Mitch Rumfelt, MAP member and co-founder of Eyesore Video, is going to be premiering the trailer for his current project, Wanderlost at the  Independent Film Week in NYC on September 20, 2009. "Wanderlost"  was one of ten films chosen for the IFP Emerging Narritive Lab. The Lab is the only national program that connects mentors and low-budget film projects before they submit them to festivals. 

The Eyesore Video Press release describes "Wanderlost" as a "dark fantasy from Asheville based writer , producer and director , David Kabler . The film was shot and funded in Asheville, NC. The story of the film centers around a Drifter, who is alone in the world. He returns home to visit his father’s grave in hopes of changing his destiny. Here he sees salvation in a beautiful girl who could be his key to freedom. But salvation isn’t found so easily.  Wanderlost will be finished in November 2009, premiering in Asheville and festivals in 2010.

In the feature film "Wanderlost" Mitch plays a lead character role while having the duties of a producer and assistant to the director, David Kabler. Mitch co-directed and produced the award winning documentary film "Mountain Punks Fight Dirty".
 

Eyesore has partnered with Asheville based screenwriter and cinematographer Daniel Judson, also a MAP member. Judson, who has multiple MTV and BET music video credits, brings with him outstanding technical and cinematic vision.
 

Now is the time to get your work submitted to SXSW. This year they are accepting submissions for FILM, WEB DESIGN, GAME DESIGN, and TECH BUSINESSES. And of course, if you are a band you need to apply if you want to be choosen to perform at SXSW. Last year there were no Asheville bands, films or other presenters at SXSW.  We can do better, don't you think?

Here are some of the deadlines for you to consider:

Apply to Showcase Music Early Deadline: September 25, 2009. Fee: $30

Submit your Film Early Deadline November 5, 2009. Fee: $25-$40

Enter Game Design Competition Deadline: December, 4 2009

Enter your website in the SXSW Interactive Web Awards Early Deadline: October, 15 2009. Fee: $10

The 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge is now open. Each year a distinguished jury awards a $100,000 prize to support the development and implementation of a strategy that has significant potential to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. Entries are now being accepted and the deadline is midnight, Eastern Time on October 30, 2009.

The Idea Index is a repository for entries from previous years and showcases the winners from the past two cycles, as well as over 200 innovative solutions addressing the world's most pressing problems.

Buckminster Fuller's prolific life of exploration, discovery, invention and teaching was driven by his intention “to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or disadvantage of anyone.”

Fuller coupled this intention with a pioneering approach aimed at solving complex problems. This approach, which he called “comprehensive anticipatory design science”, combined an emphasis on individual initiative and integrity with whole systems thinking, scientific rigor and faithful reliance on nature's underlying principles. The designs he is best known for (the geodesic dome, the Dymaxion house, car, and map, and the global electric grid) were part of a visionary strategy to redesign the inter-related systems of shelter, transportation and energy.

After decades of tracking world resources, innovations in science and technology, and human needs, Fuller asserted that options exist to successfully surmount the crises of unprecedented scope and complexity facing all humanity – he issued an urgent call for a design science revolution to make the world work for all.

Answering this call is what the Buckminster Fuller Challenge is all about.

Bucky had it right. “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

That’s why we’re awarding a $100,000 prize each year for comprehensive solutions that radically advance human well-being and ecosystem health.

Here's the Buckinster Fuller Challenge Movie:

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge from Buckminster Fuller Institute on Vimeo.

Click here for the LIVE BLOGGING starting at 6:30 PM EST:

Click Here

Local fans of the TED conference present TEDxAsheville, an independently organized TED event, Sunday, August 30, 7–11 p.m. at The Orange Peel.

Mix your favorite mind-blowing lecture in college with a hot night out at a club, add a few beers, and you've got TEDxAsheville, where smart is sexy and great ideas are the name of the game. Five Asheville visionaries join a sprinkling of all-local performance talent for a night of fun for your head that promises inspiration, excitement and ideas worth spreading.
 

Confirmed 2009 TEDxAsheville speakers include:
Dee Eggers, UNC Asheville professor of environmental science
Drew Jones of the Sustainability Institute, creator of interactive climate simulations
David McConville of the Elumenati, media artist, entrepreneur, inventor and community activist
Caroline Yongue, Buddhist minister and director of Asheville’s Center for End-of-Life Transitions
Robert Zimmerman, Bug Logic coder, designer and illustrator
 

This late-summer conference event is FREE, seats will fill QUICKLY. Arrive early if you can.
TEDxAsheville official website: tedxavl.com
TEDTalks sample videos: tedxavl.com/videos
Facebook: search TEDxAsheville
Twitter: follow @TEDxAVL
 

ABOUT TEDx
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED created a program it calls TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxAsheville, where “x” = an independently organized TED event. At TEDxAsheville, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection within the audience.
The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

Deadline for entries: August 31, 2009

The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is internationally recognised for identifying new artists and writers and bringing them to international attention. 2010 will be the competition's third year and previous finalists have achieved success and recognition with accolades including: writing commissions from Channel 4, selection to represent Australia in the Florence Biennale, exhibitions at DACS (London), John Martin Gallery (London), Flores Fine Art Gallery (New York), inclusion in the International Drawing Competition exhibition (Poland) and the National Geographic International Photographic exhibition. The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition represents the scope of creative activity today, and provides an opportunity for both new and established artists to nurture their reputations on an international scale.

• The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition seeks entries of Artwork, Photography & Sculpture, Fiction and Poetry
• Three winners will be awarded £500 (approx $825) each
• Additional prizes include an Olympus E-420 SLR camera and a boutique holiday for two
• All finalists will be published in the Aesthetica Creative Works Annual, in stores December 2009
• Entry to the 2009 Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is £10 (approx $16)
• This allows you to submit up to 5 images, 5 poems or 2 short stories
• Closing date to receive Creative Works is 31 August 2009
• For full details please visit www.aestheticamagazine.com/submission_guide.htm

Congratulations to Mary Long of ivaluva design, videographer Scott Duncan, and photographer/mixed media artist Ken HIlberry!  They have all won a year of unbridled excitment on themap.org!

When: July 23 5:30 - 8:30

Where: The Phil Mechanic Building, 109 Roberts Street, Asheville

What: Celebrate our new directory by joining us for drinks and eats!!

After 2 years of planning and design, The MAP is launching it's new online Directory and GetWork Network!! Funded by the Asheville HUB, the new directory will foster the development of Western North Carolina’s creative economy by promoting the region’s diverse and accomplished talent base and providing a resource for WNC media arts professionals to collaborate and connect, both with one another and with opportunities for work. The July 23 event will showcase the site and its capabilities to the region’s artistic and professional communities.

 In the new directory, MAP members will upload their portfolios to profile pages that specifically list their skills, experience and availability. Artists can communicate through blog posts and forums, and promote events through the site’s calendar.  The site also includes functionality for demand-side members, businesses in search of media talent for specific objectives. A demand-side member might be a filmmaker on location in WNC who needs a boom operator, a growing company in need of a designer to build a corporate identity, or a journalist who wants to create podcasts of her work and add them to her website. Through the MAP directory, demand-side members anywhere in the world can access the dynamic community of accomplished media arts professionals in WNC.

“I see the new site as a virtual media arts center, a place where people connect, share work, inspire one another and showcase their work to potential clients” said Gillian Coats, Media Arts Project Board Chairman. “The new map.org creates a platform for growth for media artists in the creative community and the creative economy of the region as a whole.”

The directory was created by BugLogic, an Asheville-based web technology company that specializes in designing and managing community web solutions.

BugLogic’s projects include Drawger.com, an online community for illustrators that has become the network hub for illustration, with an average of 10,000 visitors per day – a number that spikes to over 100,000 when the site is featured in influential media like the New York Times, Juxtapoz, and BoingBoing.net. Another BugLogic community is illoz.com, a portfolio site that connects illustrators with art buyers in much the same way the new MAP website will function. Art buyers have viewed over 3,000,000 images on the site in its two years of operation.

“What I've learned with these projects are all applied to the new MAP member site,” said BugLogic founder Robert Zimmerman, an accomplished illustrator and founding member of the Media Arts Project. “Drawger and illoz both operate as social networks for the membership and they love this aspect of it, but the real goal and the realised end result was a better business for everyone involved.”

The launch event takes place at the Flood Gallery in the Phil Mechanic Studios, at 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. The event begins at 5:30pm, and Zimmerman will present the site at 6:15, followed by a performance by local VJ Megan McKissack. After Zimmerman’s presentation, attendees can register for the site and artists can build their own profiles by uploading media that they bring on portable drives, using computers donated by Charlotte Street Computers. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be provided by The Wine Guy and 28806 Catering. Peak Definition will film the event. For details on the event and further information on the site, contact the Media Arts Project at info@themap.org.

About the Media Arts Project

Established in 2004, the Media Arts Project cultivates innovative arts & technology in western North Carolina. The MAP provides exhibition programming, professional development, outreach, and education. The MAP’s history includes providing fiscal sponsorship, grant funding, and community support for a wide range of films, festivals, and interactive media.  The MAP is driven by the belief that the media arts are integral to the vibrant cultural and economic life of the region. For more information, visit www.themap.org.

CodeName : OpenSource from Peak Definition on Vimeo.

On March 24, we hosted a fundraiser for the 2009 cycle of the Daniel DeLaVergne Media Arts Advantage Fund. Now in its fourth year, the grant - a joint initiative with Advantage West - supports innovative media artists in the region. At CodeName : OpenSource, we showcased the work of winners and judges from previous years. The event also featured a talk on The Future of OpenSource from Teresa Spangler, followed by a Q&A with a panel of artists.

We are actively fundraising for the 2009 MAAF. Any dollars we raise this year will be matched by Advantage West and will go directly to media artists in the region - so if you're able to donate, get in touch by emailing director@themap.org!

CodeName : OpenSource was a joint fundraiser for the MAP and Hatchfest Asheville.

Thanks to all our sponsors: Pack Place, Pisgah Brewing, WineStyles, Blue Moon Water, Clingman Café, Curras Dom, Doc Chey's, Steak&Wine, Usual Suspects, Short Street Cakes, and Black Mountain Chocolates. And a big shout to Peak Definition for the video!

One in six of us… One billion people lacking access to clean drinking water — That’s a staggering amount. So how important is clean water? Consider this: Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water.  Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.

This is not a trivial matter; it is a global crisis.

Please join us for the Asheville Twestival at Windows in the park and be a part of this global effort to raise money and awareness for charity: water.

Media Arts Project proudly supports the First Annual Asheville Tweetup 12 February 2009, 18:00, Windows on the Park, 1N. Pack Square, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801.

See the multi-media here by Wu Media -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0SGjfez5c

Get more information from the Asheville Twestival -> http://asheville.twestival.com/

Q. Is your proposed timeline set in stone?

A. You may propose your own timeline and please respect that we are trying to get this done in a timely manner. Please include the necessary milestones.

Q. Any objections to developing site in Rails and using Radiant as the CMS?

A. No objections. You may propose any platform

Q. Since we are a virtual company, we often work with designers who live all over the country. Would the designer also need to reside in a WNC country or is it sufficient that our firm is based in Asheville?

A. It is sufficient that your firm is based in Asheville but preferable that the whole team reside in WNC.

Q. How much of the design elements, such as shapes in the banner, or color preferences, should carry over into the new website?

A. None need to. We are looking for a whole new look and brand identity.

Q. Is the immediate objective to serve WNC?   

A. Yes. Our current membership is based largely in Buncombe County, but the objective is to serve the entire WNC region.

Q. Will the website moderator be solely in charge of moderating content?

A. Yes, in the beginning, although it should be possible to extend the platform to user moderation based on a history of credibility.

Q. What level of ecommerce functionality is expected in phase 1? 

A. Payment for membership and ability to accept donations. A simple integration with Paypal or similar would be sufficient.

Q. For MAP board to communicate privately via the web site, is this expected to be something such as private forums?  If so, what level of administrative privileges are expected for MAP staff members - e.g. create and delete entire forums - entire threads? 

A. This is not critical, but we think the community (as well as the MAP board) would find it useful. This may be a phase 2 component where we would have the ability to create privately shared discussion space, which can be used by the board and others for private discussions.

Q. When registering for the site, users are required to create a basic, free MAP membership.  Does this registration need to integrate with an existing membership database? Y

A.Yes.

Q. Is the current membership database expected to migrate to the new site so that existing users automatically become users of the new site?

A. Yes

Q. Should the site functionality, including blog and forum posts, media distribution and other user features integrate with existing social network services and functionality such as those of Facebook and Flicker? 

A. Yes.