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“Those who profess to favor freedom, yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” - Frederick Douglass, (Letter to an associate, 1849)
“The social environment is the cultural medium of criminality; the criminal is the microbe – an element that becomes important only when it finds a medium which will cause it to ferment. Every society has the criminals it deserves.” – Lascussagne (Eugene V. Debs, Walls and Bars)
For although the means of coming into power differ, still the method of ruling is practically the same; those who are elected act as if they were breaking in bullocks; those who are conquerors make the people their prey; those who are heirs plan to treat them as if they were their natural slaves. - La Boétie, (Discours de la Servitude Volontaire, quote from Rothbard, “Ending Tyranny without Violence”)
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MILO: Congratulations on your acceptance to the European Graduate School!
ALL: Hurrah!
PJM: Thank you, my friends…
MILO: Should we pause to celebrate, or proceed?
PJM: We should proceed.
ALL: Agreed.
ZEELIO: Before we commence with the parsing of Drucker’s malevolence, should we re-contextualize?
V: I think it would be helpful. I noticed Salon published a “Best of” list for the year’s books. Did anyone notice the graphics for the articles?
MILO: The illustrations were an exercise in the old put-a-frame-on-the-book-cover-and-depict-the-book-as-art trick. Accidental transparency, I would say.
ZEELIO: To articulate the rhetorical point, Why doesn’t a book stand on its own, as the significant expression in its own medium? Why must a graphic designer be “inspired” to re-define a book as a painting, a work of art?
PJM: One would have to understand the value of dimensional art to the civilization’s future, present and past, to comprehend such acts of vandalism. I am sure we all agree that books are amazing and beautiful phenomena.
ALL: Agreed.
MILO: Potentially life-altering!
ZEELIO: Exactly!
V: Along the same lines, why call a pop singer an “artist?”
PJM: Why represent cars as artworks, as that fraud Patrick Courrielche and his faux curator co-conspirators did? Why call everything under the sun “art?”
ZEELIO: Why call management “art?” That is most obviously bullshit!
MILO: Why attempt to displace and obviate art with “creativity?” More bunk!
V: In verso, why diminish art so thoroughly, so as to cause its extinction?
PJM: If we posit art as an indicator of humanity - and what better way do we have to define art, as an emphasizer of its most fundamental effect? To sketch a definition of art thus is to be inclusive of the pictographic record of 35- or 80,000 years ago. The caves of Lascaux pertain, by this definition.
MILO: Man indicates his passage, presence and vision in one action.
V: Man indicates his past, present and future - or at least the hope for a future - in a sequence of representational paintings.
ZEELIO: This is art before civilization named it.
V: Based on this premise, we can cycle forward through a system built on effects, but the most important question is, “Did art create the civilization?”
MILO: Marvelous, Veronica! I see it clearly! In the dawn of man, God created Man, and in the dawn of civilization, Man created Art. God created tribes, and Man’s Art created civilization!
ZEELIO: If so, what comes next?
MILO: If man resists evil, perhaps he transitions to the dimensional.
V: If he succumbs, perhaps the world ends again.
ZEELIO: Paul, why are you weeping?
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MILO: So, everyone wants to be an artist, because everyone wants to save the world?
PJM: Not necessarily, Milo; maybe the world needs to kill each of us, and art is the antidote for fear of dying, as in Marx’s religion function.
ZEELIO: What about the evil? What exactly is it?
V: We should ask Peter.
PJM: …Or Tiger Woods.
ZEELIO: Could there be an example more apt?
V: Yes, and repeatedly, until we get the message.
MILO: What’s the message? I assume you mean the devil by implication, will tempt man to transgress, and then man will judge. Is that evil?
PJM: Actually, I was referring to the Corporation, in relation to Tiger.
ZEELIO: As for Peter, you must be pointing to Hell.
V: In the painting-in-progress image Shane emailed you, Paul, the artist’s hand (in a latex kitchen sink glove), points towards Super Lucky Cat.
MILO: True, but what is the pointing hand really pointing at?
V: The horizon, the 3D perspective, the rails meeting at a point on the horizontal to imply distance. It’s the cyclops eye(s) that really stumps me.
ZEELIO: It is rotating on an axis, like the world!
MILO: Back to the message:
PJM: If you have a gift, the Corporations will buy and own you and your gift. If you do bad things, don’t get caught. If you get caught, we will take everything we can from you, until even your gift doesn’t matter. We’ll profit from your gift and your failure on a sliding scale. Then we’ll replace you, with a safer option.
MILO: Can a corporation buy Hell?
V: A corporation is Hell.
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PJM: On the subject of Salon, did you notice that the online magazine added a new feature: Film Salon? They are reviewing the decade’s best pictures, in their launch stage. I guess ’tis the season for hyperbole at Salon, for consumer portable corporate “art.” Now, at Salon, the reader will be treated to lively banter and deep thought on the cultural importance of masterpieces like Steven Spielberg’s AI. Says critic Rosenbaum, “As a profound meditation on the difference between what’s human and what isn’t, it also constitutes one of the best allegories about cinema that I know.” Or consider Orr’s profound meditation on the computerized cartoon fare for the under-12 movie theater audience: “(N)othing this decade has astonished me and fed my faith in film as a popular art form more than the inspired craftsmanship of the Pixar oeuvre.” Who can forget that incredible work of art, Finding Nemo? What about that unforgettably powerful film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” with at least as much staying power as the length and depth of its title suggests? Holofcener writes, “The first time I saw it, I couldn’t get up. I was reduced to a puddle. It affected me in a way that got inside.” Me, too! The only reason I ate dinner that night is Lula squeegeed me to the dinging room table!
V: Meanwhile, ripped from the headlines, today’s opinion page at the now-thoroughly re-constituted (along the lines of corporate golem fodder) LA Times, Gregory Rodriquez writes about plunging attendance at traditional cultural institutions like museums [which he says sound astonishingly like “mausoleum(s)”]. Whoa! After citing the NEA statistics, G-Rod suggests, in character, that the best target audience is “the growing college-educated, English-speaking Latino middle class.” MGT society promoters must be ecstatic - their dreams are coming true! Nobody got popped for 40 years in California for opening the borders to millions of illegal immigrants, at least from the top-down. Now the fruits are on the trees and ready for plucking by devastated cultural institutions! Attention Eli Broad! Not only do you have another, alternative, emerging middle class to prey upon, you have a perfectly legitimate excuse for further excising art from the art palace to be replaced with cheap, “diverse,” entertainments!
ZEELIO: I guess the NEA didn’t see your proposals, Paul.
PJM: They’re not interested in saving or girding American art, Z. The Obama administration, like every one since Reagan, is committed deeply to a globalist agenda for world domination. American art is out. American artists of every color and creed are SOL in the long run. We are, to evoke Schumpeter, in the process of being creatively destroyed. This is a perfect storm provoked by planned obsolescence.
MILO: The Super Rich are trotting out moon-faced lulus the world over, in photo ops for press junkets, to announce one huge new award after another. What’s the point? To demonstrate the robber barons deep and profound commitment to youth, or to frame the recipient more appropriately, those who will beg for crumbs of cake from the rulers’ tables. Also to promote the meme that there’s no pressing need for government interventions or regulation on the international art market and its most visible managers. The Art Barons are shaping the future with money, for money and by the money, and their sexy young (mostly, at least in the “male” category - although those categories are so out!) androgynous, fawning and deep-thinking artists with tiny but big-time exhibit histories, are on the move! Plus, their work is so iPhone savvy, their issues so pertinent to the art/entertainment newbies, and their lips are so mushy!
V: Okay, Milo, that last part is a little odd.
ALL: Agreed.
ZEELIO: He’s talking about the Pinchuk award, correct?
MILO: Sure. Read the blurb.
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Ukrainian billionaire, Victor Pinchuk has created a new international contemporary art prize for artists under 35 years old. The Future Generation Art Prize will be held every two years and the winner will receive $100,000. Four artists who have works in Pinchuk’s collection—Andreas Gursky, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami—will serve as mentors to the prize-winners.
The Prize’s board includes American collector Eli Broad, MoMA director, Glenn Lowry, Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota, and Guggenheim Museum director Richard Armstrong.
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MILO: You see? All the usual suspects: Lowry, Broad, Hirst, Murakami, Koons...
PJM: How about ArtPrize, "the world's largest?" The mission? "ArtPrize exists to reboot the conversation between artists and audiences on a grand scale." The money behind the mission? Amway!
ZEELIO: Holy smokes!
V: The DeVos Family Foundation, Christian radical billionaires ostensibly democratizing the determination of artistic standards through public bidding - it's genius, if you believe in what the DeVos family believes in. Here's more from the mission statement, pre-emptively answering your question about the existence of such a big art prize originating in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the heart of America's rust belt:
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Why?
ArtPrize is not anti-jury, anti-curator, anti-establishment or anti-anything else. We do not believe that we have contrived the “best” way to discover the “best” art. The prize money, the public vote, the open venue system simply creates an environment where public can engage artist and artist can engage public in a fresh way. To us, it’s an irresistible social experiment.
Why the vote? It’s simple. Conversation, education and general engagement from the public rises when their opinion creates a tangible result. That’s what we mean by rebooting a conversation. When everyone’s opinion counts, everyone is included in the conversation.
Obviously, we believe the conversation is worth something. Something much more than the cost of putting on this event. Furthermore, we realize allowing the public to vote creates another dialogue among art professionals. Feel free to weigh in and help craft that conversation as well.
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MILO: There are strange resonances here with your NEA recommendations. Perhaps the Endowment felt the establishment of best practices and standards for American art should be better left in the capable hands of the Amway barons. The DeVos family, after all, are good Christians, great entrepreneurs, and big-time political players. According to Media Matters,
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Dick DeVos is the son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos and served as CEO of the company from 1993-2002. In 2006, DeVos ran the most expensive gubernatorial campaign in Michigan history, spending $41 million.
The foundation funds a variety of conservative economic and educational organizations.
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MILO: Judging from this profile, the DeVos clan (not to be confused with the New Wave band) are perfectly aligned with the Obama administration's goals.
ZEELIO: Say what?
V: Sure! Just look at where else they inject their Amway money. I mean, these people are active American Capitalists. What reason might Obama have for building a stronger, better-funded NEA to compete with the big DeVos ARTPRIZE? Obama's a Christian, too, and very likely a Conservative Capitalist, if not a Drucker anarchist:
Recipient : Purpose Amount Date Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty $414,750 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $52,850 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $50,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $102,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,400 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $55,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $52,500 12/31/2000 Alliance for School Choice $100,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $50,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $50,000 12/31/2006 American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research $8,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 Black Alliance for Educational Options $30,900 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,900 12/31/2006 Campus Crusade for Christ $8,350 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,200 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,200 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,500 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,700 12/31/1999 Center For Individual Rights $35,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $35,000 12/31/2001 Competitive Enterprise Institute $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 Council for National Policy $14,750 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,500 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,750 12/31/1999 Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies $31,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricte
Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Michigan Political Leadership Program
Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $4,750 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/1999 Michigan Veterans Foundation $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Michigan Youth Challenge $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 Michigan's West Coast $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 Midland Center for the Arts $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Millbrook Christian Reformed Church $200 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $200 12/31/2003 Millennium Park Project $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation $7,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2000 Mission Impossible $250 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $250 12/31/2002 Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund $500,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500,000 12/31/2005 Mothers Without Borders $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2004 Multiple Sclerosis Society - Gateway Chapter $200 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $200 12/31/1999 Munson Medical Center $100 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $100 12/31/2005 Muscular Dystrophy Association of America $200 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $200 12/31/2007 Muscular Dystrophy Association of Grand Rapids $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2001 Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Muskegon County Community Foundation $2,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2003 National Association of Secretaries of State $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, The $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 National Council of Catholic Men $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2000 National Day of Prayer Task Force $30,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2000 National Fatherhood Initiative $55,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/1999 National Kidney Foundation of Michigan $1,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/1999 National Multiple Sclerosis Society $750 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $500 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $250 12/31/2004 National Relief Network $14,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $4,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/1999 National Symphony Orchestra Association $57,970 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $26,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $8,370 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $23,600 12/31/2004 Neighborhood Ventures $500 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $500 12/31/2007 Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 New Era Christian School $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2000 New Faith Temple of God $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 New Focus $25,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/1999 New Focus National $22,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2003 New Urban Learning $200,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $21,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $179,000 12/31/2004 Noorthoek Academy $800 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $400 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $400 12/31/2006 North American Mission Board $250,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $250,000 12/31/2005 North Hills Classical Academy $11,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/1999 North Muskegon Public Schools $100 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $100 12/31/2007 Northern Michigan Christian School Association $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2001 Northwestern Memorial Hospital $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2002 Oakdale Neighbors $2,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2000 Oakland Christian School $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Open Arms Community Development Associates $15,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 Opera Grand Rapids $38,600 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,500 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $7,600 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/1999 Operation Smile $45,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/1999 Orlando Magic Youth Foundation $80,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 P & R Schenck Associates in Evangelism $3,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $3,000 12/31/2005 PIONEERS $3,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2004 Parent's Challenge $6,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 Partners Worldwide $30,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $30,000 12/31/2005 Partners for Christian Development $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Partnership for Learning $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Pathfinder Resources $46,668 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $16,668 12/31/1999 Pensacola Christian College $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Pepperdine University $7,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2000 Perfecting Community Development Corporation $14,100 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $14,100 12/31/2006 Petoskey Harbor Springs Community Foundation $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services $62,500 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $7,500 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/1999 Pine Rest Foundation $15,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,500 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/1999 Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2003 Pontiac Rescue Mission $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2000 Porter Hills Presbyterian Village $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Potter's House $1,212,615 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $200,500 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $102,550 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $325,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $380,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $125,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $65,250 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $14,315 12/31/1999 Potter's House, The $400,400 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $200,400 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $200,000 12/31/2006 Pray America $25,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Pregnancy Resource Center $175,750 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,750 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $15,000 12/31/1999 Pregnancy Services of Greater Lansing $50,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/1999 Preservation Association of Beaver Island $10,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2007 Princeton University $53,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2002 Princeton University - James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions $100,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $50,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2005 Prison Fellowship Ministries $150,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $25,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2002 Project Concern International $250 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $250 12/31/2000 Project Rwanda $30,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $30,000 12/31/2007 Prokect Access $2,500 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,500 12/31/2006 Promise Keepers $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/1999 Public Museum of Grand Rapids $271,870 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $258,800 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $3,500 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $9,570 12/31/2004 Reciprocal Language Partnership $5,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,500 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2005 Rehoboth Christian School $650,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $150,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $50,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $150,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $150,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2001 Relevate Group $125,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $62,500 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $62,500 12/31/2005 Resthaven Patrons $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/1999 Revival Tabernacle Assembly of God $25,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $25,000 12/31/2006 RidgePoint Community Church $636,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $320,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $185,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $30,000 12/31/1999 Right Place, The $2,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/2004 Right to Life of Michigan Educational Foundation $175,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $50,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $25,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $15,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2000 Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, The $29,600 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $24,600 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Roosevelt Park Ministries $4,400 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,400 12/31/2000 Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal $10,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $8,000 12/31/2002 Ryerson Library Foundation $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Safe Haven Ministries $11,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/1999 Saint Mary's Catholic Church $250 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $250 12/31/2005 Salvation Army - Grand Rapids $240,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $205,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2005 Samaritan Center $410,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $400,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 Sapling Foundation $12,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $12,000 12/31/2007 School Choice Wisconsin, Inc. $20,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 School of Choice Wisconsin $10,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 School of Missionary Aviation Technology $11,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Second Ebenezer Baptist Church $6,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $6,000 12/31/2006 Second Harvest Gleaners Food Bank of West Michigan $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Senior Meals Program $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2004 Senior Neighbors $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Sibley Elementary School $700 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $700 12/31/2007 Silent Observer $11,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,750 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $3,500 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,250 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/2001 Snow Bible Church $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 Southeastern Legal Foundation $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2003 Southside Vineyard Fellowship Church $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 Southwest Michigan First Corporation $40,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2002 Southwst Michigan First Corporation $10,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 Sparrow Foundation $200 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $200 12/31/2000 Spectrum Community Services $250 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $250 12/31/2006 Spectrum Health Foundation $4,190 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $4,190 12/31/2007 Spectrum Human Services $6,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $6,000 12/31/2006 Spring Arbor University $24,300 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $4,300 12/31/2004 Spring Hill Initiatives $250,250 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,250 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $100,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $100,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2002 Spring Hill Youth Camp $75,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/1999 Spring Hills Initiative $1,600 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,600 12/31/2006 St. Cecelia Music Society $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 St. Cecilia Music Society $5,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2000 St. Joseph Mercy Hospital $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2002 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Kentwood, Michigan $225 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $125 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $100 12/31/1999 Stephen's Children Foundation $510,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $100,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $200,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $200,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2003 Storytelling Pictures $50,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2005 Straight Gate Church $14,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $14,000 12/31/2006 Sundance Institute of California $2,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2003 Sweet Dreamzzz $2,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Teach Michigan Education Fund $12,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $12,500 12/31/1999 Temple Beth El $250 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $250 12/31/2000 Texas Justice Foundation $25,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2003 That the World May Know Ministries $20,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Thomas More Center for Law & Justice $65,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $50,000 12/31/2000 Thunderbird - American Graduate School of International Management $113,100 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,100 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $56,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $55,000 12/31/2004 TimeOut Ministries $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2002 Todd Phillips Children's Home $20,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2006 Toward Tradition $40,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/1999 Towards Tradition $5,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Tower Education Association $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Tri-Unity Christian School $2,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2000 Trinity Christian School $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 True Faith Church International $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2003 Truth Triumphant $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Truth for Life $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 U.S. Sailing Association $4,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 U.S. Sailing Foundation $24,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,500 12/31/1999 United Negro College Fund $26,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $26,000 12/31/2007 United Negro College Fund - Fairfax, Virginia $2,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2001 United States Central Command Memorial Foundation $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum $89,800 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $29,800 12/31/2004 United Way of Indian River County $2,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 University Preparatory Academy $10,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 University of Michigan Depression Center $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor $6,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2006 Department of Political Science
Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 University of Michigan-University Musical Society $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2000 University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center $10,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/1999 Unlimited Potentials $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts $536,900 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $502,500 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $7,500 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $4,900 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/2003 Valley Luteran High School $250 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $250 12/31/2007 Van Andel Institute $14,100 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $9,100 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 Very Special Arts Michigan $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/1999 Veterans Council of Indian River County $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2004 Vietnam Revisited $1,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2000 Visiting Nurse Association of West Michigan $200 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $200 12/31/2000 Volunteers in Service $7,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,000 12/31/1999 Washington Family Council $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/1999 Wedgewod Christian Services $10,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2006 Wedgwood Christian Youth & Family Services $35,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/1999 West Michigan Sports Commission $1,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2007 Western Theological Seminary $25,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2002 William Tyndale College $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/1999 Willow Creek Association $1,465,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $300,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $300,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $400,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $15,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $150,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $150,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $150,000 12/31/1999 Willow Creek Community Church $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2000 Winning at Home $6,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $5,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $1,000 12/31/2006 Witherspoon Institute, Inc. $25,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $25,000 12/31/2007 Women Impacting Public Policy $25,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $25,000 12/31/2007 Women's Resource Center $100 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $100 12/31/1999 Woodbridge Elementary School $100 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $100 12/31/2007 Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars $20,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Word Investments $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2004 World Affairs Council of Western Michigan $12,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $12,000 12/31/2007 World Vision $173,756 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $116,783 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $3,650 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $18,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,503 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $24,820 12/31/2004 World of Hope Foundation $100,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $100,000 12/31/2004 Worldwide Christian Schools $21,466 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $950 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $6,008 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $4,508 12/31/1999 YMCA - Grand Rapids Downtown $2,500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $2,500 12/31/1999 YMCA Grand Rapids Metropolitan $40,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/1999 YMCA of Marquette County $2,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $2,000 12/31/2007 Yankee Springs Township Park $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2003 Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Foundation $9,940 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $4,940 12/31/2004 Young Life - La Salle Street $1,104 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $1,104 12/31/1999 Young Life - National Office $556,800 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $15,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $10,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $10,000 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $6,800 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $255,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $250,000 12/31/2000 Young Life Greater Grand Rapids $168,000 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $15,000 12/31/2007 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $20,000 12/31/2006 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $40,000 12/31/2005 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2004 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2003 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $20,000 12/31/2002 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $15,000 12/31/2001 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $25,000 12/31/2000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $12,500 12/31/1999 Youth Ministry International $500 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $500 12/31/2006 Youth With a Mission $500 Unrestricted Grant for General Fund $500 12/31/2007 Youth for Christ $500 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $500 12/31/2000 Youth for Christ - Rockford $5,000 Unrestricted Grant to General Fund $5,000 12/31/1999 Zeta Tay Alpha Foundation Inc.
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