmaker. He has been published covering various subjects such as 100 year old ladies, Archetecture, and of course Fetish. Eric Kroll is a big fan. As am I.


T

Well that is a good classification system ... but should probably have a good discussion on what is fine art and what is craft. historically, economically, socially -- Of which I have a great deal to contribute and would be willing to do much research. Got to run, things to do.

Tonya -- learning moderation one headache at a time

under fine art there could be a topic called "what exactly is fine art"? Or, you could reclassify the J. Gillian topic to just Photograpy.

Perhaps the best way to classify is by medium. Photography, Performance, Sculpture, etc.

Then some artists. The moderator (TK) could then move topics where appropriate. For example, if it isn't quite fine art but is avant guarde (sp?) the moderator could move the topic to "Avant Guarde" topic or such.

Art has classifications of which I am mostly ignorant. It will be a great place to get some education. I am looking forward to the education.

By this point it is my $.25, but I am excited. If it is too much, sorry.

T

very much for all the encouragement and suggestions. I am going to start organizing a bit over the next few days in here and bringing in more artists. FYI -- I plan to organize within the ArtMaker forum by moving replies out of the "rifting topics" into the appropriate "named" topics (and list the replies in a manner that will make sense to the reader). With regards to artists who reference their work from within a critical dialog (I will add a reference note to the artists own topic if the artist does not do so him or herself.)

I'm sure this will make more sense to you after you see me start doing it. But if I make a mistake, you better let me know!

Was thinking about the Nightlife forum with respects to the ArtMaker forum. In the concept discussions I had with Chi Chi, she mentioned perhaps there were some topics to possibly be moved in here. Later, I was contacted by Derrick in a Dress, etc. So I made an assumption that entertainers even DJs too! would want to be considered artists (so as not to be lost in the never ending list of party promotions). But these individuals may very well fare better in the entertainment listings. Truly!

So I am thinking of ArtMaker as a "gallery space" and a "coffee-house/artists' happy hour" place to discuss ourselves, the arts and bounce off each other for inspiration. Perhaps down the road, more substructures will be necessary. But the nature of the art movement right now is evolving from traditionalist genres into new ones yet to be named ... this really is exciting stuff to watch and be a part of !!

[This message was edited by TonyaKnudsen on 08-22-02 at 11:59 PM.]

Think in terms of triangles and stars, think in terms of new dimensions, new media, natural evolution, new worlds, new eras.

For now I think the classification structure that will work best is a singular list of topics that independently take one of three directions in discussion nature.

The first -- the artist, the individual, by name listed as a topic (posted by themselves or others), defined by themselves and others. In these cases the artist may ultimately choose to add a definition (Avant Garde, Outsider Art, Photographer, Inter-disciplinary, Bull Shit, whatever they want, within that topic and they can make a case for their entitlement to such titles if the choose or not.) People will believe it or not, just as they always have. They can simply showcase their work, they can stay there and entertain others, use it however they want, it is their topic!

The second nature of topic is the critical discussion, the academic debate, the definition of new and old terms, the redefining of terms that artists themselves may be interested in understanding as they choose to, or not, to define themselves).

The third nature of discussions I think shall be of riffing/rifting/harvesting nature. We all need a place to have some fun and let off steam.

These topics may overlap and reference one another, but I guess that's the moderator's job to be something of a libra-rian (to keep on top of things, move some things, reference others, make sure people see what they need, don't take some things too seriously, make sure no one party becomes the absolute authority). I think this construct will work for now. And it allows for the development of natures of discussion in the future don't you think, further expansion, further breaking the mold, further multi-level marketing so to speak.

Ted n Di, you are always around to encourage the New - fascinating to read your $.25.

I wanted to help clarify the difference between NYC Events and ArtMaker for members who might maintain topics in each.

I would suggest that artists maintaining their topics here still post their events in NYC Events and/or NYc Metro if applicable, to reach the widest audience for their events. They should feel free to post the same info in their topic here without the usual "double posting" whammy - critique and postmortem on current shows, performances, etc. is necessary for a full discussion of their work here.

To me, the two forums serve totally different purposes and each only enhances the other.

Back to the server mines....

Thanks for that! I couldn't agree more. I didn't know if having "double posting" would be a problem, so I was trying to feel things out. I look to the good guidance of Ted and Di and the others to help me spot occasions to do this.

I think that $.25 is now valued at about $.32 and increasing.

These discussions help me to continually clarify my goals in here, find wisdom and get the "horse poo" out of my head.

Cheers all, I have been working out ways for artists to link to audio and video files of their work without causing bandwidth problems.

In the TonyaKnudsen.com topic, I have a URL link to a realplayer metafile file (.ram) on my site. I am curious if only people with real player installed can hear it. If you try it, and it doesn't work, please let me know.

I am also curious if there are other free media players / producers / simple codes available that can be set up in this way. If you know of any, please post the details here.

Finally, does linking to URLs of this nature (.ram, .rm) cause bandwidth problems for the Motherboards? I am a little clueless on how it is "stolen" on the internet. Chi Chi has explained it to me; but, I'm still a little unclear, so please, in layman's terms.

As Chi Chi is busy with the server move, I was hoping if a few of you more savvy techs might be able to advise me before we launch?

[This message was edited by TonyaKnudsen on 10-15-02 at 10:00 PM.]

I am happy to elaborate Tonya - and thanks for your patience during the move.

A redirect (as above) or link to a site hosting the material (whether audio, video, jpgs., whatever) does not constitute bandwidth theft. If we are linked to a site that is serving an image FOR The Motherboards (as in the "image" UBB code below) and that site hasn't given permission, then we are "stealing the bandwidth" - in other words, they are paying the bill for the image we are seeing. Make sense?

There are basically two kinds of bandwidth theft - one is rather innocent and concerns real enthusiasm about an image or personality - such as when a fan site for one of our NYC Girls links to one of our pictures for a few days to discuss it. The other is when a porn site with enormous traffic lifts one of our NYC Girls pictures and has us suddenly serving an extra 10 gigabytes of transfer, which could cost easily an extra $50 a week. That kind is rude and is usually dealt with immediately - either by changing the name of the file or by replacing it with a graphic that reads "bandwidth theft."

Hope that's clear. That said, we are open to the continuing quest for online representation of ArtMaker artists, and glad that the discussion of how to best do so is underway.

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You can post a link to any image that you are hosting on a website or otherwise have authorization to link to using the "image" tool in the "Instant UBB Code" section on every posting page. As long as you provide the full address and the server it lives on hasn't blocked usch access, the image will display with your post.

If you want to upload a picture from your computer directly to our server for display in your post, this feature is only available to Board Members and Moderators at this time, for reasons of bandwidth and security. So if you want to use this method, you must pay for a Board membership ($25 per year.)

For more info on this feature see Chi Chi's post at

http://motherboards.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=120606177&f=5826012061&m=5926012061

For more on Board membership, click the "join/support" link at the top right of this or any page.
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written by Katrina

[This message was edited by TonyaKnudsen on 11-27-02 at 08:39 PM.]

With regards to Media: I have found that linking to a self-running script-URL that launches or streams media in another window to work very well. It's a process I'm still playing with.

Just an FYI -- ArtMakerNYC.com is looking for media submissions to run on the news page to promote the artists who use the forum. Once you get familiar with the environment and posting, perhaps set up a topic about your work in ArtMaker and send in a media submission. If we can get it to run (reasonable memory and length) would love to feature your work.

[This message was edited by TonyaKnudsen on 11-27-02 at 08:47 PM.]

Cheers to all the new folks posting in ArtMaker! Although the forum has only been live for 12 days, the energy in here is becoming magnetic ... I can't wait to see where we will all go from here!

--I have moved the topic on "Building your own Gallery" to this one "Welcome to ArtMaker!" (Making room, ahem, for more art, in the days to come ...)

--About links: if you run across a link that does not work or does not reference the proper material - please send me an email or post a one line notice in that topic (which I may delete after fixing the problem). If I add a link that for whatever reason needs removed, let me know and it is gone.

--I'd like to take a moment to thank the ArtMaker "pre-launch topic starters" whose support (when the only topics in this room included mine and the Welcome) for loving art and artists as much as I, maybe more. They include: Troy Morgan - MetropolisNYC.com, The Club Creatures - Zazoo & Satori, Jo-Jo baby, Ted (of Ted and Di) and Andro Genetic. If you've not had the chance to read these - the very, very first ArtMaker topics - I recommend them. Don't let those Page Views fool ya!

--Lastly, I would like to thank both Chi Chi and Johnny for the faith and support that they have given me thus far in this project. I didn't realize how much I missed writing and journalistic activity since I stopped interviewing other artists to create my own. Today, (well, yesterday) was a tough one. I really appreciated being able to come in here read, write, dream and ArtMake!

I was so excited to come home tonight and see so many new posts in here! Zazoo, Satori and Jo-Jo -- so happy to read of your creative new exploits. This is indeed a place to annouce, discuss and try (with community support) new artistic ventures.

I do have a few questions to ask all of you about ArtMaker and the kind of things you'd like to see in the forum. I.e. where best can I use my time in here to best serve those of you who enjoy this forum? Also what should I be doing that I'm not?

Suggestions welcome. What do you like? what would you like to see more of? (Besides GenderArt - )

Also, if you've noticed, I've "forced this topic" to the top of the forum (it's also bold). This is a new facility now available called a "featured topic". What do you think of having featured topics ArtMaker? What do you think should be featured?

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Lastly, about page impressions. The majority of the topics that were started here during prelaunch lost their initial page views with the move to the new servers. So if you see an topic in ArtMaker with a low page view count, please do not consider this representative of the content to be found there.

[This message was edited by TonyaKnudsen on 10-15-02 at 09:56 PM.]