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Our Project
Don't Wear Black is an arts/culture/communications micro-festival, including photography, video, music, theatre, paintings and drawings, readings, a youth performance (and soundscapes/audio works, installations, graffiti and chalk art if we can squeeze them in...as well as some G20 crafts for sale!) plus interviews, panel discussions and roundtables--all examining the police actions against the citizens of Toronto during the 2010 G20 Summit. Some of the works have already been exhibited or published, some are in the process of being created and we hope to commission one or two pieces specially for this show.
New dates: We're now looking at holding Don't Wear Black in September 2011 pending space availability. We're also aiming to hold a few smaller promotional/fundraising events between now and then, as well as a 'Jane's Walk' in May titled Don't Wear Black: a G20 Walk.
Our Story
In June 2010, Toronto hosted the G20 Summit and for a brief time fell under martial law as police from across the country streamed into our city and citizens were warned 'Stay away from downtown,' 'Don't go outside,' 'Don't behave suspiciously,' and 'Don't wear black' or else risk being mistaken for "the black bloc" and mistreated accordingly.
In the end, hundreds of people were physically and verbally abused and more than 1000 were illegally arrested or detained for hours and in some cases days without charges. The vast majority of those who were detained or arrested were not vandals or hooligans but pedestrians, peaceful demonstrators and members of the media who were denied basic legal rights of access to lawyers, phone calls, food/water, medications while being kept in cages. While many were subsequently released with few or no conditions, the damage to these people far outweighed that done to store windows and police vehicles.
Canadians everywhere have called for an independent public inquiry into the events of the G20 weekend. To this point, however, these calls have fallen on willfully deaf ears. So a number of us who were caught up in these events--artists, writers, crafters, musicians--are trying a different approach. Something that will express our anger and sorrow, to be sure, but also our wit and humour, and our strength and resolve. A people's inquiry, if you will, using our creativity and our curiosity to shed some light on those few dark days. And what else could we call it but Don't Wear Black.
It's not going to be the most expensive event to pull together, but it will cost more money than we have in our wallets. And that's what's brought us here, to you. (Also, we're very excited to show you our perks!)
What Will This Event Do?
=> Provide audiences with a rich, complex, challenging and rewarding experience: We believe that, more than anything, Torontonians and Canadians concerned about the G20 and its effect on the city want to know what happened and why--especially through the eyes and ears of those who experienced it first-hand. The works we're looking at including in Don't Wear Black use a wide range of artistic media and communications platforms to approach the G20 experience in ways that are insightful, funny, provocative and entertaining.
=> Highlight the G20 policing issues in a new way: With numerous news stories about G20 police abuses and related inquiries, investigations and lawsuits unfolding on radio, TV, in print and online, Canadians are feeling fatigued and powerless. Some think that an independent inquiry is already underway, some believe that an independent inquiry is impossible. Some are afraid of the police or unquestioning of their actions. Too many feel that anyone who was caught up in the arrests, detentions, 'kettling' and abuses somehow "deserved" it...whether they were shoppers, tourists, immigrants, the elderly, the disabled--or, for that matter, students, protesters and activists. The artists and performers we showcase will explore these issues in ways that news media can't, and will strive to shed new light on the events of that weekend.
=> Put money in the hands of artists, creators and communicators affected by the G20: The Summit was held downtown in an area heavily populated with artists, designers, writers, performers, musicians, students, galleries, booksellers, cafes, music stores, small shops, restaurants and boutiques. Many in the neighbourhood were affected just by the Summit's disruptive presence; others were caught up in the violent police activity as it was happening literally at their doorstep. Some lost money and opportunities because of cancelled work shifts, commissions, classes and showings. This is a chance to draw attention to them and their work and ensure they receive some recognition and compensation.
=> Continue to shine a spotlight on the problem: With elections looming for both the Ontario provincial government and the Canadian federal government, we need to continue to draw attention to the policies, decisions and conduct that led to the widespread rights violations, abuses and detentions that thousands suffered in downtown Toronto before and during the Summit. The powers that be would like nothing more than for the whole G20 policing issue to quietly go away. We can't let that happen.
What We Need & What You Get
Don't Wear Black is a non-profit project--all the monies raised will go toward paying for the expenses involved in putting on the event, paying the artists, paying the panelists and moderators, paying to commission special pieces, paying for publicity and promotion and paying for the musical evening and the theatre piece.
The budget for the event is approximately $15,000 (though we could always use more)--and we're looking to raise at least $6,000 here.
Examples of how we could use the money we raise:
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A total of $2,000 raised from indiegogo can allow us to pay an honorarium to all of the artists, performers and musicians;
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A total of $3,000 can allow us to commission a unique piece (like a graffiti work inside or outside the gallery space) or an installation created specially for this event;
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A total of $5,000 can allow us to rent some additional space, add a few more artists and musicians to the mix and pay for more ads, posters and promotional materials;
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A total of $6,000 can allow us to do all of the above and throw a kickass party;
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A total of $10,000 can allow us to commission additional works; obtain better sets, props and lighting for the theatre piece and the musical evening; arrange for printing and framing of some of the best photographs and political cartoons; present pieces in unusual formats like soundscapes, online pieces and transmedia works;
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More than $10,000 can achieve all of the above, and allow us to top up the artist fees across the board.
The intention is for each artist, including the youth participants, to be given a minimum $100 honorarium, and for each panelist and moderator to be given a $50 honorarium. Any monies left over after all expenses are paid will be distributed equally among the artists. No one on the organizing team will be collecting a fee, unless they are also one of the artists.
We are applying for a grant from the Ontario Arts Council, but generally speaking only one in ten applications receives funding, and none receive enough money to cover their entire project. There are also some things they can't fund, like commissions for new work or expenses incurred before the date the grant is awarded. Your contributions through indiegogo will ensure that new and original works will play an important part of this event, and that supplies, materials and promotional expenses incurred before June 1 can be paid for without cutting into the artists' fees.
If we don't raise the entire $6,000 we're looking for from indiegogo, the event will still go on--but it will have fewer artists, reduced panel discussions, vastly simplified production and limited promotion.
What are the perks for the contributors?
Perks! Yes, we have perks--and we think they're terrific! Here's the plan so far:
- All donors are listed and thanked in the Don't Wear Black program booklet and on the Don't Wear Black website. In addition...
- $20+ contribution = a bottle of Officer Bubbles branded bubble liquid with bubble wand enclosed;
- $50+ contribution = a selection of assorted note cards and envelopes hand-printed with the phrases "DON'T WEAR BLACK", "OMG20!" and "WHOSE TWEETS? OUR TWEETS!";
- $125+ contribution = a high-quality all-cotton t-shirt hand-silkscreened with one of the phrases "DON'T WEAR BLACK", "OMG20!" or "WHOSE TWEETS? OUR TWEETS!";
- $250+ contribution = a hand-knitted black cotton/merino cowl (adult unisex), or a hand-knitted black cotton/merino baby hoodie for the little anarchist in your life;
- $500+ contribution = a giclee canvas print of "Caught in the Kettle", composed of four twitter messages sent by detainees from inside the hours-long police containment at Queen and Spadina.
Other Ways You Can Help
Watch the trailer at top, and make use of the share tools underneath it. Spread the word around Facebook and Twitter, through chat and by e-mail. If you're in Toronto, come out to our Jane's Walk in May. Join us for a beer over the summer. Volunteer to help us out. And follow our progress here and at dontwearblack.ca -- help us make this a great event and a powerful, insightful experience for artists and audiences alike!
(Thumbnail photo by Stephen Michalowicz, licensed via Creative Commons)
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$615
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RAISED OF $6,000 GOAL
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Perks for your contribution:
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Armchair Activist!: $20
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| For your contribution, you will be listed and thanked in the Don't Wear Black program booklet and on the Don't Wear Black website, and will receive a bottle of Officer Bubbles branded bubble liquid with bubble wand enclosed. |
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2 Claimed
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Downtown Elite!: $50
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| For your contribution, you will be listed and thanked in the Don't Wear Black program booklet and on the Don't Wear Black website, and will receive a selection of assorted note cards and envelopes hand-printed with the phrases "DON'T WEAR BLACK", "OMG20!" and "WHOSE TWEETS? OUR TWEETS!" |
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6 Claimed
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Che-Wearing Fashionista!: $125
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| For your contribution, you will be listed and thanked in the Don't Wear Black program booklet and on the Don't Wear Black website, and will receive a high-quality all-cotton t-shirt hand-silkscreened with one of the phrases "DON'T WEAR BLACK", "OMG20!" or "WHOSE TWEETS? OUR TWEETS!" |
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1 Claimed
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Agent Provocateur!: $250
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| For your contribution, you will be listed and thanked in the Don't Wear Black program booklet and on the Don't Wear Black website, and will receive a hand-knitted black cotton/merino cowl (adult unisex), or a hand-knitted black cotton/merino baby hoodie for the little anarchist in your life. |
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0 Claimed
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Champagne Socialist!: $500
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| For your contribution, you will be listed and thanked in the Don't Wear Black program booklet and on the Don't Wear Black website, and will receive a giclee canvas print of "Caught in the Kettle", composed of four twitter messages sent by detainees from inside the hours-long police containment at Queen and Spadina. |
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0 Claimed
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