- what /
MIC, was established in June 1993 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of creative media arts in New Zealand. This is achieved by the exhibition and distribution of innovative and challenging film, video, installation and new technology art, visits by international artists and filmmakers and the supply of information and workshops to filmmakers and artists.
MIC promotes and encourages innovative arts practice through exhibitions, workshops, symposia, and screenings. These range from programming New Zealand works in international film festivals (eg VideoZone, Tel Aviv, 2002) to producing screening programmes of 'grass-roots' short film (ShortFuse 1996 , ongoing). For the last two years, MIC has exhibited work from leading NZ and international artists, including leading conceptual artists Mike Stubbs (UK) Shilpa Gupta (India) Cybercultures (Aus) and NZ based innovators including, Yuk King Tan, Raewyn Turner, Hye Rim Lee, Sean Kerr, Janine Randerson.
MIC nurtures innovation, through collaboration. MIC is a 'drop-in' resource/access centre for artists, designers, programmers and filmmakers and is an environment in which cross-fertilisation between new media, art, audio and performance occurs. In-house video and audio production facilities are available for the public to create short film and media projects; some of which eventually screen or are exhibited in MIC's presentation programme. Projects in development include a media database that acts as an online network for collaborations in new-media and film projects and as an archive of national artistic production.
MIC has partnership arrangements with over 50 organisations both locally and internationally ensuring that strong networks, cross-disciplinary collaborations and the notion of a regional creative cluster will occur. A broad network of artists and curators work with MIC in staging events. Particularly strong ongoing relationships exist with cultural agencies such as the Goethe Institute, independent art organizations such as the Physics Room; art galleries and museums such as Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand, the Film Archive and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery and festivals such as the New Zealand Film Festival, Pasifika and the Auckland Festival. MIC receives ongoing funding from Creative New Zealand and Community Employment Group.
