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\centerline{Simons Center for Geometry and Physics Arts Program}\vs

\centerline{\bf
Report to Board of Trustees}\vs

\centerline{May 21, 2013}
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\noindent
1. Administration. Since January 2012 the SCGP Arts Program has been
without a Director. Exhibitions have been curated by free-lance
personnel, coordinated by the Advisory
Committee and administered by Elyce Winters. 
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The exhibits, concerts and events have been successful.
Nevertheless, the lack of direction has meant that the SCGP
Arts Program is not realizing its potential, especially when
it comes to \begin{itemize} 
\item integrating our activity with that
of the various Stony Brook departments and students, 
\item communicating, to the entire
campus population and to the surrounding 
community, what the Center has to offer.
\end{itemize}
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At the last Trustees meeting, Provost Assanis suggested
that the (half-time) position of SCGP Arts Program
Director/Curator could be combined with a half-time position in one
of the SBU departments. On May 18 we heard from 
John Lutterbie, Chair of Art/Theatre Arts, that he and the Provost
had discussed this option and tentatively agreed to proceed
with the recruitment of a 5-year Visiting Scholar, 50\% in SCGP
and 50\% in Art. In my opinion it would be excellent for us if this
search could start as soon as possible.\vs

Even with a search starting immediately, the Arts Program cannot count on
having a Director before January or maybe September 2014. I would
like to recommend that a one-year half-time appointment be made
as interim program director. There are several very good candidates  
available. This would allow programming for the 2013-2014 academic
year to start right away.\vs

In this connection, I hope the Trustees will consider increasing the SCGP Arts
Program budget to cover this temporary appointment and our half of the
Visiting Scholar, when that position is filled. The \$100,000
currently allocated turns out to be just sufficient for the cost of mounting
four or five exhibitions a year (including transportation costs,
insurance, curatorial fees, receptions, overnight or 2-day lodging for  
artists and invited speakers) along with a modest program of
concerts during the year and the summer workshop. Half of the
salary for a professional at the level we should be seeking will
be in the \$35,000-\$40,000 range, in my estimation.\vs

\noindent
2. Artist-in-Residence Program. I believe that the Artist-in-residence
component of the SCGP Arts Program has not worked out as planned.
The ideal of an artist collaborating with Center scientists to 
create works of art of high aesthetic and scientific quality now
seems to have been unrealistic. On the other hand, workshops organized
in conjunction with an exhibition (for example origami, 3D printing)
have been very successful. I propose that our Artist-in-Residence
be terminated after this summer.


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\noindent
3. The current SCGP Arts Program
Advisory Committee includes members of  
the Stony Brook campus and community who have experience
with the interaction between art, science and technology:
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Stephanie Dinkins, Art Department 

George Hart, computer scientist and sculptor

John Lutterbie, Theatre Arts and Art Departments

Tony Phillips, Mathematics Department, Chair

Daniel Weymouth, Music Department\vs

Elyce Winters and I plan to review this committee over the
summer: involve new people, more people and more from other departments
(including Engineering and non-Fine-Arts Humanities), 
and at least two community non-academics with experience in the arts
and curation (we are thinking of Philip Palmedo and Judith Levy).

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\noindent
4. Please try to visit the current exhibition:
{\em Paths: Charting, Navigating \& Bridging}, curated by Alastair Noble.
It is an excellent example of the kind of show we can put on here:
reasonably low-budget, visually engaging and with a strong 
scientific (geometric in this case)
organizing principle.

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Respectfully submitted,

Tony Phillips, Arts Program Advisory Committee Chair



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