RAPP Progress -- the Who's Who of Alt-photo

Richard Sullivan (richsul@roadrunner.com)
Wed, 10 Dec 1997 17:49:03 -0700

Here's an update on the progress with the RAPP database.

At this time there are 32 names in the file with a few more awaiting to be
loaded.

Philip Trauring has kindly sent me his list of names which numbers about 50.

Marilyn Darylmple (I'm sorry if I misspell her name, as her e-mail is on my
home machine and I can't look it up from here.) has kindly volunteered to
key in Traurings names through the web.

The antispamming code has been written so all new files loaded up will have
the e-mail address mussed up to foil spam spiders. (It's a brave new world
looking more everyday like a Sly Stallone movie!)

The Adobe PDF is not turning out to be bad at all. Those running modern
browsers either Netscape or Explorer 3.0+ or later can read, search and
download a page at a time. The files are more compact and smaller that
HTMLS due to the compression. The formatting is also much nicer looking. If
you download the whole file and print it, it will look very nice and make a
veritable Who's Who or Alt Photography, well maybe not yet, but in the near
future perhaps.

Remember, this is just a start. If there is some real enthusiasm, and 40
names since Sunday night isn't bad, the database could be enhanced,
expanded, and could grow into a valuable resource.

First off I see it as a communications tool for local and regional events
such as local portfolio groups and so forth. In 1986 I founded the Platypus
Group out of a local party at my house. SInce then we have had shows in
Italy in several museums of which I cannot remember the names of, Loyola
Marymount main gallery, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo main campus Gallery,
Bakersfield Museum of Art, and Pasadena City College main gallery. We also
produced two boxed separate Platypus Portfolios which are in major
collections. This is just an example of what folks can do if they can
locate each other and do a little organizing.

I also see this as a way to build a world wide organization of alt-photo
printers. This would be along the lines of what Terry and Carlos are doing
with the APIS symposium concept. It's nice to have a world wide symposium
every year or two but not everyone can attend these events if they are not
local. The Listserve group is nice but it only represents a fraction of the
people in the alt-photo world, we need a way to electronically reach folks
not on the list and snail mail addresses for those not wired up yet. I plan
to have paper forms to fill out and seek out volunteers to enter in the info.

Perhaps this will grow from the ground up, a true grass roots development.
Terry had a hundred people the APIS at Bath England, and it was terrific,
but I'd venture to say that someone could organize a similar event in LA or
NYNY and get 50 to attend with no trouble at all with just local people.
The Bath event is a model for the future. We can have regional local events
based on that model too but also plan major worldwide ones as well.

Of course all of this leads to the issue of whether or not to eventually
build a conventional dues based membership organization with a journal etc.
I think that is a real possibility. It could have its own web site and
would have enough room for each person to have a dozen images. Maybe even a
publication including all the images that could be sold for revenues for
the organization.

What do you think?

-Dick Sullivan

Bostick & Sullivan
PO Box 16639, Santa Fe
NM 87506
505-474-0890 FAX 505-474-2857
<http://www.bostick-sullivan.com>http://www.bostick-sullivan.com