This site is primarily a place to remember and archive materials from two conferences held in the late 1980s to imagine the state and future of support for artists. It was prompted by an essay commissioned by Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) in January 2015 as one part of a survey of the history of a national conversation about the place of artists in the system of arts support.

At the same time, the conferences provoke thinking and raise questions that remain relevant today. Comments and blog posts continuing this conversation are welcome.

The essay was written by and the site created by Anne Focke, a writer, editor, and creator who has led the startup of nonprofit, for-profit, and informal enterprises and exchanges. She is intentionally a generalist and always has new things in mind. She was the first executive director of Grantmakers in the Arts and before that, among many other things, she was coordinator of the conference on Orcas Island.

Anne can be reached at <anne@montauk-orcas.net>.