Art, Advocacy, Media, and Direct Action: Complimentary Strategies for Making Change on the Streets of NYC

Submitted by richkrollman on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 11:02am
Short Description: 

The Street Memorial Project(www.ghostbikes.org), Transportation Alternatives(www.transalt.org, StreetFilms(www.streetfilms.org), and Time's Up!(www.times-up.org) use art, advocacy, media and direct action to make New York City streets more livable. These complementary strategies reclaim the media representation of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in New York City. We create art and our own media to give voice to previously unheard narratives. The purpose of this panel discussion is to provide concrete examples of successful complementary strategies for Media Justice.

Presenters
Presenter One Name: 
Nat Meysenburg from the Street Memorials Project(www.ghostbikes.org)
Presenter One Info: 

Nat is responsible for the tech end of www.ghostbikes.org. Professionally, Nat works with Openflows Community Technology Lab, using free software for a range of media groups, non-profits, and unions. Since 2003 he has been part of the Interactivist Network's tech team, which provides infrastructure and support for projects and community members.

Presenter Two Name: 
Caroline Samponaro from Transportation Alternatives(www.transalt.org)
Presenter Two Info: 

Caroline Samponaro is the Bicycle Advocacy Director at Transportation Alternatives. T.A.'s mission is to reclaim New York City's streets from the automobile, and to advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit as the best transportation alternatives. Caroline has been involved in the NYC bike activist community in different capacities for the past the 10 years, most recently as a volunteer with the Street Memorial Project and a Co-Founder of FreeWheels Bicycle Defense Fund.

Presenter Three Name: 
Elizabeth Press videographer Streetfilms.org
Presenter Three Info: 

StreetFilms work in video is aimed at achieving equality in how space is allocated to people using New York City's streets. Prior to joining StreetFilms, Elizabeth produced for the TV/Radio program, Democracy Now! She received her MFA in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Presenter Four Name: 
rich krollman from Time's Up!(www.times-up.org)
Presenter Four Info: 

Currently working on his MSW in Community Organizing at Hunter College, rich has been an involved with the NYC cycling community ever since he built his bike at Recycle-A-Bicycle. Time's Up! is an all volunteer grassroots environmental organization that uses direct action and environmental education to promote a more sustainable, less toxic city.