One night, just prior to the most recent millennium, as snow whipped against the windows of a purple house in South Starksboro, Vermont, a group of friends became something greater than they could have expected. It didn't take much, just a conversation that roughly examined the various creative efforts different members of the group were involved with, and the possibilities that seemed to exist for bringing this work to attention of a public audience. This conversation stemmed from many previous, and was one of many to come, that followed similar themes, but for some reason this would be the one remembered by many who were there, forgotten by some, and mythologized by others.
One year later photocopied flyers were seen pinned to bulletin boards, taped to windows, and found on store countertops in the adjacent town of Bristol. An abstract collage of camera lenses, a robot drinking whiskey; something was definitely going on.
"The MassiveMicro what?" was overheard.
"Film festival," was the reply, "There's going to be art and music too".
The current state of the culture in the United States makes it very hard for creators who are not already established to gain any form of audience for their work. There exists a serious gap between what is being made and what is being seen, due to both the demands of a corporate marketplace deciding the content and worth of creative work, and an art world that is increasingly exclusive. Where there was once room for the young artist to be seen, there is now high rent and closed-door agreements. It has always been a function of art to raise the questions we choose to overlook. A person must wonder how those questions can enter the dialogue of the culture at large, if they cannot afford the entry fee.
We at 9:37 Productions asked ourselves that question, and found our answer through trial and error. The process involved designing t-shirts and selling them at the local river, putting on community events at the town hall, publishing zines and distributing them by hand, and passing around buttons to spread the word. Appreciation for the creator that creates from their heart was at the center of these efforts. The desire to see the work of our peers move past traditional barriers and attain a wider audience pushed us to put forth the effort. The hope that a minor amount of art could have an impact in someone's life, if just a momentary smile, kept the idea alive when there was neither time nor money.
Over the years, 9:37 Productions has refined its vision toward the goal of promoting the work of media creators who work from the personal experience of interacting with our culture. We use the term "media creators" because that is what any artist is, one who communicates through a medium, whether it be guitar strings, graphite, oil paints, video, dance or prose. The definition of media formats is as expansive as the human mind, though we often forget this in a culture where the term "media" connotes the corporate-controlled entertainment industry (which includes the news, but that story is for another day). 9:37 hopes that through the promotion of this honest work, we are working to change this concept of "media" in the minds of those who encounter our efforts.
9:37 Productions primary objective is informed by the group's title: production of emerging media. This includes the preparation and manufacture of consumable objects, thus far including imprinted t-shirts, buttons, patches, compact discs, photography books, zines, and a short film collection DVD. Production also includes the creation and open use of spaces such as home built recording studios, studio art happenings, internet communication forums and impromptu publishing workshops.
9:37 Productions has found that exhibition is essential to engaging with the larger culture, and involves a greater populace in what is often considered to be an exclusive act: experiencing art. With every 9:37 exhibition, the goal is to create a space that is open, that encourages dialogue, and that will feel comfortable to anyone who chooses to explore it. At times this means creating a space for art in a local bar or coffeeshop. It means creating a space for live poetry and music in a teen center or a shack on a mountainside. It includes gallery openings and country fair booths, and jam sessions in houses, lofts and basements. The epitome of the 9:37 exhibition is the annual culture festival held in Bristol, Vermont. Held in the week leading up to the new year, every year, since the dawn of the millennium. This event, dubbed the "Five Town Massive", creates a space for live music, film viewing, studio artwork, poetry reading, discussion and interaction, over the course of one night, that has become a tradition for many residents in and around the small town it inhabits.
9:37 engages with the consumer culture through the distribution of media products. This can take the form of a mass-produced product, such as a compact disc, a single object of expression, such as a painting, or a limited production piece, such as a photograph or print work. As a result of the variety of creators involved, distribution can mean take a number of forms: hand to hand sales, sales at events, zines stacked up for free on a store counter, products placed in local shops and mail order through print catalogues and the internet. We approach each commercial distribution as a unique situation, intent to reach as many people as possible while retaining the sense that this is an interaction as well as a transaction. Through mass distribution, our voice in the cultural dialogue can expand past the borders of a general locality, while keeping the story of that locality intact, bringing its message elsewhere and opening the door for response.
Seven years later, the winter is as unforgiving as ever. The wind wrings the blood from your fingers. Stray chunks of frozen snow find their way into your socks, and your feet don't seem to notice. The night is calm, as though nothing could disturb the sleeping giant that covers the town with his frozen breath. Maybe you don't really know why you came out, maybe you wouldn't miss it for the world. You definitely can't remember why you decided to walk, but isn't that what you love about a small town? Near to the center you can hear something, just past the park. Closer still and you see warm light lounging behind big green doors. The sound becomes clear as you cross the street: people are talking, enjoying themselves.
