LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Dear Friends,
For the first post of the New Year, Volume 10, no.1, which begins the 10th year of NEWSgrist's existence (well: our 10th anniversary is technically March 9, 2009 - Oops: that would be 2010), I thought I'd indulge in some rare editorializing to express my personal commitment to remix culture, and to reiterate my hope for much-needed reform in the area of Intellectual Property law as it pertains to the arts.
As many of you know, the method to my madness as editor of NEWSgrist entails posting and juxtaposing excerpts of the writings (etc) of others in loosely themed sections that relate to the current moment, as opposed to generating an endless supply of my own scribbling. Instead, I bookmark certain things that I find valuable and worth thinking about, then I make that selection public, sometimes sharpening the point a little. NEWSgrist is my open scrapbook, a "curated" blog of shifting themes that makes use of "found" online objects: ideas, texts and images that, when taken together, reverberate and amount to something more.
In this way, NEWSgrist is an example of remix culture. It is a direct product of and contributor to a kind of collage-based and essentially collaborative creative thinking.
Acquiring some understanding of the value of remix culture while cutting through the confusion that shrouds current Intellectual Property issues, is everyone's responsibility and not just the purview of lawyers. Reforming these laws reasonably and with an open mind to the many points of view of those involved presents an unprecedented challenge to our collective future as artists and creative people.
In 2009 NEWSgrist will continue to cover these issues and promises to make new developments accessible wherever possible.
Looking forward to a productive year.
Joy Garnett
