The Redmond Digital Arts Festival sounds like a very cool event, but at least one local blogger questions using tax dollars to support an event aimed at the video game development sector.
The Sledgehammer writes:
...the newly created Redmond Digital Arts Festival will be taking place in October, funded partially with city and county public arts funding and partially by a number of sponsors... it almost seems like they’re trying to put together a (very) miniature version of the annual Game Developers Conference right here in Redmond.
While I’m sure this might be something that would be interesting to people who develop video games (as well as some people who don’t,) this strikes me as an odd thing for a city government to be getting itself involved with. Without diving too deep into politics here, my support of funding for public art doesn’t extend much beyond the stuff that goes on the wanted posters on the post office wall, but since there are state and county mandates for public art funding around here that are unlikely to go away anytime soon, it looks like they’re going to have to spend the money on something...
Comments
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
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Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
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Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
This is a great conversation!!!
Hi, I'm a member of the Redmond Arts Commission and have been in charge of leading the project the last year and a half. Here are some bits of information that might interest you guys:
1) The event is open to the public (all ages and experience levels)
2) Most of the event is free (hands-on workshops, 3d scanning, presentations, tutorials and portfolio reviews)
Note: lunches, movie night & dance party are ticketed because of the cost associated with putting them on.
3) Most of the event is being put on by volunteers because there is not enough city money to fund large events such as these. It truly is being put on by the people for the people. In my opinion seeing an event such as this being sponsored by a city is fantastic. It shows some tremendous initiative and support for local business and local art. IMHO with such a diverse and competitive industry, I think it's good to have a host that is neutral and unbiased.
4) The event is small this year because, among other things, it's a pilot for what we hope will be a yearly and much larger event. That being said, it's a two day long event packed with rich programming, which in my opinion rivals other similar events in the area. It's also the only event in the State of Washington (that I know of) that celebrates the digital arts in this way.
5) If you're concerned about how the city spends its money you should attend the city meetings (which are open to the public) and voice your opinion. I think you'll be surprised, however, to find out how very little money is spent on the arts. It's sad actually.
I hope this helps shed some light on the conversation. And I hope you all attend and see for yourselves whether this is an event worth having every year. Registration is free on the website: www.redmondartsfestival.com
cheers,
Kamal
www.digitaldouble.net
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
As someone who works in Redmond for one of these software companies I can say..I'm all for it. I agree, at least he's consistant but at the same time saying "I don't think they should because I just don't think they should." Is not all that valid of an argument. I'm sure he supports things others don't. In fact, from the sound of it he's a typical Bellevue resident that is totally at odds with the rest of the two counties around here.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Redmond is huge for electronics, its got MS's HQ in it for god sakes. Sponsoring the industry seems logical because the workers and companies make up a lot of voters and taxpayers.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Slow news day I guess.
This is typical libertarian nonsense, most likely cooked up in some wacko's Montana shack. The guy probably wants to do away with publically funded post offices, libraries, police and fire departments too.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Meh, seems fair comment. I don't really agree, IMHO there's a place for public funding of art, but I can appreciate why people might disagree so that's fair enough.
Gift.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Really? First off, if you can't look anywhere in this world without seeing something created by an artist. Advertisement, buildings, every single product you own was designed by an artist.
Second, it's not like the city of Redmond is throwing 40 Billion dollars at Mimes here. Videogames are a billion dollar industry. Giving them incentives to stay local and feel appreciated is GOOD for the local economy. Bringing game publishers in from out of state to spend money there (and maybe even relocate there) is just good business.
And for those people who chose Alpaca farming because it was more practical: Life sucks, buy a helmet.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Heh. Hey like I said I don't agree with the guy, in no small part due to the things you mention, I just appreciate that not everyone likes the idea of publicly funded art. Each to their own as it were.
Gift.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
I would love to see a Digital Arts Festival in Ottawa. That would be very cool. :D
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
They'd probably hold it out in Kanata and deny the downtown core any economic boost whatsoever. And Larry O'Brien doesn't strike me as a big fan of videogames, either.
---
The Mammon Industry
Fangamer
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Woudln't mind one in Destroit either. A digital arts festival is an excellent idea
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Metro Detroit please, lol. Don't put it in the inner city, but it in Royal Oaks or somthing like that
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
It's not like city officals aren't wasting tax dollars already.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
I don't see how this is a bad idea. I'm all for it!
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
...And actually, now that you mention it, a community sponsored tractor pull or monster truck rally might be kind of fin, just to see how many heads explode at the city council meeting...
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Hah! Glad you've got a sense of humor about it. :)
As an aside, I'm not sure if you're aware or not (my guess is that you are aware of it), but the game/CGi industry does little get-togethers like this all the time, especially DigiPen. Just thought I'd point it out. However, this is the first time that I've seen Redmond (and not Bellevue) support one of these. Usually, they're self funded or sponsored by a company that makes tools for the industry (like Adobe or Autodesk, for example).
I don't totally disagree with you, but why not see this as a positive instead of a negative?
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
It's not that I'm really questioning this (as I said on the post, there are mandates for public art funding at the state, county and local level around here, so whether I like it or not the money's going to get spent on public art,) it's just that I find it a little odd that that a city government would be getting themselves involved in what basically amounts to a (very) miniature game developers conference.
This actually sounds like it could be an interesting event (among other things, Chris Taylor is scheduled to deliver a presentation,) and compared to some of the garbage that the City of Seattle and Knig County spend public art funds on, I'd consider this to be comparatively mild.
Thanks for the link, BTW.
-Brian
http://thesledgehammer.wordpress.com
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Sorry that you got stuck in the spam filter. Still training it.
Thanks for coming in and letting us know more.
Personally, I think it is a fine idea, as long as the event is open to the public. If it is a private event, then I could see how someone could question the funding.
E. Zachary Knight
http://www.editorialgames.com
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/okceca
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1325674091
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
So... The Redmond City Arts Commision (a city that is home to many game developers and digital artists, and is home to two of the "big three" console companies) wants to do something nice to support digital artists, and including a school (DigiPen), ....and a single random guy on the internet is whinging on his blog about it? Uh...Okie dokie.
I'm all for sparking conversation, but is there something to this equation that I'm missing? I would think that The Redmond City Arts Commision could spend their finances on, you know, supporting the Arts...I guess I'm wrong.
Maybe the fellow on The Sledgehammer would rather they fund a Community Sponsored Tractor Pull and/or Monstertruck Rally? ...or yet another party that promotes traditional artists at the Redmond Performing Arts Center, like they usually do.
So say I, some other random guy from the internet.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
Well, the guy seems to be opposed to public funding of art ENTIRELY.
I may disagree with him, but at least he's consistent. I prefer someone who opposes public funding for art of all sorts to somebody who tries to draw a line somewhere for what does and does not qualify as art.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
That's not entirely true. It's not that I'm completely opposed to public arts funding, it's just that what the stuff gets used for usually ends up being either a colossal waste of money (when you have laws in place that require $16 million worth of art at a sewage treatment plant) or ends up as a higher priority on the budget than things like emergency services and infrastructure (it seems like the fire department around here is always forced to put levy measures on the ballot to keep themselves funded,) it starts to seem like a waste of money.
Re: Use of Public Funds for Game Tech Festival Questioned
It's not like cities don't already waste tax dollars on much more worthless things, especially when it comes to the subject of art festivals.