Balsa Man 2012 :: Chance

Instead of damning the whims of fate that resulted in last year’s hullabaloo, this year Balsa Man will celebrate serendipity and the fortuitous fiascos which make Balsa Man the wonderful event it is!  …it is 2012 after all, the year the world ends, or at least that’s what I’ve been told.

Any fool can have bad luck; the art consists in knowing how to exploit it. ~ Frank Wedekind

Small Event, Big Changes

As a result of last year’s fated turmoil, Balsa Man is faced with multiple conundrums. It truly was a year of Growing Pains and the Balsa Man Org is getting it’s engines moving early this year in order to tackle these dilemmas.

Where should we host Balsa Man 2012?

This is a big important question and we have created a new location committee to tackle it. Nothing has yet been decided but we want you to know we are taking it seriously as this more than any change effects the future of the event and the Balsa community.

How will we deal with the ticket scarcity problem to keep it both fair and free of dirty rotten scalpers?

Another important question and one we are pleased to announce is solved! We have come up with an innovative solution that is fair, eliminates the problem of scalpers, and best of all is inspired by this year’s theme!

Donors who donate prior to August 2nd 2012 will receive a number of tickets equal to the roll of a 6 sided die +/- their donor level modifier. (see the BPAF donation page for more info)

Additional tickets will only be available at any of the Balsa Man Ticket Casino events leading up to the main event. At the ticket casino, participants can win tickets by playing any number of games of chance including craps, roulette, and bingo! While obviously not everyone will win a ticket to Balsa Man, all participants will have a fair shot!

No tickets are required for kids 12 and under since as tiny humans they are considered art.

]]> http://balsaman.org/2012/02/balsa-man-2012-theme-announcement/feed/ 6 http://balsaman.org/2011/09/give-us-a-little-feedback/ http://balsaman.org/2011/09/give-us-a-little-feedback/#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:39:22 +0000 Colin http://balsaman.org/?p=2079 How was your slight smidgen of experience? Let us know! Each year after the event, Balsa Man staff play video games, read books, and generally procrastinate as a means to avoid having to do anything to do with Balsa Man. This year we promise to at least think about it a little, maybe when we are in the shower.

This year our theme of “Growing Pains” became quite literal what with the chaos of ticket sales, our very hastily trained Gate staff, and the necessitated moderately dramatic relocation. There are may questions and small hurdles for Balsa Man going forward and we would like to hear your feedback — as long as it isn’t excessively loquacious.

A general response highlighting the most prominent feedback will be posted later on the Balsa Blog. We want to hear from new and old Balsars alike. Please email your comments both good and bad to gro.namaslabnull@kcabdeef or in the comments below.

Thanks for taking the tiny amount of time to contribute your thoughts. We promise our intern will at least glean what you have to say. Looking forward to 2012!

Really this is the last time — we swear on our grandmother’s grave. We worked are asses off on this issue so you all better actually read the whole thing this time!

In case you missed last year’s issue of Dress Warm here’s a PDF of the issue! Dress Warm, September 2010 [pdf]

Pre-release copies of the 2011 issue of Dress Warm will be available at tonight and tomorrow’s Balsa Social! Of course, Dress Warm will also be available at the Balsa Man event and the Balsa Black Rock Regional.

And here is a exclusive sneak peak at the cover for the 2011 issue of Dress Warm!

I know many will cry “Balsa Man Has Sold Out!” — this is simply not true. We have made this decision in the best interests of the community. We feel that the optimal way to grow a stronger, better, more inclusive community is to restrict it to people who are willing to put their money where their participation is.

Tickets to Balsa Man 2011 are 10¢ and are available from any official Balsa Man representative — do not buy tickets from unofficial sources! Donors also receive complimentary tickets as part of their donor reward package. Tickets will be also for sale at the gate on a first come first served basis. We encourage you to buy early in case we run out!

Ticket Policy Addendum: No ticket is required for kids 12 and under since as tiny humans they are considered art.

We wanted this ticket to be a beautiful collectors item, but unfortunately due to the last minute nature of this decision our preferred designer was busy. As a result, we are stuck with this tragically mundane ticket design — seriously copperplate bold?!? We apologize and plan to design a better ticket next year. Don’t worry we won’t feel bad if you just throw out your 2011 ticket after the event is over.

Balsa Man Ticket 2011

UPDATE: So it turns out that the “designer” we got to do the tickets—some guy’s nephew’s cousin’s roommate or whatever—decided to surprise us my sending a completely different “hella cool” design to the printers. It’s too late to change anything. The following is the resulting ticket design we are stuck with misspellings and all… I’m at a loss for words… or at least at a loss for words I’m allowed to post here.

The actual ticket design, ugh… growing pains indeed

The theme of Balsa Man 2011 is “Growing Pains”. This year we will focus on growth — it’s fits and starts, it’s pains and pleasures, it’s mistakes and triumphs that are the fuel of growth.

For more info on this year’s theme please visit the home page.

Info on this year’s art grant submission and stickers and patches will be forthcoming.

“We stopped writing Dress Warm because it was just too fucking hard to write and produce multiple issues out on the beach in the space of only a few hours. But then we took a couple years off and got bored with not having an outlet for our snark. We were thinking of changing the name to the Balsa Village Weekly but that just sounded lame. There will only be one issue this year, but we promise it’ll be the best issue of Dress Warm you’ve ever read.”

And we have a exclusive sneak peak at the cover for this year’s Dress Warm!

Get your copy at this year’s Balsa Man! Also, this is the first year Dress Warm will be delivering copies to the Black Rock Desert Balsa Man Regional! So if you are stuck out in the desert make sure to stop by Fandago during the Regional on Friday 5-6pm for your copy of Dress Warm.

]]> http://balsaman.org/2010/08/dress-warm-is-back/feed/ 0 http://balsaman.org/2010/08/avoid-craigslist-scams/ http://balsaman.org/2010/08/avoid-craigslist-scams/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:03:40 +0000 Colin http://balsaman.org/?p=1573

Craigslist Counterfeit Balsa Man Ticket

Looks like our previous post about counterfeit Balsa Man tickets don’t reach out to enough people. We’ve unfortunately found two people on craigslist who didn’t get the message and are looking for Balsa Man tickets.

More alarming we ran across one scammer trying to hoodwink the small minded by selling an obvious counterfeit ticket (see photo).

Also, in our search, we found someone looking for a ride to Balsa Man—we do recommend ride sharing.

Remember folks THERE ARE NO BALSA MAN TICKETS. Balsa Man is purely DONOR SUPPORTED.

Truly Support Tiny Art Through Donations

I know that the utter amazingness of the Balsa Man event can seem unbelievable at times. With all the hucksters online it’s hard to know what to believe these days.

However, know this: we truly do use the proceeds from donations and the sale of patchs, stickers, and engraved x-acto boxes to support tiny artists…

• Every Donor get’s an official letter of donor recognition and a gift depending on their level of donation (see donor award gifts)
• Every Tiny Artist who is awarded a grant is sent a letter of confirmation along with their grant award money and a gift of a Balsa Man sticker (see tiny art grants).
• Donations also pay for materials and supplies for Tiny Art Build Parties.
• The BPAF Art Grant budget relies on you the donor to support tiny art. The more you donate the more tiny art we can support!

Remember last year there was such a high demand for patches that we ran out a couple weeks prior to the event. This year, we made more swank limited edition patches but we still expect to run out and once they run out we won’t make any more. So to get yours donate today!

Tonight, the BPAF will be mailing out all art grant awards and the gift packages to all the donors who’ve given thus far. If you donate today your gift package will be included in this shipment; next shipment won’t be until next week.

Below is one of the better counterfeit tickets we’ve come across.

If you encounter any more of these counterfeit tickets don’t buy them, but please send us photos because they sound freaking awesome!

Due to the record number of tiny art stomping incidents last year, Balsa Man 2010 will have a Deep Playa Protected Art Area fenced off to protect from the potential danger of participant feet. Also this allows for a better viewing of all the tiny art on display! Tiny artists are still allowed to place their art in the Inner Playa Stomping Grounds, but should do so at their own risk.

Speaking of Tiny Art, the Black Pebble Arts Foundation is eager to see your Tiny Art Grant Proposals! Send them in today!

Wee Ranger, photo by Sandwichgirl

Your survival is your responsibility please make sure you read all of this survival guide and the Health & Safety section of the Terms & Conditions.

Arrival Information

We encourage all to arrive by 6pm on Sept 4th to view the tiny art and mingle with the other Balsa Man Participants—don’t be late because Balsa Man is as short as it is tiny.

Early arrival time for Balsa Man volunteers and Tiny Artists is 5:15pm. Participants may actually arrive as early as they want; however, Basla Man DTW has the right to ridicule those who arrive way too early for their own good. It should be noted that there is no camping.

There are no tickets to Balsa Man; however, we welcome your donations which help support tiny art!

Car pooling is recommended as parking may be difficult depending on the location. No need to cram people in the trunk as your car will not be searched at the gate, nor your person—in fact there isn’t even a gate. However, we encourage Balsa Man Greeters. Also, we need volunteers to create this year’s Balsa Burma Shave signs.

Location Information

Balsa Man takes place on the coast of San Francisco. Exact location and directions to Balsa Man will be announced a few days prior to the event via and only on the Tiny Mail List. If you want to come make sure you join this list!

The Balsa Burn

The Balsa Man himself will burn at twilight (8pm). Balsa burns fast so if you show up late or even blink you may miss it! After the man has been reduced to cinders, we will have a solemn ceremony for the burning of the Temple(s)—we had two temples last year. Tiny artists who would like to set their art aflame can do so after the Temple ceremony.

Departure Decorum

Balsa Man ends shortly after 9pm. Please be prepared to clean up and leave shortly after the Balsa Man event is over.

Balsa Man is a Leave No Trace event. Please pack your trash out and do your part by helping the artists and organizers clean up after the event is over.

Drive safe! If you choose to drink at Balsa Man make sure to plan for a designated driver ahead of time. Also, do not twitter and drive! If you must tweet about how much you enjoyed Balsa Man, tweet before you begin driving.

Beach Survival

Balsa Man participants should bring all necessities they need to survive a few hours on the beach. Balsa Man guidelines for beach survival are:

• It can get a mite chilly so bring a jacket and maybe gloves and a hat.
• Once the sun sets, it’ll get dark so bring a flashlight.
• You might want to bring a drink or a snack.
• There is no lifeguard on duty.

And lastly…

We hope to see you at Balsa Man 2010!