Bootstrapsround2session3

How to Balance Collaborative and Personal Trajectories This session will help setup the infrastructure for creating lasting and effective work collaborations. We will cover: How to Develop Projects- the Three Phases & Interpersonal tips Time Management-Collaborative and Personal

I am a composer, a collaborator, an educator, a performer, and an entrepreneur. I direct many programs in the city: I am the Associate Director of Making Score, I teach with the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composer Program, and I am the director of VisionIntoArt Presents, Inc.

Whose work has VIA performed and premiered? *marks commission Composers Adams, John Adler, Samuel Alexander, Kathryn Alvarez, Javier Babbitt, Milton Beaser, Robert Beavers, Kevin Bilous, Edward Bresnick, Martin Brubeck, Chris Burtner, Matthew Corigliano, John DeVoto, Mark Eckert, Rinde Felsenfeld, Daniel Frank, Gabriela Fuerst, Mathew Glass, Philip Gordon, Michael Horne, Lance Ives, Charles, arr. Eggar Jacobsen, Sonia Kaefer, John Kellogg, Daniel Kennedy, Martin Kitamura, Yui *Kroll-Rosenbaum, Nora Lang, David Levitan, Daniel Liang, Lei Ligeti, Gyorgy Magnussen, Jon *Mesinai, Raz Mills, Jessie Moravec, Paul Mooke, Martha *Muhly, Nico

Muldaur, Claire Nancarrow, Conlon Oliveros, Pauline Oteri, Frank *Paranosic, Milica Paulus, Stephen Periera, Joseph *Prestini, Paola Rakowski, David Reagon, Bernice Reich, Steve *Rieppi, Pablo Rodgers Guettel, Mary Rouse, Christopher Rulon, C. Bryan Sanborn, Jonathan Shende, Vineet Shimojima, Christopher Sierra, Roberto Theofanidis, Christopher Tillery, Kenya Tower, Joan *Van Sluytman, Jamal Webb, Orianna Westlake, Nigel Ziporyn, Evan Zupko, Mischa Zwilich, Ellen Taaffe Zyman, Samuel Poets/Writers *Roger Bonair-Agard *Caroline Bootle *Hannah Bos *Frances Chewning *Shana Gozansky *Holter Graham *Rob Grace *Jonny Green *Samuel Helfrich *Mahira Kakkar *Amiel Melnick *Clancy O’Connor *Lynne Procope *Patrick Rosal *Eunice Wong Filmmakers: *Martha Colburn *Carmen Kordas Davide Faggiano *Chase Palmer *Marco Valentin *John Zieman Visual Artists: *Martha Colburn *Erika Harrsch *Emily Flake Theater Directors: *Rosemary Andress *Ian Belton *Sam Helfrich Choreographers: *Iyun Harrison *Elizabeth Motley *Rebecca Stenn

Then…1998 VisionIntoArt began as a school project in 1998, with performances held in dance studios. VIA won an interdisciplinary grant from Juilliard which funded our first public performance at Lincoln Center Institute. The following year VIA went on to perform at key note performances at the Council on Foundation, North Carolina School for the Arts and Dickinson College.

Now…2008 VIA has performed over fifty trans-media performances in festivals, halls, museums, theaters and clubs across United States, Europe, Eastern Europe, and Mexico. VIA has commissioned over twenty new works from composers since 1999, and has performed over one hundred works by emerging and established composers of our day. VIA has additionally commissioned five poets, four visual artists, six filmmakers, six choreographers, four directors, five writers, three lighting designers, three sound designers, and has worked with over sixty musicians, actors and dancers as guests to the VIA core group, creating a truly interdisciplinary community.

Collaboration “ Who is the third who walks always beside you? When I count, there are only you and I together But when I look ahead up the white road There is always another one walking beside you Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle, hooded I do not know whether a man or a woman - But who is that on the other side of you?” from T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland 'Collaboration' is a complex cultural and political phenomenon: the combined practice of two or more artists, simultaneously or across time… … and, the third entity that emerges: your creation.

Collaboration can be an arduous process, and it is the balance of respecting people's ideas, how to let certain ideas go, (and how to know which ones you will not let go) that allows you not to compromise your artistic integrity. Collaboration is an art in and of itself that can only be learned by doing it, making the necessary mistakes. Because collaboration is a skill usually refined in the field and not typically in school, remember to be patient with yourself, and your collaborator. You will have differences: discipline specific, and sometimes cultural, that can translate into challenging and intriguing art, yet sometimes difficult interpersonal relationships.

Who is a good collaborator for you? Choosing a good collaborator is not about choosing a good friend. Sometimes this works. The most important aspect is one you have to define: Are you challenged by this artist and do you like their work? What will you learn and gain? Is this the right time for you to engage in a collaborative project? What do you have to give at this moment? Is your work style compatible?

Challenges and Benefits Benefits: Collaboration is strength in numbers and ideas (as a unit, when you click, you can be greater than the sum of your parts). In the very best situations, it can result in high learning trajectories: when collaborating with someone in or outside your field, you are learning new perspective--new techniques. Optimize this time by letting go of the ego. Challenges: Knowing when to hold on to an idea and when to let go. Defining roles, combined goals and values. Not being afraid to constantly redefine these. Finding grants and performance opportunities. Though this is opening up, many presenters are fans of the one performer marketing opportunities: the ‘genius’ approach.

Each artist’ s passion for their ideas reminds me that redefining the boundaries in collaboration is a lifelong process and is absolutely connected to the project at hand, and that even in the hardest collaborative processes, ones identity is not lost, only rediscovered and reaffirmed.

The Three Phases: 1. encounter/commitment 2. exploration/negotiation 3. composition/production Beginning a Collaborative Project

Phase 1:Encounter and Commitment During this phase, you get to know each other, commit to a project and to a slot of time for yourselves where no product is created and no definite goal is in mind. This upcoming time needs to be free; many differences will emerge, and it will not always be easy. We are used to living in a product driven society, so the idea of free time seems crazy. Remember, collaboration needs time: just as you have mastered your own craft, collaboration too is a craft, and in many ways it needs more space because it is different between any two people--there are few rules but the ones you set up.

At this point, you will want to apply for residencies and research grants. You will need an idea of your combined efforts, and individual support material. Collaborative residencies are good throughout all the phases, even in the first, as you will need to accomplish a work direction before you do work separately. However all collaborations are different, and when you choose to work together or apart largely depends on your discipline and the nature of your project. Residencies

Applying for collaborative residencies is becoming more and more feasible. Remember to include significant documentation and philosophy, and collaborative and individual support materials as well. Individual residencies are also necessary during collaborative projects as you may need to create work in different stages from your collaborator. Interesting Residency Options: Montalvo Arts Yaddo McDowell Ucross Foundation Atlantic Center for the Arts

Long Distance Collaboration You may want to set up an offline or password protected temporary website to show each other work if you are working separately. This is energy well spent because you then have the foundation for a future site to share with interested viewers. You can also set up the following accounts: yousendit, dropboks, a blog, or file sharing on your computer (such as your idisk).

Language and Rules: This phase is where you set up your mode of working, and your language and rules. Even for this period in your collaboration, you will want to set up some basic rules: roles in terms of administration, and time frames for each phase. Remember to revisit roles and goals throughout each of the three phases and do frequent emotional ‘check-ins’. Grants: Your next phase is for exploration and research time, so this is the perfect grant writing stage for those types of grants.

Rules Do not assume anything. Discuss anything that comes to mind as a possible issue or question and document all discussions. What is your work schedule? When can you contact that person? When is ‘off’ time? Does one person have a day job? Respecting each others work mode is essential. Intellectual Property. Who owns the universe you have created (or each part of it)? Do you have the right to do solo works in the universe or can it only be used for collaborative ventures? What are your strengths in terms of administrative work? What will happen to the universe if one or both of you want to drop out? Is there an artistic or administrative leader to the project?

Each artist works in different ways. After finding an artist who inspires you and with whom you want to work, you will enter the discovery period of how each of you work and how you will work together. The exploration/negotiation phase “when the artists actively engage with each other's practice” is powerful and potentially challenging. To be successful, the partners must be inventive and playful, suspending a rigid sense of traditional practice and investing an extended period of time. Without sufficient space during this period, you may not benefit fully from what you can learn from your collaborators art form and experience. The exploration phase is time when you work individually and collaboratively. It is also research time, and time to solidify the direction your project will go in. Phase 2: negotiation/exploration

Collaborative Mission Statements At some point during your explorations, you will want to have a collaborative mission statement or project statement. A collaborative mission statement should include what the essence of your combined art form is. Though you may not already have a product, you can create a larger descriptor for yourselves by stating your activities and combined vision.

Examples of collaborative statements: Eiko and Koma www.eikoandkoma.org- dance and dance “ Through dance, we represent archaic landscapes, eons older than the world we occupy, in which we (humans) can rediscover our essential selves.” You can afford to be more abstract if yours is an ongoing partnership.

Cage and Cunningham music and dance Cage and Cunningham produce pieces in which the music and dance are created independently but presented simultaneously. The two elements, neither related or unrelated, simply occur in the same space and time. This is wonderfully simple and precise: it concentrates more on the conceptual which in the end is as important as the product for them.

Body Maps is a multimedia collaboration that explores various body parts and the traditions and myths we associate with each, through music (live and electronic) by Paola Prestini and visuals (painting and animation) by Erika Harrsch.

Other famous collaborators… look up their stories and emulate… Philip Glass and Robert Wilson-music and theater Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan-husband/wife songwriter and lyricist David Finkel and Wu Han-husband/wife chamber music duo and directors http://www.chambermusicsociety.org/artists/14/artistic-directors

You will want to be able to find the language to describe your project in a project statement. You will revise this until the end of your work together. This is necessary to begin now as you will want to practice talking about what you do so that when asked, your response is fluid. Make sure to document your artistic process during this discovery time. This will not only help you track your progress, it will also be indispensable as you apply for grants. Take photos and film, and blog about your collaboration, or keep a journal. If you are not a techie, don’t despair. Easy to use programs such as .Mac websites, garage band for music editing, and iMovie for film editing make all of this very approachable.

Techie stuff Here are good blog services: Blogger www.blogger.com LiveJournal www.livejournal.com Type Pad www.typepad.com You don’t need an iPod to create your own cast. A podcast is like an interactive visual blog, and you can use several different sources like iTunes, Yahoo! Music Engine, and FeedDemon.

The next most important part of the process is to determine the specific administrative roles and responsibilities. Too often, these details can break the strongest of bonds. In order to clarify this immediately, ask yourselves the following questions:

CHECKLIST: roles and responsibilities What will it take to see my project to fruition? What is the timeframe and how many hours do we intend to spend working on this separately and apart? What funds will we seek and who will be writing the grants? Who will handle the design of the project? Invites, brochures, press kits, programs, etc. How will we promote the project? Who will handle the marketing aspect? Getting performances, audiences, reviewers, etc.

What will it take to see my project to fruition? What is the timeframe and how many hours do we intend to spend working on this separately and apart? Create a calendar for your project, and set up certain goals and benchmarks. Understand that one of you may have to do more work on the front or back end depending on the nature of your collaboration. For example, while working with specific video artists, I have to have the music finished before they will begin, yet we conceptualize together.

What funds will we seek and who will be writing the grants? If one on you is more adept at writing and describing things in a concise manner, this person should be writing the grants. Since this is usually a dry venture that no-one loves embarking on, split the responsibilities: if one of you is writing the grants, the other person should research which grants to apply to and should be the proofreading eyes.

Who will handle the design of the project? Invites, brochures, press kits, programs, etc. Your ‘look’ is incredibly important. This is what potentially grabs people first, so choose whoever has the more artistic eye. You may want to ask a third part. Create a press kit with your mission statement, project statement, and any media you may have. Your press kit should include individual bios, a collective mission statement for your work together or project, your process or history of the project, reviews or endorsements from artists or mentors you respect, and any funding sources you may already have. Invites: I tend to use www.overnightprints.com. Remember to include logo, reviews, mission statement, catchy photos, and pertinent information (where, when, what), including any funders’ logos if applicable. Nowadays sending postcards is not totally necessary-but they are great for grassroots marketing, and the e-version is perfect for internet use. Here are some sample cards.

Remember: review, names, and the 4 W’s: Where is the event (location) When is the event (time and tickets) Why is the event (mission) What is the event (project statement) … are the questions you Want to answer. Be catchy!

Short Comprehensive Press Kit The following is a Press Kit for VIA that tells our story succinctly: Mission Background/History Projects/Programs (with reviews interspersed throughout)

How will we promote the project? Who will handle the marketing aspect? Getting performances, audiences, reviewers, etc. There are so many accessible and affordable ways to promote and market your project that are free and completely doable. Again, making a timetable for yourself is necessary. Remember to combine your mailing list and share contacts with other artists: forming a collective approach can help. Newsletters, websites, podcasts, and a grass root approach of getting your word out that includes handing out invites in venues you think could be right for you, meeting with press people, curators, and radio personalities and handing them press kits…all of this should be part of your strategy. During your second phase, or when you know the nature of your project, you should begin this process. A good newsletter: http://www.ps122.org/newsletter/ We use this, which also assembles and maintains your mailing list: http://www.ymlpr.net/ Here is a constructive site on how to build a newsletter: http://desktoppub.about.com/od/newsletters/a/newsletter_part.html

Promotion Timetable Make sure you have physical and electronic versions of your press kit. Send electronic press kits unless you have a face to face meeting with a presenter, or unless required to do so by a grant. Contact Presenters. Ask for introductions-do not be shy, and remember to contact by email and by phone, and be persistent. Invite these presenters to open workshops during your third phase. The best time of year to do this is early Spring and Summer (though many presenters are gone during summer. Fall and Late Spring are busy times for presenters. Create a mailing list with your shared contacts and make friends with 5-10 artists who you can share contacts with. Begin to get to know reviewers and radio personalities and familiarize yourself with their style, approach, blogs, etc. Contact them once you have performance dates. Once you are in your final development stage create two open rehearsals: the first for friends, and the second for curators. Have promotional material you can distribute.

Though it may seem awkward to handle all these questions off the bat, it is an essential part of the process. Knowing each of your strengths and limitations will help avoid false expectations. This way you will maximize your time spent together, and your efforts will be acknowledged along the way. Grants: This research/exploration time is the perfect grant writing stage for production and artistic fee grants. LMCC: http://www.lmcc.net/art/programs/index.html Check our MAP fund http://www.mapfund.org/ Creative Capital Fund http://creative-capital.org/application/ NYSCA http://nysca.org/public/resources/specific.htm

Lead Artist If you are indeed the initiator of the project, do not be afraid of protecting your rights. There are benefits to being the lead artist in a collaborative team. Though it does not necessarily mean your opinions are most decisive, it does mean you have certain benefits. You have the ability to pay yourself more as the administrative leader, and because you will take more initiative, you can shape the direction of your project in terms of where it is seen, how it is perceived by the outside eye, etc. And you make a name for yourself as an initiator. As a commissioner of many different types of artists, we use contracts that define specifics before we go into a collaboration.

June 15, 2008 Commissioning Contract (always date your contracts) This constitutes the agreement between _______, referred to as “c ommissioner ”, and _____, referred to as “type of artist”, under which the commissioner will pay the composer _____to compose/create _____, a work for ______ with an approximate duration of twenty-five minutes. Commissioner agrees to make commission payments as follows: $___on signature of this agreement. balance of commission on delivery of parts. It is anticipated that the premiere performance will be given on__________. The score should be be available by October 1, with parts ready by October 15. All scores, shall bear the inscription: “ C ommissioned by VisionIntoArt Presents, Inc. ” on the title page of the first page of the music. The Commissioned has the exclusive right to give the world premiere of the said work and subsequent performances for up to one year after the premiere. The world premiere is tentatively scheduled for _______but no later than one year following the delivery of parts to the Commissioner. Commissioner shall have the right to premiere the work for a period of one year following the world premiere. The parties acknowledge that the said work will be subject to performing rights license from ______. Contracts

The Commissioner shall have the right to make the first recording of the work for a period of two years following the world premiere and the right to present the first radio and television performances for a period of one year following the world premiere. The Composer hereby represents and warrants that: neither the work nor any part of the thereof will violate or infringe copyright, literary, music, person, private, civil, or property right of any third party; nothing contained in this Agreement contravenes any preexisting agreement which Composer may have with a publisher or any other party; any future agreement which Composer may enter into with a publisher or any other party will be subject to the rights granted to the Commissioner and Composer hereunder. It is agreed that of the Composer is unable to fulfill the terms of this agreement, Commissioner shall not be liable for any portion of the fee and Composer ’s sole liability to Commissioner shall be the refund upon demand of that portion of the fee thus far paid. All rights to the work described above not granted herein to the Commissioner are reserved to Composer. Signed, Commissioner Composer

Phase 3 composition/production This is the production phase. At this point you have a clear idea of your product, and it is on its way to completion. It is in this phase that your checklist must be nearly completed-design materials, brochures, etc. During this period you should be setting up meetings to meet with potential funders and conducting open rehearsals and inviting potential curators to come see your work.

Roles and Duties 1. Remember to constantly revise your promotion materials as your documentation improves and progresses. 2. Who will handle the technical aspect of the performance? Technology, multimedia, technical riders, sound design, etc. 3. How will we document our process and results?

Promotion Table Once you are in your final development stage create two open rehearsals: the first for friends, and the second for curators. Have promotional material you can distribute. Once you have your performance dates, remember to send press kits to any publications and reviewers or radio personalities who you want reviewing you. Follow up on these, and send electronic versions to the reviewers who you have cultivated a relationship with. For listings, sending 2 months, 1 month, and 2 weeks prior ensures a good chance you will be listed.

Who will handle the technical aspect of the performance? Technology, multimedia, technical riders, sound design, etc. Whoever is your most tech savvy person should decide whether the technical end of your project needs a third person, or whether you can handle it yourselves. You should have a tech rider ready to describe your needs to presenters and for grants. A tech rider includes will include what gear you need (sound, light, multimedia) in order to make your project possible. Eventually, if your project is touring, you will need a hospitality rider as well.

How will we document our process and results? Aside from the process documentation which you can both do, the final product documentation should always go in someone else’s hands who you trust and have worked with before, or who comes highly recommended. Make sure this person attends your open rehearsals. You should invest in high quality film, photos and sound (if appropriate).

Performance time! I like to take example from the Wooster Group, an experimental theater troupe in NYC. All of their performances are called works in progress. They revisit materials at different stages and the material develops organically. Remember to know when to take a break from the work--and remember you can always revise!

Balancing Personal and the Collaborative Collaborations can be all consuming. You can end a process and feel dried up--with a sensation that you may never have another idea again. This is normal. In order to remain sane and avoid some of the post-production down feeling, remember that all you are learning is yours to keep and you can and should apply it to your career.

Remember to keep good documentation of the contacts you make, the grants you write, and the material you create. You are also creating a foundation of material that represents you. Make sure to use this on your own website and for your own press kits (with proper credit given). Alternate your collaborative work with solo projects; this allows you to balance your unique inner voice with the more democratic temperament needed in collaborative settings. Use the three phase idea in your own work: every step of a collaborative process helps in organizing your own project (sometimes it is easy to get sloppy with ones own work).

I find that when I finish a large collaboration, I need to find inspiration and need a meditation phase. This is where an open period where you do not create is once again necessary, but for your own creation. As you look at your collaborative future, dopt the open approach from other disciplines. Take, for example, rock bands or great solo artists. They often collaborate and keep their collaborations for a life time. The way to do this is to respect what you need and when you need it. Collaboration is like going to school: you learn the most when you need and want it. Like any good relationship, it takes nurture and balance. So listen to your needs carefully, and choose your collaborators wisely: look for new avenues and adventures that will be eased by a collaborative journey.

Collaboration is an intensely difficult dance between personal integrity, socialist belief in the conviction of everyone's work, and artistic vision to create a unified final performance from the multi layered and healthily competing strains of a collective's attempt to tell a tale. It is a journey that almost all the time, is completely worth it. Be open and remain receptive, and enjoy the ride.

Bootstrapsround2session3

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