working together

The folks who administer Andy Warhol's legacy have done a good thing; according to Wired News they have a very liberal policy about Warhol's work. For commercial use they are like Disney; for nonprofit and for artistic use (even for profit) they allow unrestricted use. It's good news in this world of intellectual property wars. The Creative Commons licencing system is a similar idea which "builds on...all rights reserved" and offers the "some rights reserved" option. Their system works in a number of countries and for all kinds of work.

Musicians have known about this for years: the folk process is what happens when music gets picked up and passed around a community or ten. It's a grassroots re-visioning of art. It acknowledges that each person who receives the art will complete it, change it, continue to make it relevant in zir own context, time and place and people.

I celebrate the new resurgence of sharing. At some point making art is necessarily a gift to the world, given freely. I celebrate the collaborative creativity and the otherwise-impossible richness which comes from sharing. I celebrate the beautiful sense of abundance and freedom which this brings into the world. This is a gift economy of art and intellectual property. It re-births trust in an untrusting world; it lives deeply when so many of us are afraid to cross the street. It finds middle ground between all and nothing. It sets an example in a world desperate for heroes.

In this time of fear we must each set examples of courage; may we all do what we can.