-- The National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC) announced today the full line-up for ALLIANCE, its bi-annual conference taking place June 9 - 12, 2016 at the Oakland Marriott Convention Center. ALLIANCE 2016 is a conference for media arts and culture practitioners, organizations, thinkers and doers. It creates a space where conversations about collaboration, innovation, creativity and impact bust out in the open; a conference of new ideas, and a celebration of community. Independent media makers are our most vital source for making meaning of the news cycle and capturing the essence of the change facing our communities. ALLIANCE is about embracing the diversity of independent voices and celebrating the most exciting stories and strategies that are connecting with audiences nationwide.
"We are so excited to celebrate the media arts community's extraordinary talent, and to bring thought leaders from across the country face to face with the rich cultural diversity of Oakland," said Wendy Levy, Executive Director of NAMAC. "This event is about creating a space where the artists who are defining our culture and creating change within their communities can come together with the individuals and organizations who make their work possible to tackle the challenges we're all facing. I can only imagine the magic that will happen here in June."
ALLIANCE showcases local talent and stories to a national audience of media arts influencers. Pete Nicks, director of the award-winning documentary "The Waiting Room," will share an extended clip from his highly anticipated next film "The Oakland Police Project" and discuss his views on how community-based media can create meaningful change. Stanley Nelson's "Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution" sparked a national conversation on race; outreach partners Firelight Media, ITVS, Youth Speaks, KQED, Center for Media Justice and former Panther Ericka Huggins will explore the Panthers' relevance today. Bay Area filmmakers Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's "The Return" follows several formerly incarcerated men coming home to the Bay Area and tracks the impact of Prop 36 California's unprecedented criminal justice reform; they will join two other filmmaking teams to share their experiences working with the California Humanities' Documentary Project. Award-winning sound designer James LeBrecht will lead a discussion about how to ensure voices of disabled artists are not missing in the media arts. ALLIANCE will also include the world premiere of the Oakland Fence Project, an interactive photography exhibit by and about the people of Oakland, CA, which features giant format photo installation with interactive links to local stories.
Additional highlights from the four-day program include:
- A workshop exploring the future of virtual reality storytelling with Todd Shaiman, Head of Content Strategy, Google VR and Karen Dufilho-Rosen, Executive Producer, Spotlight Stories (Friday June 10, 11:00 am)
- A keynote talk by Jax Deluca, Director of Media Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts about her first six months on the job and the current media arts funding climate (Friday June 10, 5:15 pm)
- A presentation by Sarah Crowell, Artistic Director of Destiny Arts Center - "It's About Power: Youth, Media & Environmental Justice" (Saturday June 11, 9:15 am)
- A keynote performance by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Chief of Program and Pedagogy at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (Saturday June 11, 4:30 pm)
- A number of exciting events in the Youth Media Collective Action Lab track, including programs related to NAMAC's innovative 50 State Dinner Party Project, an examination of the Every Student Succeeds Act, a panel on the importance of media literacy with members of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, and much more.
To explore the full conference schedule, visit namac.org.
ALLIANCE program features media makers and the organizations and community leaders supporting and creating platforms to ensure this work connects with audiences. National media funders participating in ALLIANCE include: Fledgling Fund, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and the NEA. Participating media organizations include: AIR, ITVS, POV, Skylight Media, Sundance, Working Films, and more. NAMAC's bi-annual conference, now titled ALLIANCE, serves a national network of media arts nonprofits that share best practices, craft strategies for growth, and set the agenda for the future.
How to attend: Register in advance at namac.org. Full Conference pass is $500, one-day pass is $250. Discounts available for members of NAMAC and other leading Bay Area media arts organizations.
Thanks to NAMAC ALLIANCE funders:
ADOBE | Fledgling Fund | MacArthur Foundation