A message from Lev, our new CEO.
So what’s happening backstage?
For years I thought I knew Midburn well. I participated, volunteered, led a theme camp, and eventually became a member of the organisation. But now, after two weeks on the job as CEO, I feel I’m only starting to grasp the tip of this iceberg, with its enormous size, beauty and complexity. It's huge in every aspect, the challenges are substantial, but also the opportunities.
I spend most of my time these days learning, brainstorming culture and strategy, crafting a two-year plan, building a team, meeting, interviewing, seeking a new location, and more. It’s so fun waking up before the clock with excitement, and with the privilege to create and to dream. I feel like I learned to walk, and soon I’ll start running.
I’ve postponed this text for a week as our country was boiling, and as I’ve watched our society in turmoil, it grew more clear to me what’s so important in what we do in this home called Midburn. In the spaces we create there is an intimate connection, an open dialogue, clear agreements, and unity which is unrelated to politics. It’s time to act from our hearts, not our minds. I have many thoughts about this which I’ll keep for a later post.
Midburn 2023 - what’s next?
Vision and Strategic Goals
Making the organization a platform for the community to fulfil its vision - Midburn has no target audience, and it's not a commercial production. On the contrary, we are a community which has this organization as a resource and a platform to promote the Burn culture and its Ten Principles every day of the year. This is currently being translated into work plans and exciting calls for proposals. There’s much to look forward to!
Strengthening the Burn culture through our core values - the Ten principles, the transformative experience, the philosophy and culture of the fringe, large scale art, safe spaces, each teach, and more. These will guide us and determine the nature of the events we plan to have, our committees, and our support for the core communities of Midburn - the artists, the camp leaders, and the department heads.
Finding a new location - in the short term, we seek a location to have our event this year, and on the long term, a more permanent location for the years ahead.
Midburn 2023 New Location Update
There’s a very professional and serious team of experienced people dealing with this issue. It is currently working on finding a new location for our city. We are both reviewing previously proposed locations (about 50), seeking new ones, and establishing our specifications and requirements. There are several locations that are the centre of our focus right now and I’m pretty optimistic and believe we will find our right home.
Let’s Create Some Certainty in all This Unpredictability
We’re aiming to have Midburn around October - November.
If no location can be secured early enough, we will have a smaller “Burn in Motion” event around these same dates, and Midburn will be postponed to May 2024.
This requires some flexibility but it also means we will have an event in any case, so let's get it moving - start to dream your gift and self expression, work on installations. Let’s now start to build our teams before the sprint begins. This is the time for training and crafting work plans in your camps and departments. Calls for proposals for art installations and camp registration forms will be published faster than you think.
A New Home - Midburn has a new home base (offices) where we can work! There’s a space where teams can work on projects and installations, and have community or department meetings. We’re plotting to have it redesigned by artists and volunteers. If you know of a company that is getting rid of some good quality furniture, load it up to HaNegev 8 street in Tel Aviv.
Midburn Kick-off Meeting - By the end of May, details soon :)
There’s a lot more to talk about what’s happening right now, but everything in its time.
I wish us all a happy Passover,
that we choose again each morning,
to be confident in our ability realise dreams,
and renew with the coming of spring.
Every morning a man awakens
On the shore of tomorrow’s sea
And asks himself: to part
Or not to part.
Arie Sivan
Happy holiday!
Lev