Monday, September 21, 2009
Crowdsourcing Funding for Art
I’ve touched on crowdsourcing funding for journalism and investigative blogging being a promising avenue for the future of media. But what about those millions of other projects that sneak up on us in the night begging to be done?
Similar to spot.us and sellaband, comes Kickstarter. Rather than limiting projects to a niche, however, Kickstarter lets members imagine any project they can and propose it to the world. Everything from writing books or clearing out storage space to starting a wedding chapel have been successfully funded through their platform. Browsing through the open projects you’ll see lots of novels, collaborative projects, and music recordings.
My own passions tend to lean toward photography, and there are plenty of those to flip through as well. Right now there is even a Pittsburgh photographer raising funds to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle able to capture photos of some local historic abandoned sites from above.
Long story short, I am a big fan of the crowdsource funding movement and even more excited that a friend of mine is trying it out as a way to support his already planned, 3-month photographic journey around Thailand and Southeast Asia.
He’s an amazing photographer exploring the interaction of sacred places with modern urban settings. Kickstarter offers a way to support his work and benefit by receiving prints of his photographs.
It’s also fun to browse through all of the other unique and creative ideas out there that are finding a voice through Kickstarter.
