ScottsBigMouth

Chicago MediaHub Project Update Call Tuesday Night!!!

Dear ScottsBigMouth Community:

Tuesday, August 4th is a big day for The Chicago MediaHub Project, as we're taking the wrapper off our plans for this new project. As you may or may not be aware, I first proposed the idea for this project way back in 2005, but alas the time was not quite right for it to come to fruition. Earlier this year, in March, I wrote a piece here on ScottsBigMouth about starting a "new kind of media station," and tomorrow marks the real beginning of that journey, first proposed in 2005. It is a follow-up for my call for local journalists to take our destiny into our own hands, as I wrote back in February.

At 7PM CST (8PM EST / 6PM MST / 5PM PST) Tuesday night, we'll be gathering our collective talents together for the first Chicago MediaHub Project Update conference call. We have secured a dial-in conference number for all participants through our conference call provider of 1-218-936-4700, ACCESS code 15721. This is a national conference call which will be recorded and reposted at the Chicago MediaHub Project site for public review, as well as here on ScottsBigMouth.com.

The Foval Group Inc. / ScottsBigMouth Media Ventures will be hosting the call with our invited participants to discuss the project status (10-20 minutes) and provide an extensive Q&A period for participants to discuss the project with me, Scott Foval, and other project participants. I would like to encourage the local ScottsBigMouth.com community to participate.

Please register in advance for the call at The Chicago MediaHub Project Google Group website at http://groups.google.com/group/chicagomediahub so we know who's on the call. You will also be able to live-comment by sending email to scott@foval.com with "CONFERENCE QUESTION" in the subject line.

I hope you can join us on the call. If you have any advance questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly at our NEW MAIN NUMBER FOR THE FOVAL GROUP / THE CHICAGO MEDIAHUB PROJECT / SCOTTSBIGMOUTH: 1 (773) 570-0011 or email scott@foval.com (best way). Thank you, and see you then! Scott Foval President, The Foval Group Inc. Founder, The Chicago MediaHub Project Host, ScottsBigMouth.com

scott@foval.com EMAIL

1 (773) 570-0011 MAIN NUMBER

http://www.Foval.com THE FOVAL GROUP CORPORATE WWW http://www.ScottsBigMouth.com SCOTTSBIGMOUTH BLOG http://www.HuffingtonPost.com/scott-foval HUFFINGTONPOST BLOG http://groups.google.com/group/chicagomediahub CMHP GROUP SITE http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottsbigmouth LINKEDIN

Art Institute's Modern Wing Opening, Countering Criticism With "Free" Kind Of

The Art Institute of Chicago is pulling out all the stops, including the price of admission, to introduce its new Modern Wing the week following May 16. Not quite without its share of controversy, the embattled Institute announced to donors/members this morning in an email the opening of the new wing on Saturday May 16, 2009, and invited everyone to come FREE.

The Institute is apparently listening to the criticism that is swirling on the front pages of the papers and blogs here, as they've decreased the regular free days down to Thursday nights--which local alderman have decried as against the original charter of the venerable institution.  In the email inviting people to come on down and celebrate the new Renzo Piano–designed Modern Wing, the institute announced a whole week of free-ness during the week following the 16th so that we huddled masses can get in and break the place in properly, with our feet.

Unfortunately there was not an immediate announcement that the Institute will reinstate free Tuesdays or any other free days beyond the opening week. But we all should take the opportunity to check out what lies within while it IS free, and tell the AI folks that it SHOULD BE FREE MORE OFTEN in a recession, NOT LESS--after all the City does support them somewhat.  Before then, if you have an inkling to join the Art Institute, so you can get in cheaper than full price, well they're featuring a special discount on membership on their website at http://www.artic.edu/joinaic, but its NOT FREE.