The Burning Man Network - Cover Letter
April 9. 2004
Dear Regional Contact,
Contained in this packet you'll find a brief introductory letter from
Andie Grace and Steven Raspa, both of whom I think you know. They have
been working very hard with Marian Goodell and myself to create our Regional
Network Program. You will also find a Letter of Understanding that
describes the various kinds of assistance that we intend to provide to
you as a Regional Contact. A second document describes the role
and the responsibilities of Regional Contacts within the Burning Man Network.
The third document is a legal agreement that translates all of this into
an actual contract. I'll talk about the contract near the end of
this letter. The last document is a Statement of Principles that
attempts to capture aspects of the Burning Man ethos, the basic spirit
of our culture, in a few simple statements. My task here is to explain
the greater picture into which all of this fits.
The obvious question is: why form a network at all? The dissemination
of our culture has happened quite naturally. Burning Man is about
spontaneity and radical-self reliance, and people all across the country
have taken the initiative to recreate aspects of the Burning Man experience
in their regions. Why impose an organized structure, especially
one that involves contracts, upon this spontaneous process? Since
I wrote my open letter (available on the Blackrockcity.org extranet),
lively debate has sprung up on this subject. Sometimes, it's incited
people's fears. It's like those nightmares some participants have:
when they arrive at Burning Man it's being held in a K-Mart parking lot
or a shopping mall. There are those who are afraid that the “org”
or the “BMorg” or (my favorite) the “Borg” intends
to impose some form of cultural imperialism: a top-down system designed
to rigidly control the content of local activities. Others have suggested
that we're trying to establish profit-based franchises on the model of
McDonalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken. Presumably, this would involve
hefty licensing fees and cookie cutter replicas of a pre-packaged product.
In reality, of course, these people have simply imagined the reverse
of what Burning Man means to them and imputed a bad motive. They are
afraid that someone wants to take what they most value away from them.
It's pretty easy to rebut these rumors. This sort of cynicism is
not unlike the kind of talk a lot of us hear when people who have never
been to the event assert that it is “too big”, that it has
“sold out” and “gone commercial”. I guess
it's only natural they would think so. They reason from experience.
Nearly everything they ever felt to be authentic that succeeded in the
larger world became commodified. But you have experienced
the event firsthand and know just how far wide of the mark their fears
have led them. Likewise, when people imagine that the Burning Man
organization — the Project, as we call it — harbors sinister
designs to control or oppress our community, this too flies in the face
of experience. My many colleagues and I have worked for years to
create Burning Man — the very event that has spawned so much independence
and initiative. If it were our intention to suppress these values, we
would have acted on this motive long ago. Having said that the increasing
size of Burning Man has not corrupted the event, I think it's only fair
to assume that we, the organizers who have nurtured it, have also managed
to resist corruption. Start by reading the enclosed Statement of
Principles. It represents ideas that have become a way of life for
us.
The third principle in this list of core values will begin to explain
one of our key reasons for wanting to form the Regional Network.
It states, “In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community
seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial
sponsorships, transactions, and advertising. We stand ready to protect
our culture from such exploitation. We resist substituting consumption
for participatory experience.” This is precisely what the
Burning Man Project has endeavored to do since the founding of Black Rock
City. We have refused commercial sponsorship. We have instituted
a ban on vending. In the world outside of the event, we have prevented
entrepreneurs from branding their goods with Burning Man's name, its image
and its logo. We have sued and succeeded in stopping the sale of
pornographic videos exploiting participants, and we have halted MTV in
its tracks. We have refrained from selling trinkets and branded
goods in the mass market. Among those products that we do sell via our
Internet Marketplace, we have chosen to offer goods that are content rich;
Ôculture bearing' items such as books and videos that produce a context
that expresses our community's values. In addition to these measures,
we have also adopted open accounting. Every year we publish a financial
report that states our annual income and describes our spending.
We have succeeded, in other words, in keeping Burning Man from being commodified
— extracted from its context in immediate experience and marketed
to the world as merely an image, a style, a product whose governing purpose
is profit. I think we've proven that when a cultural movement increases
in scale it needn't sell out or passively allow itself to be consumed
by market forces.
Now, however, as our community begins to grow even larger, we face new
challenges. Burning Man is currently known in the media as a weeklong
event in the Nevada desert, but it will soon become a bigger story.
As regional activities proliferate, the culture we have all evolved will
increasingly affect the mainstream of American life. This, I fervently
believe, is a very good thing. Rather than passively fret about
being co-opted by consumerism, I think it's time we realize we
can co-opt it. In order to succeed at this, we must work
together. Until now, the Burning Man Project has been able to combat
the grosser depredations of those economic interests that have sought
to exploit us. This is why, as stated in the Regional Contact Description,
we have trademarked the words “Burning Man”, “Decompression”,“Flambé
Lounge” and “Black Rock City”.
However, as our movement spreads to include more people than will ever
visit Black Rock City, we are going to need your help. Already,
we see instances of exploitation on a local scale. Supposed “Burning
Man” parties are held, the proceeds from which go unaccounted for.
Vending is allowed at some of these events, and people hold “Burning
Man” DJ dance parties that are indistinguishable from commercial
entertainment. I don't wish to sound paranoid. I'm sure that
many of these efforts are inspired by naive enthusiasm and are well-intentioned.
But, as the national cachet of Burning Man continues to increase, it takes
very little imagination to foresee how the core values of our community
could eventually be diluted and perverted in the larger world. Indeed,
if even one group organizing a “Burning Man” event does so
unscrupulously or illegally, this could discredit and endanger the activities
of every other group.
This is why it is important that you, as an official Regional Contact
in our Network, be ready to act as a leader. What is needed are
Regional Contacts who are willing to help ensure that the core values
of our culture are respected. Your primary role as a Regional Contact
is to promote communication and facilitate interaction within your community.
We do not expect you to become a policeman or undertake legal action —
but it is in your power as a representative of the Network to monitor
events that happen locally. The Regional Contact Role Description
states, “An event that wishes to be designated an Ôofficial' regional
gathering may be designated so only if the RC is actively involved —
especially as concerns proceeds gained from charging an admission fee.
Funds from such events should be routed to the benefit of the local community
and the community at large.” The Burning Man Project has no intention
of suppressing the many hundreds of small gatherings and fundraisers that
participants stage annually to defray the cost of their efforts in the
desert. These are community-building activities. Nor do we
necessarily mind if organizers of larger-scaled events defray some of
the costs they personally incur in producing an event. But we do
believe that any large event that is held in our name and publicized through
our Network should honor our ethos. Any such event should benefit
our community, be lawfully constituted, produce real social interaction,
avoid commodification and practice some form of open accounting.
Let me also plainly state here that the Project has no designs on proceeds
gained from such events. Unless our staff members are asked to aid
in organizing an event — and this has happened recently in the case
of large-scale events in Los Angeles and New York City — the Project
will not levy fees on such activities: we will not use our licensing rights
to parasitize locally initiated efforts. We've trademarked “Burning
Man” in order to protect the integrity of our culture, not discourage
its dissemination. We will, however, encourage donations to the
Regional Program and the Black Rock Arts Foundation. This is a critical
moment of trust for all of us. The gifts that you and others give
to aid us in our organizing efforts will help to generate a greater Burning
Man community.
Indeed, the most significant reason for banding together is that the whole
of Burning Man as constituted by a network will be much stronger and more
creative than its separate parts. The Burning Man Project can use
its centralized resources to provide regional groups with valuable services
and tools, as outlined in the Regional Contact Role Description.
Among these are the Regional Discussion List and our Regional Extranet.
Though still in its infancy, the Extranet holds extraordinary promise.
In my hometown of San Francisco, and during my travels across the country,
I have visited many art studios. Some of these facilities form colonies,
places where artists can collaborate, sharing tools and information. The
Extranet will form just such an environment for community organizers as
they work together to solve problems.
The Letter of Understanding also mentions, “access to a variety
of helpful information from Burning Man staff members.” Our Project
has evolved over a period of almost 18 years. During this time we have
dealt with many of the challenges that you and other groups in your area
may eventually encounter. Our regional communities range from very
modest groups that meet in member's homes to much larger groups that organize
ambitious gatherings and programs. Having passed through several stages
of development, starting with a handful of participants on a beach, we
are familiar with the kinds of problems groups may face at every phase
of their development. The Project's Regional Coordinators can advise
you and put you in touch with other Project staff members who understand
consensus decision-making and have gained a special expertise in their
fields.
The Project will also create fundraising programs. We are now ready
to launch the long-promised “Burning Man Film Festival in
a Box”. This and similar programs will allow you to raise
money, and proceeds can be apportioned between you, as a Regional Contact
and the organizer of such an event, and the Regional Program. The
rationale for doing this is very simple. Currently, revenues produced
by our desert event are funding all of our efforts aimed at creating the
Network. Whenever a staff member labors to produce new software,
administers our Extranet, consults with a Regional Contact or travels
to regional gatherings, his or her efforts are funded by event-generated
dollars. However, as our Regional Program grows, we foresee that we will
no longer be able to afford a double mission. The fundraising tools we
are creating will begin to defray a part of these extra costs.
Likewise, as the responsibilities of Regional Contacts increase, many
of you will confront a very similar dilemma. How will it be possible
to fulfill your duties in your local community and within the greater
Network, while attempting, simultaneously, to earn a living? Income
earned from organizing a Regional Program fundraising event can begin
to help you accomplish both of these goals. As a full-time organizer
of Burning Man, I am necessarily paid a salary. As a part-time organizer
within the Network, you can also qualify, if you so choose, to receive
a monetary return for your efforts. As with those items that we
currently sell through our Internet Marketplace, the content of projects
such as the Film Festival in a Box will be Ôculture bearing'. It
will embody and communicate the values of the Burning Man community. No
commercial sponsorships will be allowed. All that is required of
you is direct participation. What you do with your share of any
proceeds earned from your involvement in such programs is entirely up
to you. You may contribute it back to our Regional Program or donate
it to local projects within your community. But, if you are among
those who cannot afford to accomplish more as a Regional Contact, we hope
that this will help you to better achieve your mission.
This portrait of our Network, however, is only half of the picture.
The Black Rock Arts Foundation forms the other half. It has been
founded with the intent of promoting interactive art in public environments.
We envision this as working in tandem with the Burning Man Network.
The Foundation is specifically dedicated to funding art and educational
efforts created by participant groups throughout the country. Regional
Contacts who significantly aid in organizing such activities may also
be eligible to receive grants for this purpose. This is funding
that is independent of the grants the Project gives to artists who create
work at the Burning Man event. As a Regional Contact, you will be automatically
enrolled as a “Regional” Foundation member. This means
that you'll receive reports of the Foundation's activities, but, more
importantly, it means that you may be eligible to serve on its Grant Advisory
Committee. This committee will be responsible for advising the Foundation
about regional needs and local initiatives. Its membership will
be apportioned geographically.
In our present plan, which we can discuss in our upcoming online Regional
question and answer session, members of the Network would be grouped by
geographic area. These areas would correspond to members' ability
to conveniently gather and meet face-to-face. This is how a culture is
best generated. In particular, it is our aim to encourage larger and more
evolved Regional Contact groups to serve as mentors and advisors to smaller
groups. For our part, we will also endeavor, whenever it is possible,
to send Burning Man Project representatives to these gatherings.
The purpose is to nurture personal relationships that unite people across
the entire spectrum of our Network, and it is from these groups that representative
Regional Contacts will be selected to serve on the Foundation's Grant
Advisory Committee. By this means, we hope to ensure that aid dispersed
by the Foundation will go where it's most needed and that it will be fairly
distributed to large and small groups alike.
Another aspect of this program will make it possible for interactive art
to move across the country. Increasingly, the Project is supporting
art at the event that is designed to be conveniently transportable.
Todd Dworman's large-scale “Labyrinth”, which stood before
the Great Temple of the Man in 2003, is a good example. It can be
rolled up, compactly stored and readily installed in any space that's
large enough to accommodate it. Charlie Smith's “Nausts”
— large metal perambulators designed to artfully house fire —
are another example. The Foundation has already provided money so
that one of these pieces can be transported between regions. In
addition, we are sure that many local works that might not ever make it
to the desert will emerge amid the regions. These, too, could eventually
become part of a circuit of artwork that passes through communities.
We envision this swelling to a continuous flow as the achievements of
each inspire all.
The Black Rock Arts Foundation is still in its formative stages.
However, we have distributed a modest number of art grants during the
last two years, and recently, at the end of 2003, we received a grant
from another non-profit, the Rex Foundation. In December of 2003,
the Black Rock Arts Foundation received a donation of more than $6,200,
all of the profit from a Seattle Decompression event! It came complete
with an enormous thank you card signed by the event's organizers.
In addition, during the course of last year, articles on the art of Burning
Man have appeared in a number of prestigious art publications. Using
this newly acquired status, we hope to seek more widespread contributions,
as well as larger individual donations, to the Foundation's programs.
I will personally work to achieve this, and I hope that all of you, as
leaders in your community, will join me in this effort. I believe
that when local communities witness what is possible, participants will
come forward to offer many different kinds of assistance.
Lastly, let me comment on the contract that is contained in Schedule B
of this package. It is meant to accomplish several things. It protects
all information that a Regional Contact might acquire through working
with the Network from being exploited for personal or commercial use.
It makes clear that as an affiliated member of the Network you are not
an employee of Burning Man and assume independent responsibility for your
actions. As part of our assistance to you, we are ready to advise
you and others concerning ways to obtain insurance for events and activities,
and we will assist those groups who are interested in becoming a Limited
Liability Company, like the Burning Man Project. We'll also work
in many other ways to help and guide you in your mission, but, in the
spirit of radical self-reliance, we cannot assume liability for actions
that we do not directly control. The language used in this particular
document is necessarily couched in legal parlance, and I will admit that
when I read a sentence stating, “Regional Contact agrees to indemnify
Burning Man and its successors, agents, employees, insurers and representatives,
of and from any all liability, claims, demands, damages, punitive damages,
disputes, suits, actions, claims for relief and causes of action, arising
out of or relating to Regional activities”-- it seems like a lot
to swallow. Legal contracts, by their nature, are designed to account
for every possible contingency that might arise in our litigious society,
but if you read this text slowly and carefully, I think you'll find that
it contains no hidden snares.
What I have tried to describe to you in this letter is a vision of how
our culture can sustain itself upon a larger scale. I believe the
Network we propose holds very close to the Burning Man ethos. It
does not dictate the content of “radical self-expression”
— that can only come from you and other members of your community.
It does not exploit you economically or infringe upon your freedom or
the freedom of others to create and organize. But it does protect
the way of life that Burning Man has come to represent. In the spirit
of collaboration and communal effort that lies at the heart of Burning
Man, the Network will allow us all to use our gifts to give an even greater
gift to the world. Marian, Andie, Steven and myself look forward
to discussing both the Burning Man Network and the Black Rock Arts Foundation
with all of you at the upcoming online Regional question and answer session,
and I hope to meet and greet each one of you in First Camp at Burning
Man in 2004.
Sincerely,
Larry Harvey
Continue on to the Regional Contact Statement of Principles
