Greetings Arts Vote Toronto:

Thank you kindly for writing to me with your questionnaire.

I was unable to open your file so I am writing off the top of my mind
feelings about Toronto and the Arts Community.

My name is Mitch Gold. I am well aware of the shameful cutbacks that have
faced the Artistic Community at all levels of government. This is
unacceptable in our society. I will support the reversal of this trend. And
moreso!.

My past: I have been an artist myself in the medium of oils, acrylic and
ink. (over 100 paintings) I have been a writer, of songs and poetry and
even a publisher. Through my companies, I have been a producer of plays, a
producer of music, producer of radio programs (100 hours of unique
programming), producer of television (426 1/2 hour shows) , producer of
radio and television commercials (hundreds - winning over 72 Cleos for
advertising excellence worldwide), and even the Second City Theatre owes its
existence in Toronto to me. I have been a sculptor, and a carver, and a
conceptual artist). I have always worked with creative persons as a
passion - whether the creativity was in business, in growing food, in food
preparation or incubating an idea. I am your person worthy of your
support).

I am now a social artist in the spirit of Jean Houston's social artistry and
communication of ideas called Jump Time.

Let Toronto be known as the meeting place of the worlds' artists where Cross
cultural artistic phenomena emerges to thrill the mind and touch the heart.

Music Dance and poetry should be everywhere. Which walls should not be
painted? Which buildings, areas, sidewalks, big walls should not contain
the expressions of the people? I know of none. Of course private people
may choose to have their own private walls blank. That is their choice.

I want my campaign to be an expression of artists around the City. When do
we express ourselves? any time - all the time. Jump Time.

I Challenge all artists of Toronto to enter Jump Time and come with me when
it is time to campaign for voters and support the very fibre of Jump Time -
the time when social artistry reigns in our city.

I would like all artists to express their art when it comes time to vote.
Please send representatives to each electoral meeting and challenge the
people running - invite them to Jump Time - ask them to sing a song - engage
in a dance - tell a story. Let's see what the others have in mind for
artistic expression.

Let us make this election an expression of the artistic community to shape
social change. How will we design the $17 billion dollar waterfront
development? Would you have an airport? I do not think so. What great
buildings might we like to have on these port lands? Let the artists come
and develop the infrastructure. Local competitions to demonstrate who we
are and how we think about beauty - yet always acknowledging the heritage
of these lands. the Lands of the First Nations peoples.

I invite you into my campaign. I invite you to lead my campaign. Which
role will you play? Every one has a role - a secret desire to shape the
world.

Non polluting, revenue building, hotel and restaurant filling activity that
the arts community satisfies needs to be championed at all levels.

Then we will have a City we can all be proud of. I will be your champion.
I propose at least 3% of all building costs will go towards artistic
expression.

Yes we can Jump Time, but we need to do it together as social artists
invoking the spirits of those that would enable beautiful thoughts to
pervade our consciousness.

What song will you sing? When will you sing it?

Go to meetings and sing your song. Read your poetry, play your drums.

I will encourage you to do this while I run for Mayor, challenging the
political system - and most certainly even if not elected. This is not
about being elected - this is about expression of the individuality of
social artists of the 21st Century. We will make change together.

I invite all social artist to write songs about Gold, tell stories about
Gold, paint pictures in Gold, heal people with Gold, and above all - to vote
Gold.!!!!

What commitment would you ask of me? but to be who I am, expressing myself
freely as an individual in search of truth and introducing to the people the
Great Mind.

I am a Peacemaker. Today I carry the sacred Unity Drum of the White Buffalo
Calf Prophecy of Chief Arvol Looking Horse - a drum I made myself on the
Unity Ride hosted by Chief Ernie Sundown. I am welcomed by spiritual wise
people around the world - because of my heart and my commitment to peace.
Together we can make peace, beautify our city and realize the destiny of
Toronto - the Meeting Place - the Meeting Place of Artists.

May peace prevail on earth.

Mitch Gold

Mayor in waiting
Peacemaker.

P.S. If this does not satisfy the questionnaire as to my intentions and
policy regarding Arts Vote please forward to me the form contained in the
body of an e-mail and I will respond accordingly a.s.a.p.

PS 2: Lets have a meeting and make this happen!! Let's bring together
artists and have them ask me questions - petition me, challenge me. This is
an opportunity that we ought not leave to the perfunctory activity of
filling out questionnaires that invite speculation and prevarication.. let's
do it!!!! in a good way - with an ongoing 30 day party.
This will get the attention of the media and the world and the voters. Let
us start tomorrow.

----- Original Message -----
From: ArtsVote Toronto
To: mgold@homeplanet.org
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 6:50 PM
Subject: CANDIDATE! Your Artsvote Questionnaire is Here!

Dear Candidate,

ArtsVote is a volunteer, non-partisan network involving 10% of the city's
workforce. It does not endorse candidates. The group's efforts lie in
working to achieve strong municipal support by informing its constituency
about municipal issues that affect the arts and mobilizing the community
during the elections.

I am in charge of "The Report Card" which is an informational tool created
by and for the arts community to help elect an arts-supportive municipal
government.

It is designed to:

1-mobilize the cultural sector on election day

2-assist voters in making an informed choice when they exercise their vote

3-serve as a guide to voters as to which candidate is running in what ward

4-illustrate the level of support for the arts from all candidates

The report card results are based on the responses to the questionnaire that
gauge knowledge of the issues, level of support and activity in the cultural
community.

I, on behalf of ArtsVote ask that you fill out this questionnaire in order
to help ArtsVote ensure that the vast network of people working in the
cultural sector in Toronto, some 225,00 strong have the information they
need to cast informed ballots on election day. Please note that the deadline
for submission of this questionnaire is Friday, 3rd , 2003 at 12 noon.
Please fax the completed form to 416-408-3402, C/O: John Watson and/or
Merika Ramundo.

Thank you for your cooperation and best regards,

Merika Ramundo

Chair, Report Card Committe

 

:::A PROPOSAL TO CONSIDER:::

Greetings Arts Vote and the Centre for Media and Culture in Education (CMCE):

My name is Mitch Gold.

I am a social artist. I am also a Peacemaker - and I seek advice from the following people whom I consider my friends: the leaders on the planet in this thankless work. Boutros Boutros Ghali, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Rodrigo Carazo Odio, Hazel Henderson, Nina Lynn Meyerhoff, Dr. Charles Mercieca, Dr. Young Seek Choue, Jonathan Granoff, Bawa Jain, Lama Gangchen, Master Hunbatz Men, Patrick Hendriksen, (White Cloud), Leonard Crow Dog, Chief Arvol Looking Horse - and many others that are considered "wise" or learned.

I am also engaged in running for Mayor in the City of Toronto.

As a social artist, I am aware that the Arts community has sent around a Report card for all candidates running for office. I think this is a good thing.

But it is not enough. Not nearly enough!.

I want the Artists of this City to look deeply at the Report Cards being filled in and then decide who to engage with their magnificent talents. This is what social artistry is about. Report Cards are fine, but they merely Report the Past - Let us look to the Future.

Let each of the artists write songs, poetry, create dances, movies, events, pictures, paintings and every kind of social expression on the candidates.

I am writing this letter and inviting the artists to join in this activity. This will democratize the election in a beautiful way. Rather than have the standard - line up the top five people and hear more nothing talking about nothing - lets have the social artists express their understanding of what is happening. Let them go to the coffee houses and talk - let them go to the lounges of theatres - announced - or unannounced and express their artistry. Let the Street corners become daily events for the next thirty plus days and create daily news events expressing the uniqueness of social artistry..

Let us have all artists be part of the election process . Let's do it wisely. (Let's face it - we do not pay scale! :-) ) But after we are elected that will be another story.
Actually - for the artists participating in our campaign we will develop a process for accepting the skill donated as a Campaign contribution that will be eligible for the Rebate program.)

I am sending a copy of this letter to CMCE - the Centre for Media and Culture in Education at OISE and requesting their Advisory Board and steering committee to observe what we are doing as part of their course activity - either as a volunteer activity - by just posting on their bulletin Board what it is we are doing and let's see what happens. This letter is a proposal for their Board to consider a level of Involvement. Either through volunteer observers, reporters, or participants - to write, record, and report on the activity that follows form our exchanges. They could easily do this as an exploratory course. It would not take much to write the outline.

We need new ways to get the message of democracy out to the people and to encourage people to vote and to vote wisely.

Of course I have a bias and I want to make that clear. But this is not just about me. It is about all 45 candidates that have chosen to put their name forth for this election.. Check their report card. Check mine. See what I have done - and watch what we will do!!

Mine is posted at www.homeplanet.org/mayorgold. and I encourage you to "go for the gold" - but I also encourage you to hear what the others that are running have to say. I will post on our site if requested by other candidates - their report cards.

Our full strategy will be to encourage people to vote for Mitch Gold. But lets try and use this purpose for your candidate.

We will offer trainings for people that want to learn more of our platform and want to engage in developing their "song" "dance" "improv" or artistic skill.

Howard Jerome - my interim Campaign Manager has donated his skills for us to have workshops every Thursday Night at #6 St. Joseph Street. We call it Jump Time - following ideas of Master Teacher Jean Houston. Jump Time is NOW and you are welcome to come join us at # 6 every Thursday from 8 PM to 10 PM for Jump Time Training.

All welcome.

In closing, let me ask the Arts Vote People to send this to all their Artists and let me ask the CMCE Center send this to their steering committee and lets see what might happen from this initiative.

Trusting this will assist the democratic process and will be a new unique way to engage Artists and the Citizenry in the Process.

Peace to you all

Mitch Gold

Peacemaker.