2010 has been a year of significant challenges and changes for 911 Seattle Media Arts Center. In the continuing face of the worst economic recession since the great depression, the Center has seen a drop in revenues from Foundation support, Government Agencies, Education Revenue, Memberships, and Individual Giving. We have matched these realities with reductions in staff, operating expenses, and facilities costs. At the end of this year, 911 Media is completely debt free and liquid to face 2011 with our best financial position in our past history.

These new financial realities have not impeded our core mission of providing access and instruction to artists to the tools of new media technology. We have transitioned from being a Supermarket to an Agency of New Media. Rather than stand alone, we continue to partner with other organizations to bring our daring, audacious and delightful exhibitions, education, equipment, and Youth Programs to the public. 911 Media has never been a building but a community. When the founding mothers started the Center at 911 East Pine, they pooled their resources and their knowledge to create opportunities for New Media Art and Documentary Film in the Seattle metropolitan area. The Center has had a nomadic existence, moving from Capitol Hill to the Cascade neighborhood, then to South Lake Union, and currently residing in the University District.

Achievements in a Down Economy

2010 saw the completed transition for our Center into the Warren Building in the University District located at 909 NE 43rd Street, Suite 206.

In May we finally retired the last remaining debts incurred by the previous administration. We close 2010 with all instructors, staff and vendors paid off in full. We also have posted our federal tax returns from the last seven years on our website as individual downloadable pdfs.

Education Achievements

126 Adults took 27 classes in 2010. New courses in Arduino,& Processing, and Digital Storytelling were created. Beginning Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Web 101, Photoshop, Web Media Integration, Intermediate Final Cut Pro, HPX Certification, 4 Imagine America Workshops, [with UW-Bothell & Jack Straw Productions] ran in 2010.

Youth Education Achievements

Five hundred youth, 20% of which were defined as “at risk,” took 27 classes. In 2006 we had 4 classes for youth. We have enjoyed a four year increase in student population of 337.5%%. Programs included; Cartoon Animation, Digital Animation with After Effects, Web Design, [Coyote Central], Basic Video Production, [ARC/Garfield Community Center], Web Design [ARC/South Park Community Center], Media Literacy Workshop, [Brightwater], Young Producers Project [Old Firehouse Teen Center, Redmond] and Digital Storytelling , 2 Young Producers Projects [911 Media Arts Center, Seattle].

Exhibitions

Cultural Transcendence
911 partnered with the Wing Luke Asian American Museum to present a group show of 5 emerging Asian American artists. Artists featured were Robert Hodgin, Ensu Kang, Heidi Kumao, Horatio Law, and Brent Watanbe in the George Tsutakawa Gallery. 911 Affiliate Curator Lele Barnett organized the exhibition, which will ran from December 18th 2009 through September 19th of 2010. 911 Media helped Wing Luke with 11 months of assistance in the technical aspects of the installation and maintaining of the artwork.

The Mint Collective at Northwest New Works Festival 2010
911 Media worked with On the Boards Performance to present a multimedia performance by artists Ivory Smith, Kelli Frances Corrado and Joseph Gray. The series ran from June 4th through 13th 2010. The entire multimedia function of the piece was programmed in Processing and operated from an Iphone.

Action
The exhibition was presented with Ghost Gallery. Organized by 911 Media Affiliate Curator Cait Willis the exhibition featured new video work by Joseph Gray, Keith Tilford, Izzie Lingels, Amanda Manitach, Tudor Robak and the collective group DUMB EYES.

(de)composition
911 Media worked with Monarch Contemporary Gallery to support the HD video installations of solo artist Arun Sharma. The exhibition ran from May 6th through May 29th 2010. The work with other pieces created at 911 Media moved over to the Bellevue Arts Museum for BAM Biennial 2010: Clay Throwdown! which opened August 28th 2010 and runs through January 16th 2011.

Sounds Human
911 Media worked with One Reel, [producers of the Bumbershoot Festival] to present a group exhibition which highlighted developments in sound and new media. Organized by 911 Affiliate Curators Lele Barnett & Kathy Lindenmayer, the exhibition featured artists; Victoria Haven, Ariane Michel, Paul Rucker, Signal to Noise, Erika Simmons, Hugo Solis, Gil Weinberg, Roberto Aimi, Guy Hoffman, Ryan Nikolaidis and Trimpin. The exhibit feature Shi Mon, a robot developed at Georgia Tech endowed with artificial intelligence and the collective discography of Charles Mingus and Charlie “Bird” Parker which enables the Robot to improvise with live musicians. 911 Media was able to also intervene in a dispute between Apple Computer’s app store and MacArthur Fellow Trimpin by videographing the artist demonstrating his app for 911 Media’s Vimeo web video channel.

Artist Residencies

April 1st through May 31st, Arun Sharma created seven HD video pieces using the Center’s new Panasonic HPX HD video camera to document unfired clay sculpture decomposing in warm water. This new work was the basis of his winning a Fulbright Fellowship for the United Kingdom for the Fall of 2010

Local animators Alex Khunprachansri and Tess Martin were also awarded two-month artist residencies. Alex worked on turning the ideas behind his first graphic novel into a digital animation to be released in 2011 on the festival circuit – his work can be seen at perfectimbalance.com. Tess Martin’s film, Plain Face, premiered at the Northwest Film Forum in December.

On Screen Magazine

The magazine was translated and integrated into the 911 Media website. This process included putting back issues from the last five years both on the web and in downloadable [pdf] formats. The future issues will be on line and available at no cost to the public.

Community Partnerships

911 Media has successfully expanded our outreach by joining with the Museum of History and Industry [MOHAI] to run a community based video competition entitled History is _______!. Other agreements have been signed with the Asian American Journalist Association, Victory Studios and through the World Affairs Council, 911 Media Arts Center has hosted delegations of Media Artists from Central Asia, Europe, Africa, and Canada at the emphatic request of the United States State Department.

Making Media Matters…

…remains the central tenet of our core mission. The power of media and the empowerment of owning our own narrative is what we are here to do.