I hope you were able to come to our big LAUNCH party last week at the Phil Mechanic Building.  We were joined by over a hundred people including representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, the HUB, the Economic Development Comission, and Congressman Shuler's office. The food was excellent and the beer and wine flowed endlessly (those are our event sponsors logos over there>>). I think we need to find a good excuse to do that every year!

If you signed up to be a new member and haven't heard back from us yet, contact me! There was a little bug in the system that held up the membership applications, I apologize for any delays.

I am still waiting for some photos and video of the event, which I'll post here as soon as we get it. In the meantime, I want to thank all our generous sponsors. Please give them your support, since they are local businesses that support their community!!

Have a computer or laptop that needs a new life?
Western Alliance Center for Independent Living needs old computers to refurbish for its CyberPal program, which provides computers to people who have disabilities.

The program uses volunteers to fix computers. Basic computer training is provided and Western Alliance also collaborates with Mountain Area Information Network to provide Internet service to individuals.

Western Alliance offers an array of services to people with disabilities. They provide four core services including information and referral, independent living skills training, advocacy, and peer counseling. Western Alliance offers a potluck each month to offer people the chance to socialize with other people with disabilities.

The CyberPal Program is in need of computers that have at least a Pentium III processor. All donations are tax deductible, and are accepted free of charge. Laptops especially needed for people who aren’t mobile.

To recycling a computer, contact Mechelle Holt, volunteer program coordinator, at 298-1977 or drop off your donation 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 108 New Leicester Hwy.

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.