Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 6:30 p.m., EYEBEAM, 540 West 21st Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues, New York City, NY. Eyebeam Art & Technology Center honored Craigslist founder Craig Newmark at its annual "Freedom & Creativity" fundraising benefit. Proceeds raised from the evening will help underwrite Eyebeam's international fellowship and residency programs for artists and creative technologists, more than 300 of whom have benefited since 1997. Benefit Event Chairs: John S. Johnson and Jazz J. Merton Benefit Committee Chairs: Tatiana Platt and Bryce Wolkowitz Benefit Committee: Jed Alpert, Marc and Caryn Becker, Laura Dawn, Ze Frank, Andrea Harner, Garrett and Maureen Heher, Arianna Huffington, Jaime Johnson, Jonah Peretti, Marc Schiller, Lily Johnson Whitall.Eyebeam Executive Director Amanda McDonald Crowley described Craig Newmark as a natural choice for Eyebeam stating "His commitment to democratic ideals and networked communities is tremendous, and serves as a model for many of us here at Eyebeam." Craigslist began as an email list in 1995 and has today become a widespread and largely free community resource available in as many as 567 cities in 50 countries worldwide, and which receives more than 10 billion hits per month. Craig Newmark is a software engineer by training and has more than 30 years of IT experience at companies such as IBM and Bank of America. Craig now spends his days working as a customer service representative at craigslist. Craig is involved with a variety of community efforts and is particularly interested in organizations promoting public diplomacy, peace in the Middle East, and new forms of media such as participatory journalism. Comedy Central comedian John Mulaney served as the evening’s master of ceremonies. Mulaney, who is originally from Chicago, has been featured on TV shows Conan OʼBrien and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and has performed at numerous festivals nationwide. The New York-based DJ trio The Misshapes and hosts of the now-defunct party of the same name—whose legacy of online party photos and retrospective catalog inspired many a website—performed at the evening’s after-party. The Misshapes are Geordon Nicol, Leigh Lezark and Greg Krelenstein One-night only performances and installations by Eyebeam artists showcased the talent of artists working in the labs. Eyebeam’s exterior will serve as the staging ground for senior fellow Geraldine Juárez’s Hanging Space—hacked scaffolding that functions as literal streetside “hang out” outfitted with a custom-made, construction-lamp chandelier. For guests accustomed to persistent paparazzo, artist Taeyoon Choi’s automated, image-producing robotic ducks will be a quirky replacement. The camerautomata ducks will be responsible for the majority of sidewalk shooting, while Fame Theory’s celebrity ticker kept tabs on art world movers and shakers in a discreet location above the bar. Inside, guests were greeted by a kinetic motion-tracking wall of shimmering light by fellow Addie Wagenknecht, resident Joe Winter displayed his explorations of the unknown, and fellow Zach Lieberman’s Drawn installation will make drawings come to life. Elsewhere around the space, alum Benton-C Bainbridge’s specially commissioned videos were projected onto six screens. PHOTO CREDIT: ©Manhattan Society.com 2008 by Christopher London | e-mail: ChrisLondon@manhattansociety.com