U.S. Department of Art & Technology
Press Secretary
press@usdept-arttech.net
For Immediate Release: November 13, 2001
PRESIDENT BUSH NOMINATES
RANDALL PACKER AS FIRST
SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY
Calling him "a man of great integrity,
a man of great judgment and a man who knows the arts," President
George W. Bush announced his decision to nominate Randall M. Packer to
serve as the nation's first Secretary of the United States Department
of Art and Technology. Upon confirmation by the Senate, Packer pledged
to renew the war on cultural poverty, reduce the incidence of a one-way
exchange of information between an artwork and a passive recipient, resist
corporate control of media in these times of crisis, and combat discrimination
so no American feels outside the field of aesthetic inquiry of the contemporary
media arts.
Packer's ability to work with artists of all
disciplines prompted his colleagues in the non-partisan interdisciplinary
arts to collaborate on seminal productions of experimental and sometimes
confrontational music-theatre. San Francisco Magazine rated him as "a
bright light on the new media horizon… performing neglected works
that fit into no recognizable category," New Media Magazine described
him as exploring "the latest in multimedia wizardry," while
Washington DC's Citypaper credited him with "documenting, inspiring,
and exploring the emergence of a hi-tech utopia."
Packer has stated he is committed to confronting
artistic constraints by leading the Department of Art and Technology Department
free from anachronistic aesthetics, defined by revolutionary and utopian
practices, and dedicated to upholding the visionary aspirations of the
avant-garde. He has also declared that "to succeed in the 21st Century,
our nation must be prepared to adapt to changes in our social condition
- in how we communicate, where we seek cultural enrichment, and how we
balance our real and virtual lives. The Department of Art and Technology
cannot and must not simply react to changes. We must anticipate them,
thus helping all individuals to have as fulfilling and culturally rewarding
existence as they aspire to have."
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