General Meeting: 12/08/94

              STANFORD ARTS & TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE
                    Monthly Discussion Group

                      Report:  Meeting Two
                         8 December 1994

Dear Colleagues:

Our objectives in this meeting were (1) to establish a planning
committee for the Symposium; (2) to establish a long range plan-
ning or vision committee for the INITIATIVE; and (3) to establish
the specific areas of the individual interest groups that will
meet independently and report back to the basic group.

After a lively and productive discussion, we decided upon three
basic groups:  (1) THE PRAXIS GROUP, a group whose primary inter-
est rests in the production of works of art (including perform-
ance) that use new technologies; (2) THE ACCESS GROUP, a group
whose interest rests in the use of new technologies in approach-
ing existing works of art, including the development of hyper-
texts and other media that would allow different modes of access-
ing aesthetic material; and (3) THE THEORY GROUP, a group whose
interests rest in the analysis of the experiences provided by art
produced through new technologies.

For those of you who were unable to attend the meeting, I should
report that we moved from our earlier breakdown into many highly
specialized interest groups to these three broader areas.  The
convincing argument that led to this more simplified structure
focused on the expectation that each of these three sections
would include a diversity they would be challenging and produc-
tive.  One of the early objectives of each group would be to map
out suggestions to the Symposium Planning committee for
activities related to the interests of that group.

We also decided that each of our continuing monthly meetings
would include a report on work in progress by a member or members
of the INITIATIVE.  These assignments would come about in two
ways:  (1) by volunteering (particularly appropriate for those
who would need to bring equipment to display) and (2) by random
choice at the meeting (to stimulate the informality and
spontaneity that characterizes our meetings).  This method would
use the names-in-the-hat technique suggested by Barbara Hayes-
Roth.  Having part of each meeting devoted to a report of work in
progress fulfills a basic part of our mission:  to build a coali-
tion by learning of each others work in order to provide a base
for future collaboration.

One of the primary purposes of this report is to solicit your
membership in one or more of these three groups.  Please reply as
promptly as possible.  Our aim is to get these groups going early
in winter quarter.  We shall use January to concentrate upon the
groups and convene as the larger group the first Thursday of Feb-
ruary, at noon, on the 2nd of February, room 125, Memorial Hall.

ONE LAST NOTE:  As I mentioned at the meeting, we have an opera-
tive PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION LIST for members of the INITIATIVE.  If
you have a notice or message that you believe would be of inter-
est to the group at large, please send it to me (HF.CHL@FORSYTHE)
or to Nancy Sherlock (HF.NAN@FORSYTHE), who provides staff sup-
port for the INITIATIVE.

With wishes for your happy holidays,

Chuck Lyons