Alexander Galloway on Rhizome & the Community Campaign

Artist, author, NYU professor, and Rhizome's first programmer, Alexander Galloway writes in support of Rhizome's Community Campaign. See message below:

When I think of net culture I think of Rhizome. Working with Rhizome founder Mark Tribe and editor Rachel Greene and many others from Rhizome's infancy in 1996 to 2002, the Rhizome community has had a profound impact on me, affecting how I think about art, code, and culture. I learned how to program at Rhizome. I learned how to be a better writer and editor. And most importantly I learned a little bit about net culture and what it means to bring people together online to talk about art. And to make it.

In my role as editor I read each and every email posted to Rhizome for six years. The highlight? It was probably when Jodi.org methodically sent 1039 emails to the Rhizome Raw email list in the early morning hours of January 2nd, 2001. I was editor, but I was also the person who had to keep the server online. 1039 emails weren't helping anyone, much less the email server. But I loved it. Each email was a custom-made piece of ASCII art, all made in the signature Jodi style. They were simply broadcasting one of their new pieces of net art.

Since the bubble years Rhizome has only gotten better. With Web 2.0 a whole new generation of art makers and web surfers have redefined the relationship between art and technology. I started working at Rhizome in the fall of 1996 as an intern and I've supported the Rhizome campaign each year since then. Everyone knows that arts funding in the US is not what it should be. Rhizome stays online because of people like you and me. I hope you can join me in supporting the Rhizome Community Campaign by becoming a member and making a donation.

https://rhizome.org/support/about_you.php

-- Alexander Galloway