television that he was lying through his teeth. That's one of the virtues of television. it does what artists have been trying to do for centuries. It gets inside the exterior of a person and lets you know what he is really thinking. * Howard made a serious effort to find a means of supporting that work. For me, it was important to have someone who said "do it." Howard was willing to see.38 -David Cort Howard Wise activities exemplifies a unique sensitivity to, and understanding of, how artists are transforming our perception and understanding of art and technology. Howard is a visionary humanist, and at the basis of his activities is a profound concern for the potential of technology In the hands of artists to contribute to the well-being and health of our daily lives." 39 -John Hanhardt Wise spent most of 1971 planning and setting up his not-for profit organization Intermix, which he soon renamed Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI). His initial motive was to channel funds to individual artists. Several artists' collectives had incorporated as non-profits in order to be eligible for grants from NYSCA, which established a media program that year. According to Frank Gillette, during the brief period Wise occupied the gallery space after it had closed, the group Perception was formed. The original name and Idea were conceived by Siegel, who soon after the group's inception left for India, and he had little connection thereafter. The other founding member was Gillette, and Steina and Woody Vasulka soon joined. Perception defined Itself as "a group which conducts research into methods and equipment through which to make more effective presentation and communication of information by video." 40 Wise hoped to obtain money for these artists and help them to produce work. Then Wise moved his company to 2 W. 13th St. The original board members were Wise, his wife Barbara, and Jerald Ordover, the Wises' attorney. After incorporation, Intermix applied to NYSCA and received funds for Perception; the Eighth Avant-Garde Festival, directed by Charlotte Moorman; and for Open Circuits, a conference which took place in 1974 at the Museum of Modern Art. All together Intermix received $35,000 from NYSCA that first year, and its operating budget was around $42,000. Connor, then media program director at NYSCA, explains "There were four groups applying to NYSCA at the time who were in intense competition: Raindance, Global -->> next page |