Rhizome.org is a member-supported non-profit organization. We depend on our community for financial support, but we also need their active participation in our programs. When we enacted a $5 membership requirement in January 2003, we thought that such a policy would balance our need for a stable revenue source with our mission to serve new media arts communities around the world. However, having reviewed Rhizome’s usage and subscription statistics and having recognized that online communities now rely on blogs and Google, we have concluded that our membership policy was stifling wide-scale participation in our online programs. We have rethought and restructured our membership policy to make Rhizome more inclusive, relevant, and open.
As of today, anyone, regardless of whether they have donated to Rhizome or not, will be able to post or access Rhizome content from the last year simply by signing up for free. This content includes artworks in the ArtBase, or texts published on Rhizome Raw, or Rare; anyone will be able to subscribe to Raw, Rare and Rhizome Digest, and review discussions from the last year. Artworks and texts that are *more than one year old* will reside in Rhizome Archives. Only Rhizome Members will be able to access the Rhizome Archives. From now on, site users will have to make an annual contribution of $25 to be considered a Rhizome Member.
