MAKE AN ARTIST A MILLIONAIRE
(2009-present)
Write your name on a dollar bill, send it to me, and own a piece of art history!
The object of Make An Artist a Millionaire is to amass, through individual contributions of $1, the sum of US $1,000,000. (Ideally a million people would each give a dollar.) The money will not be spent as it is collected, but saved. Upon completion of the project, the money will be exhibited in cash form at a gallery or museum. The purpose of MaAaM is to enable me to work full time as an artist, without a day job, forever, and to put to rest the idea that artists are or should be poor. Please donate only $1, unless you are also donating $1 for a friend. A huge thank you to all donors! It cannot happen without you!
Make your donation to the project by mail (preferred):
Dan Nelson, 821 NE Mason St., Portland, OR 97211
or to the account zz9zz7zz5(at)gmail(dot)com at 
.
(You might consider donating $1.35, as PP charges a 35 cent fee.)
The Count: $189
The Donors:
|
Rolf Wilkinson Charity Ellis Steven Barich Alex Rosmarin Erica Gangsei John Rogers Will Robot Darren Jenkins The Sometime Gallery Eric Logsdon Me again Elena Voiron Your secret admirer Celeste Christie Hannah Henry Sarah Neidhofer Mary Mortimer Rowan Morrison Pete Glover Narangkar Glover Lexa Walsh Sarah Filley Dog the Bounty Hunter S.T. Ray Yeh Robbin Green Deric Carner Joe H. Ross Todd Kerr Bill Urban Lauren Stower Kenton Dornbursh Kyle Milligan Indrani Barmah Walter de Lon Bill Land Sharon Squires Don Squires Marcie Kramer Winston Nelson Seth Wright Matt John Mike Supple Meadowlark Bradsher Max Darling Francisca Darling Frank Darling Rhonda Darling Nico Dery |
Alli Darling Brett Smith Jessica Serran Gwen Pogrowski Alfred Lambert Henry Boyle Nat Parsons Obi Kaufmann John Casey Mary Kalin-Casey Maria Einaudi Isabelle Einaudi Jon Carling Sean Regan Todd Hodes Linda Nelson Peter Nelson Betsy Duffy Mike Ufford Steph Walsh Beilman Huddie Walsh Murray Kevin Murray Tez Seiberlich Monica Walsh Crystal Mascareno Minna Walsh Bridget Walsh Criswell Davis Tegan Walsh Cole Walsh Laura Brian Mascareno Gabe Mascareno Max Mascareno Anna Walsh Don Beilman Bill Seiberlich Meredith Seiberlich Emma Seiberlich Dan Walsh Daniel Bachman Tim Walsh Valerie J. Cochran Scott Oliver Claire Wylde John Casey Brian Caraway Alice Caraway Myles Boisen |
Svea Vezzone Anu Vikram Jane Sommerhauser Nathan Caffee Justin Bailey Kelly Allen Lynn ? Frank ? Lazane Jobe Darin Donovan Jake Ferreira Jason Soll Natasha Mitchell Renee ? Melissa Margolis Sean Fletcher Keiko Nelson Greg Reynolds Loyan Warsame Quan Du Alfredo Lopez-Cardoza David Walsh Karn Piana Courtney Price Diane Reed Bruce Henrickson Patrick Finn Jen Finn Frank Ippolito Hannah Jickling Helen Reed Garth Klippert anonymous (59) Kelley Stoltz Charles Williams IV Sare Rane Larry Yes Rhonda Kennedy Adam Sullivan Toussaint Perrault |
Oct. 2011
A new chapter in the millionaire saga begins. A new approach. Where 99% becomes 1%.
Nov. 2010
In September, I sent out another 50-60 postcard press releases, this time to museums, in hopes that the role of some contempo museums as a place for public projects and a forum that is presumably beyond enriching itself would be good for MaAaM. After two months, haven't had a single nibble.
It seems that I'm being pretty passive about this project, however there a couple of things that have proven to be sticking points. First, I'm fairly uncomfortable with the potential performative turn this project could take. Second, without an art context, the whole thing turns into panhandling. Two things that the involvement of an institution could remedy. Could it be that the very concept of making an artist filthy rich is uninteresting or even repugnant? Though the disconnect between art and dough (which is after all disconnected only if you look at things in a very narrow way) is fruitful grounds for a discussion, it doesn't help put money in the box.
April 2010
Made a proposal to the online fundraising org Kickstarter to be involved in raising a chunk of the money (not all), which they rejected with one of those brief, condescending responses, like "this project isn't right for us." I guess they prefer to trudge on with their cutesy graphic novels and indie films about hitchhiking runaways (that look like models) on the road to redemption. Here's the text of the proposal (whose wording is tailored toward their format):
"Hey there. The million dollars is not my actual goal through Kickstarter! I'm currently working on a project called "Make an Artist a Millionaire". The object is to get a million people to each give a dollar, to save the money as it's collected and exhibit it upon completion of the project. The purpose is to enable me to quit my day job and work full time as an artist, support my wife (who is also an artist), have health care, buy a house, etc. I'm wondering if you at Kickstarter are interested in helping me work toward this goal. Maybe it could be thought of as the second phase of the project, with a goal of $5,000 or $10,000. This project has been really successful and appealing to a lot of people on a small scale, and I think all it needs is a gradual increase of scale and some word of mouth exposure to reach its goal. In an age where hedge fund managers (like John Paulson) and oil execs make $1 million in the course of an afternoon or even an hour, I think artists and non-artists alike are ready to make me a millionaire. Thanks for considering. -- Dan
"I see one reward for the public in this project to be the feeling of not only giving, but participating in something like a lottery with an assured winner. (There is also a list of the names of all donors being kept that will be shown.) The other benefit for donors would be their participation in an attempt to change society's perception of artists (which is what all art is about, examining and changing perception), to reverse the old pairing of "artist" and "poor." MaAaM--and its participants--question the accepted notion that artists and musicians ought to have day jobs that prevent them from devoting themselves full time to art. To be great you have to devote yourself fully to something, and it's not okay that the vast majority of creative types are unable to do this. I see the donation of $1 to MAAAM as a vote for artists and the value of art. I like to compare giving $1 to this to paying at least that amount to a parking meter or an ATM machine and getting what exactly in return? People make bankers rich every day--how about an artist?"
March 2010
Just discovered the Chris Burden piece Send Me Your Money. One night in 1979, he spent an hour on a public radio station in Santa Monica asking people to send him money. No reasons, no arguing his case, just repeatedly asking and giving his mailing address. You can listen to the entire thing (though a couple of minutes gives you the idea) on the excellent UbuWeb. (While you're there, also listen to his "Atomic Alphabet"!)
I wonder how he did. There's no mention of the results anywhere I can see, as if it actually working were a moot point. Anyone have his email address?
Feb. 2010
Made a kind of fake panhandling sign (above) and worked hard to give it lots of wear. Kind of the most ridiculous thing ever, but also compelling. A little afraid to go out on the streets of Portland and use it as they are filled with people in actual need. But artists should have balls too, right?
12/23/2009
The Little Millionaire That Could
Folks have been asking me lately how the Millionaire project is going. Well, it's doing what I thought it would. Initially there were many contributions from friends, family, fellow artists, and even some people I didn't know. Then it slowed down a bit. I knew that he first hurdle would arise when everyone I new had given. Lo and behold, the hurdle. But I was prepared. Before the hurdle was in sight, I had printed 500 mini press releases in postcard form, with the clean and attractive MaAaM poster on the front, and mailed 150 of them to newspapers, magazines, weeklies, radio, etc. Never heard a peep. (Presumably pubs like the Wall St. Journal and Art in America aren't interested in non-traditional ways of artists becoming millionaires.)
Then, in searching the web for others who have attempted the million, I found the following site: The Millionaire Home Page. Okay, kind of a wacky idea. No, wait this guy's 21, he's a business major, and he's basically selling advertising on a page that has no other function than advertising. And people bought space on it because it was a gimmick, because getting someone's attention long enough for them to click on your site is the point of ads now. And then something clicked. He made the gimmick work for him. That's why he is now a millionaire.
What does this mean for MaAaM? I don't want to say MaAaM is dead in the water. But I will say the gimmick is not working. What is the central gimmick of my project? That giving the symbolic amount of a dollar is primarily a concrete way of voting for the artist to live as an artist and not a hobbyist. (When asked "If you want money for University, why don't you get a job?", Alex Tew said, "Although I've done many different jobs in the past, it's not really how my brain likes to work. My natural disposition is to think of ideas, and I like to create interesting things and ways of doing things.") It's also a middle finger to the institutions that are constantly charging us $1 and $2 and $3 fees and thereby becoming millionaires. Is this a strong enough reason to give up $1? (People spend, I spend, three times that on coffee.) Perhaps subconsciously the idea of keeping a public list of donor names is similar to the selling of ad space on the above site. But is it working? Has that been a factor? Clearly not a significant one, as I haven't received anything in two months.
The tag line of Alex Tew's site is "Own a piece of Internet history!" Brilliant. Seriously, it's the kernel of advertising, celebrity, and of history itself: becoming known because you are known. And it has precedents in art also. Like I always tell people, look at Chris Burden. He had himself shot and boom! He has a career for life. So what I say to you, World, is: send me a dollar and Own a Piece of Art History!
June 2009
The East Bay Express ran an article and picture (above) on the project, written very well by Rachel Swan (and a reference to it on the cover even!) Go to the Press page to read it.
May 2009
Two very successful shows for the project! Got over $100 in donations in one night at 21 Grand and over a couple of days at Swarm Gallery. Flame on!
Jan. 2009
The second donor to the project sent this great note! What a fluke. (Go to the top of my Links page to see the artist she may have been looking for.)
Dec. 2008
While the MaAaM project is ongoing, collection data, log entries, and relevant correspondence will be collected and displayed as the artist sees fit. All donors are asked to give their name, to be added to a master list. Those who wish to not be named will be listed as Anonymous.