[Nettime-bold] BUSH NOMINATES SECRETARY OF US DEPT. OF ART & TECHNOLOGY

[US Department of Art & Technology <press@usdept-arttech.net>]

Title: BUSH NOMINATES SECRETARY OF US DEPT. OF ART & TECHNOLO

US Department of Art & Technology

Washington, DC

http://www.usdept-arttech.net

press@usdept-arttech.net

Press Secretary

For Immediate Release: November 13, 2001

PRESIDENT BUSH NOMINATES RANDALL PACKER AS FIRST

SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY

Calling him "a man of great integrity, a man of great judgment and a man who knows the arts," President George W. Bush announced his decision to nominate Randall M. Packer to serve as the nation's first Secretary of the United States Department of Art and Technology. Upon confirmation by the Senate, Packer pledged to renew the war on cultural poverty, reduce the incidence of a one-way exchange of information between an artwork and a passive recipient, resist corporate control of media in these times of crisis, and combat discrimination so no American feels outside the field of aesthetic inquiry of the contemporary media arts.

Packer's ability to work with artists of all disciplines prompted his colleagues in the non-partisan interdisciplinary arts to collaborate on seminal productions of experimental and sometimes confrontational music-theatre. San Francisco Magazine rated him as "a bright light on the new media horizonŠ performing neglected works that fit into no recognizable category," New Media Magazine described him as exploring "the latest in multimedia wizardry," while Washington DC's Citypaper credited him with "documenting, inspiring, and exploring the emergence of a hi-tech utopia."

Packer has stated he is committed to confronting artistic constraints by leading the Department of Art and Technology Department free from anachronistic aesthetics, defined by revolutionary and utopian practices, and dedicated to upholding the visionary aspirations of the avant-garde. He has also declared that "to succeed in the 21st Century, our nation must be prepared to adapt to changes in our social condition - in how we communicate, where we seek cultural enrichment, and how we balance our real and virtual lives. The Department of Art and Technology cannot and must not simply react to changes. We must anticipate them, thus helping all individuals to have as fulfilling and culturally rewarding existence as they aspire to have."

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