Open Letter to AIGA Upstate New York
Dear Friends and Members,
It is with serious consideration that I write this letter to you all asking for your attention, feedback and direction.
Since its founding in mid-eighties, AIGA Upstate New York (then AIGA Rochester) has endeavored to bring compelling, unique design-related member focused programming to our vast chapter. Over the past 10 years, We have brought design films like Ben Day and Helvetica, lectures from world-class designers such as Dana Arnett, Doyald Young, Clement Mok and Michael Jager, Social, educational events like Syracuse ’Tinis and the IDSA mixer and educational events like BrandGAP, NittyGritty Teleforums and Rochester GAPS, just to name a few. We’re happy to bring these events to you independently, and with the help of our friends and allied professional organizations like Ad Club, IDSA, and Adobe.
Over these past 8 years professional membership in the chapter has been on a slow but steady increase reaching its highest level at 62 professionals in 2006. Student membership in the chapter is also strong between 170-240 members annually. However even in spite of these increases very few individuals step up for committee chairs to play an active role in the chapter. Fewer still take the opportunity for board positions. Our most recent elections were mailed to the more than 400 people on our mailing list. 3 individuals responded. They’ve since been welcomed as new board members.
Lately however, we’ve struggled to have high quality programming. This is not because of a lack of effort or available content, but because of a lack of participation from of the membership. In the past 18 months we’ve been forced to cancel two events and were unable to cover expenses of a third event due to poor attendance and incomplete information from potential attendees. After the cancellation of one event we heard from 8 members who had planned on attending but didn’t think it was important to pre-register. Had those individuals registered, the event would have been held as scheduled.
Because our events are held by members for the design community, pre-registration is critical for budgeting and planning the events successfully. Imagine having your own event expecting 10 and 200 show up. It’s worse in reverse, expecting 200, and having only 10 in attendance. Either way, it’s difficult to manage events with inaccurate attendee information, and irresponsible of chapter leaders to spend chapter funds loosely.
Our events are not profit opportunities for the chapter; in fact of the $4,000 annual operating budget 73% is spent on programming. The remaining 26% is left for chapter operations such as board meetings and e-commerce expenses, and postage. We frequently have very gracious individuals or companies provide gifts-in-kind for event services. Aside from these generous gifts of time and services, our events and our chapter are run without underwriting or sponsorship.
On Wednesday April 23, 2008 we had to cancel an event with guest Debbie Millman. Of the needed audience of 100, we had 24 individuals registered and paid through our on-line registration system. We know these 24 people and the board responsible for organizing the event were thrilled that Ms. Millman was able to come to our chapter.
Could it be that our membership is time poor? Or is it something else. Does our membership and those involved in the design industry of Upstate New York – simply not care to participate in this professional organization? AIGA is an international community of professionals dedicated to the strengthening of its industry through participation in its local professional community. The strength of the group
depends on individual support.
If you are a member of AIGA and practicing your profession in the Upstate NY Chapter area you should be registered as an Upstate NY Chapter member. Administering AIGA programs locally through chapters makes it possible to better serve the needs of the membership. Support your local chapter. Get involved and help make being a member of AIGA Upstate NY a great experience.
This is your organization. Each member has a stake in the future of the chapter, and a voice in shaping the chapter. It is important for the board to hear your honest thoughts and provide us feedback on what is the future of AIGA Upstate New York. The chapter is in jeopardy due to the lack of member participation.
Please participate in a discussion to help us all get back on track. This
letter will be posted on our blog for discussion at upstatenewyork.aiga.org —registration
required for discussion.
I also welcome your feedback via e-mail directly to m a r c <at> stressdesign.com.
Sincerely,
Marc V. Stress
President
AIGA Upstate New York
June 24th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I too was very disappointed and somewhat embarrassed by the lack of
people who signed up for the Debbie Millman lecture. As faculty advisor
at RIT, I know that we offered to host the event and at least we would
have had a “captive audience’ there.
The student chapter at RIT is willing and ready to help with future events
if possible.
Everyone is overwhelmed; over-stressed and over-committed, but this should be a wake-up call to all members about our commitment to the
profession.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I am a student member and I would be interested in attending educational events that are located in the Utica, Rome, or Oneida area. There are student members from MVCC and SUNYIT that may find it difficult to get to Rochester and Syracuse. By having events that are closer to these schools it may increase the attendance numbers for events.
Lisa
June 24th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I am also a student member and I would love to have the opportunity to do studio visits and shadowing opportunities with professionals available to us. How about local workshops in related areas such as printmaking, screen printing and letterpress? A workshop on the business side of graphic design or freelancing would also be fantastic for students and young designers.
There must be educators within CNY AIGA willing to give informal talks on design history or to present their body of work.
I know that Syracuse has a burgeoning art and gallery scene — how about accepting submissions and arranging a show somewhere? Rochester definitely has a bigger art scene and there must be plenty of design students at SUNYIT as well as other community colleges and the larger private universities within the CNY AIGA area.
Also, I have not seen any *gasp* advertising for CNY AIGA events either at OCC or in Syracuse, which perhaps would have added numbers to the events which were unfortunately canceled. I know members of SOTA in Buffalo who had no idea about the Debbie Millman event.
More low-key mixers (coffee/tea shops, bars, gallery receptions, etc.)would also be great opportunities for meeting other designers and networking.
Just some ideas off the top of my head.
ami
June 24th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I think the geographic size of the chapter makes event planning almost impossible… a five hour drive to Albany or Buffalo or four hours to Binghamton (from WNY)… who can work a full day then drive for an event on a regular basis?
Does any other chapter in the country stretch across an entire state? Micro-chapters, micro-events? Perhaps events that would draw participation from Upstate NY? i.e. Design competitions aimed at upstate firms? ASID/WNY holds a similar competition and frequently draws participants from WNY and Southern Canadian provinces…
June 24th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I agree with the geographical location. I am located in Troy, NY (near Albany) and most events (if not all) take place too far away for me to physically participate. Otherwise, I would gladly participate more in the chapter events. My other choice is the NYC chapter but I got my membership for upstate NY to support the upstate chapter.(?)
June 24th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I’m glad to see some comments, but 3 of the 4 are *gasp* not very constructive. it’s like you guys didn’t read the letter. I happened to be visiting, and my friend just showed me this. I gotta say, based on what I’m reading, I’m not surprised at your President take on your chapter’s attitude. AIGA is a volunteer organization! Where’s your volunteer spirit!!!???
Regarding the drive time etc. - it’s true they aren’t always in our back yards, but (a) what’s the alternative solution with a chapter your size? And not for nothing but these events happen once or twice a year - suck it up, car pool and make an effort to show up!
I went to school in Nebraska, and if I remember correctly, there was only one chapter for the whole state. Driving 4-5 hours for something you value wasn’t even second-guessed - if someone cool was coming, you went, end of story.
If you want an event in your town, step up and volunteer to make an event happen on your campus or smaller city.
Knowing about an event is your responsibility, as far as I’m concerned. Opt into the email blasts, ask your fellow designers, teachers, check their web site - I even see the Debbie Millman event canceled ad…I’m guessing there was a ad there before it was canceled. As they say in law - ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it. Apathy for not finding out about event is not an excuse for not attending.
I’m sure some of you will be mad at me for this rant, but I couldn’t help it after reading your whining about what’s not happening etc.
If you read the letter carefully, that lack of participation’s already been covered, and it’s not working!
Getting involved is the ONLY way things will happen, change, improve, grow.
I’m out.
Good luck up-state NY,
Jason
June 25th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Sorry if I wasn’t clear-I meant advertising other than online, especially at colleges with design departments. How many times have you automatically deleted an organization’s routine-looking email blast without thinking? I know I have. Students can be lazy and obtuse and either do not know of or forget about events, so throw a poster up on a wall.
I realize I was in the minority at OCC as far as level of interest in the design community, but Marc was the only instructor to even mention AIGA.Marc, I need to get my money’s worth!
Although incredibly disappointed when Debbie Millman’s talk fell through, I was not surprised. I went to Rochester for the Sustainability talk and was amazed with the lack of attendees. I wasn’t even particularly interested, but was hoping to meet other designers.
I do agree with Jason’s sentiments about driving, and carpooling - if I knew more people in the area I would be even more willing to drive distances for events. I’ve driven to Buffalo for WNY Book Arts events and workshops simply because there’s nothing like that going on here in Syracuse.
From a student perspective, I admit that I hadn’t thought about CNY AIGA being a volunteer organization. I am definitely interested and willing to arrange or contribute to any events with a bit of guidance!
June 25th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I have to agree with Jason.
Most of the events that happen for Upstate NY chapter are in Rochester, which is a central location. Most of the time, I am the only attendee from Syracuse. There are several design and advertising firms in Syracuse alone. To see only a select few from different areas show up to these events is extremely discouraging and frankly, embarrassing.
It is beneficial for members of the design community to attend these events. We don’t live in a bubble. The subjects covered in these events apply to the industry internationally.
Think of it as a small investment in a career, instead of a really long and inconvenient car ride.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:51 am
It’s true, the distance between events can be prohibitive. I would like to participate in more events but the drive is 2.5 - 2 hours away. If the events were to “Tour” the state and rotate regions they occurred, you may not be able to increase the attendance at each event, but you may be able to improve the overall attendance for the year and reach more designers in general.
I would also focus on video streaming, phone conferences and other forums to include more people. You may only have 24 people at a single event, but you could reach hundreds with a video.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Hmmm… I agree with the general comments about location. My transfer from the Cleveland AIGA chapter two years ago was a shock- as a student I regularly met visitors such as Steven Heller, Robin Raye, James Victore, and Steff Geissbuhler. Here, I was all set to attend the first event I got an email about, then did a double take when I saw that it was in Buffalo. As much as I am passionate about the principles of AIGA, it’s just not realistic to think that I’ll be able to: a. take off work and b. afford to drive hours away for a one hour event. I also think that one of the great things about AIGA is the potential networking, and people are less likely to benefit from that regionally than within their own city. I feel that organizations such as Syracuse’s “Ad Club” have a somewhat dated view of the design field, but people around here seem to still attend them because they know their fellow community members in them. Like politics, if people feel that their volunteer efforts won’t make a difference in their everyday lives, they will give up on attempts to help. Syracuse (and other Upstate NY cities) needs a grassroots AIGA movement first. Then, we can build attendance from business’ deeming membership fees and events worth their employee’s time. And finally start to build awareness of forward-thinking design strategies around here. Upstate NY needs AIGA, and we appreciate this outreach.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Holy crows!
Initial thought: you can’t have cake and eat it too!!!
Seriously, did (some of) you actually read the President’s letter before you comment.
Before you comment, here’s a preflight list:
What won’t work:
-wishful thinking / half-baked ideas
-empty promises
-whining
-excuses
-waiting for something to happen
What will work:
-Initiative
-Taking responsibility
-Doing something
-Offering up your services/helping (see lorrie freer’s response)
-Signing up to do something (like make posters for your campus next time)
Example:
If you want posters on your campus, try this two-step process:
1. Make one! (You’re a designer!)
2. Hang it on the wall.
If you need to get out of work for a couple hours once or twice a year*, just do it. Why can’t you ask for that time off if you need? It’s to your bosses/company’s benefit that you go. I don’t get why it’s impossible to do once or twice a year. I’m guessing it’s really something else.
* I’ve been informed that there are only 2-3 events total per year and they are either held in Rochester or Syracuse.
It’s obvious from your attitude that (most of) you guys want it served up for you nice and neat and tied with a bow. …Sorry folks, from what I’ve been taught, observed and learned, nothing works that way; not your job, not AIGA, not your relationships, and certainly not life.
“Snap out of it!”
June 26th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Another for the “Won’t work” list
Get over the geographic issue, AIGA can’t change the distance between cities, and looks like they can’t afford more events when you aren’t showing up in the first place.
June 26th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Speaking as a student and a fairly new member (only a few months), it is certainly not that I don’t want to help, it is often that I don’t have the means, because I am a student. I am only going to school right now, working on my Masters, so I don’t have much in the way of disposable income. I also live in the very Northern part of Upstate New York - Watertown/Fort Drum. I would be more than happy to attend events in Syracuse, but driving further than that is just not possible for me at the moment due to financial constraints. As far as the election notice, I don’t know if it was sent before I became a member, but I don’t recall receiving it. However, I am more than happy to help out in any way I can.
June 26th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I also want to say: How do I go about becoming more involved? I am new to this and do not know what opportunities are open to me as a student member? Can I volunteer to be a committee member? I would be more happy to.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:03 am
First of all, it’s not easy to ask for time off when your boss/company doesn’t see the benefit because they have no idea what AIGA is. That is the whole point. And the difficulty of working in this region. I offered the idea of having more frequent, smaller, local events to build volunteer participation. You don’t have to have a celebrity there every time- why can’t we just share our design experiences and inspiration together? Organize an event to first educate the local business community about AIGA? I bet we could get more event sponsors that way, too.
It’s easy to comment on someone else’s problems from the outside. But if you don’t live around here, you really can’t grasp just how things work. While we appreciate another opinion, being scolded just isn’t constructive or helpful. Best of luck in Nebraska or wherever.
June 26th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I agree with Liz. Yeah, it’s great when design stars come to town. But over the years, what I’ve valued most has been the smaller events where design folk can actually talk to each other, learn something, network, share information, etc.
Every time I’ve attended an AIGA talk, I always learned as much from my colleagues during the mingling before/after as I did from the speaker. Events like the recent Empire mixer and the After Hours/tinis were great for this reason. Maybe AIGA could focus on more smaller scale, social/educational events like those for a bit, to let people get to know each other and want to join and participate with each other in the organization?
Part of the issue is for me is geography. If there were organized rides, the drives would be more doable after a long day. I’d pay extra to attend an event out of town if it included a shuttle/limo ride. And what better way to get to know your peers than to sit in a car with them for 3 hours?
A small cadre of the tini group still meets informally–none of whom are members–so I can’t help but believe that there’s a real need for design community. If the upstate chapter focused for a while on the local community instead of bringing in people from outside, that might help to rekindle things?
A few random ideas:
- Most designers have blocks where things like self-promotion and accounting are concerned. Buy a local PR expert or CPA lunch in exchange for captive audience.
-Many graphic designers have other creative pursuits/businesses. Host an informal show-and-tell where people can display their work and share ideas.
-Designers like to learn and get their hands dirty (think, Boxcar tini). After that event, the group explored organizing a similar event but fell short of organizing it.
-Organize a collection of old art supplies, PMS books, CAs, Prints, etc., and arrange to donate them to local art teachers (a la creativepitch.org). Have participants speak to classes about careers in art and design.
Rethink what constitutes “high quality programming.” Find ways to get people (not just members) involved and excited about design locally first. Worry about membership later.
That’s my 2¢ as a former member who would still like to see a stronger design community upstate.
June 28th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
We are a branding and marketing firm in ONeonta NY, we serve binghamton, albany and our local area, I think upstate aiga needs subgroups, I dont think one group can cover all of upstate - it is far too vast.
We got a notification on 4.18 about the Millman Talk that was it, My staff just saw Millman at the HOW conf. in boston but none of them said they even saw the notificaiton. I think if the communication was more frequent advertising the event - there would not have been a problem filling it up - something like this also warrents.
June 28th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Just a comment, we are all aware of what was said in the email “The chapter is in jeopardy due to the lack of member participation.” Also, “It is important for the board to hear your honest thoughts and provide us feedback on what is the future of AIGA Upstate New York.”
The members of the Upstate AIGA are providing constructive feedback about issues that concern us. Unfortunately, many people in Upstate NY are not flushed with money to travel great distances. This isn’t 1975 when gas was only .30 cents a gallon. People from the state of NY are one of the hardest hit states for taxes. Many people don’t have that extra money to travel. They have to decide if they are going to spend $70 on a tank of gas or buy groceries to feed their kids. Maybe things are different in Nebraska, lucky you if they are!
There are a few things I can tell you about people from Upstate NY. People are extremely friendly, have the willingness to participate and help others, and we do not bash peers in a professional environment. We listen to all sides and make an educated opinion and come to our conclusion. As the saying goes “you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
June 29th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Thank you for these responses. Part of the intent of this letter was to draw the Upstate New York design community out and to begin a discussion on what the future of the chapter should look like. The board has intentionally been watching this conversation unfold, instead of taking an active role. Now that we have a few comments, there are some items to react to, we’ll be joining the thread.
About volunteers.
YES! We need volunteers. Always! AIGA is a volunteer organization, we are all volunteers. Interested volunteers should contact our program director Marj Crum or introduce yourself to any board member. We’d be glad to meet you! Ideally, we would love to be able to have volunteers in each city center who we can count on for repeat events.
About travel.
This letter was not intended to suggest that we all get in our cars and drive to and from every event. We realize that’s just not possible whether you’re in Watertown, Oneonta, or Buffalo. We do try to hold events where our membership is at its highest concentration. Today, and historically, that is Rochester and Syracuse. Our challenge of late has been that events in those two cities have been poorly attended.
About Value.
Membership in AIGA is not a transaction, that is, it’s not like buying a an object and amortizing the cost of the object over its life. While there is a long list of tangible benefits (http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/benefits) the intangible benefits are unique to each member, each participant. It’s up to you to find and create this value for yourself, for the chapter, for your profession, for your career.
About events.
We love when members approach us with ideas for programs or events in their towns. That’s how ‘Tinis, and GAPS came to life. members had and an idea they brought to the board and they made them happen. This is another aspect of AIGA as volunteer organization. If you have one program idea, or a list of them (as above) and the commitment to make it a reality, bring it to the board.
There is no “they” in AIGA we all make this happen together.
We’ve received a number of good comments on this thread from some old friends and new voices, thank you all. Please continue to share this with others around AIGA Upstate New York.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Hello everyone. I am new to the upstate area but have been a student member of the AIGA for the past three years as a graduate student at the University of Houston. I have now completed my MFA and will be as active in the upstate area as I can (given that I am looking for a teaching position in the area). My primary interest is typography, especially historical aspects and letterpress. There is a rich history between AIGA and the bookarts.
It does seem odd that the chapter stretches so far and wide. I used to think driving across Houston for an event was a daunting thing but virtually across state is even more so.
I hope to meet folks at an upcoming meeting.
David Damico