[altroots] Attention Artists ***Alternate ROOTS Response to Hurricane Katrina ***

Greetings.
Alternate ROOTS is in a critical position to have a significant affect
on the relief services provided to artists in the Gulf Coast region
affected by Katrina.  As artists and cultural workers, we are also
uniquely positioned to assist in the healing and rebuilding of lives. In
the face of immediate and evolving needs of artists and their
communities in the Gulf Coast region, ROOTS is embarking on an
initiative to engage its membership and constituency and to develop new
partnerships with the goal of facilitating efforts for artists and
establishing ways for artists (many of whom live and work in the
affected regions) to sustain themselves as they work on the ground among
their communities and with displaced and evacuated children and adults.)

With much response from the arts community going to support those
affected by Katrina, Alternate ROOTS has found that there are two ways
that we, as an organization, can best support relief efforts in the Gulf
Coast region:  Facilitating the flow of information and utilizing our
networks for fundraising initiatives.  ROOTS has identified a three-part
effort:  Information, Broad Funding and Focused Funding
 
Information
Alternate ROOTS is in the process of setting up a job and resource
exchange page on our website.  With primary needs of affected artists
being finding family members, friends, housing, and work; managing
trauma; rebuilding and cash flow, it seems that a resource exchange page
on our website could be very beneficial to artists who are trying to put
their lives and work back together.  Through ROOTS' resource exchange
page on our website, Individuals would be able to submit information
online that would include job/residency opportunities for artists,
housing options for displaced artists (also directing people to
www.hurricanehousing.org <http://www.hurricanehousing.org/> ) and other
resources or information pertinent to affected artists. Artists affected
by the hurricane and in need will also be able to post their needs on
the site. We are hoping that the Alternate ROOTS website will become a
clearinghouse and information exchange channel for artists affected by
Katrina and individuals who wish to help those artists in need.
 
An online form is being created that will facilitate the collection and
organizing of information (organized by state.) This form will be posted
on the ROOTS website and will be accessible to anyone with internet
access.  ROOTS staff and interns will collect and organize the
information and post it on our website.
 
Broad Funding
Another component of ROOTS' response is establishing a partnership with
the Southern Arts Federation.  The SAF has established an Emergency
Relief Fund to assist arts organizations and artists residing in the
Gulf Coast communities most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. A donation
form can be found on their website (www.southarts.org
<http://www.southarts.org/> )  A partnership between SAF and ROOTS is
being established to further facilitate the channeling of funds from
donors to artists.  Alternate ROOTS will be soliciting contributions in
a broad effort to support artists and arts organizations in Louisiana,
Mississippi and Alabama through the Southern Arts Federation.  Funds
will be distributed through the state arts agencies.  We would like to
strongly encourage contributions through SAF to be designated to
"community based artists and arts organizations."  ROOTS' Executive
Director, Carolyn Morris is in conversation with Betsy Baker, Interim
Executive Director of SAF to define how this partnership between SAF and
ROOTS could best support relief efforts.
 
While this partnership could be very beneficial to artists in need, to
SAF and to Alternate ROOTS, concerns have been raised regarding possible
gaps in support that this partnership might not be able to address.  One
of the main concerns being:  What is the long-term vision for the role
of artists to heal communities?  To address this concern, Alternate
ROOTS will engage in the following focused funding effort:
 
Focused Funding
Alternate ROOTS is currently discerning how to most effectively
establish ways for artists (who are in the affected regions now) to
sustain themselves as they work on the ground among their communities
and with people in the shelters.  In order to assist ROOTS artists and
others aligned with our mission and values to do what we do best
(working at the grassroots level, with communities and with other
artists) Alternate ROOTS will be soliciting contributions to this
focused effort to support artists in the affected areas who will be and
are working with community organizations and in shelters to help
individuals channel their own responses into constructive
self-determination and to ensure that artists are part of the
re-envisioning and re-building efforts.
 
We are also looking at ways to involve ROOTS touring artists and allied
cultural workers in relief efforts at refugee centers that have been set
up in the Gulf Coast States and throughout the country.  We are counting
on the ROOTS membership and other allied individuals to access networks,
information channels, philanthropic constituency and all who would be
interested in assisting community based artists in need.  
 
More information will be available soon. Alternate ROOTS invites you to
keep checking www.alternateroots.org <http://www.alternateroots.org/>
for updates over the next several days.  In these challenging times,
thank you for your attention to the values that artists can share.
 
 
In Solidarity and Peace.
Stephen Clapp
Chair
Alternate ROOTS

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