Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce ‘ÆQAI’?
‘I’ as in ‘bIte ‘ and ‘qai ‘ as in ‘sKY’ . In truth, you may pronounce it any way you like.
Are the letters of ‘ÆQAI’ an anacronym?
No. The Aequi (spelled with a ‘u’) were the peoples that the Cincinnatus of early ancient Rome conquered upon his famous brief tenure as a ‘temporary’ dictator. They serve as a symbol for the arts community: the avant-garde rebels and then is reassumed into the general culture. ‘ÆQAI’ is a mispelling from one of Livy’s texts. Its rarity allowed for easy domain registration and incorporation without legal issues. It is also a marketing nightmare, since people cannot spell nor pronounce it. However, we have found that the arts community enjoys this quirky touch.
The text on the site is small. Can you enlarge it? I can’t read it…
You can enlarge it via your browser! For Internet Explorer, use ‘Control +’ or go to your text size settings under the ‘View’ tab. Mozilla and Safari are similar.
Why the Latin mosaics and words?
As part of our fun with the idea of Cincinnatus and the Aequi, we have kept the ancient Roman aesthetic and terminology throughout. Also, it is a symbol of rooting the journal in the tradition of classical rhetoric. We are a new form of e-publication but wish to remain true to the traditions of discourse.
The ‘A’ and the ‘E’ are stuck together in the journal’s name…That is the medieval ligature of ‘A’ and ‘E.’ We find it elegant.
Are you a Blog?
No, but we use blogging technology. Blogs also tend to be single-author publications of personal writing, although even that is often not the case for large web sites. We meet monthly, discuss the exhibitions in the area and plan out our articles to the best of our abilities.
Why monthly?
A quarterly journal typically will produce four main articles and then several auxiliary ones. We have broken that down to a monthly format, hence one main article and two auxiliary. By publishing monthly, we hope to highlight shows or themes while they occur, i.e. we wish that people will visit shows, not just read about them. It also forces us at times to write more, since we have a publishing schedule. Finally, a publishing schedule is important for advertisers.
Why regional? Isn’t that narrow?
The danger of the internet is that contemporary humanity is living with simulacras instead of encountering real objects. Though national journals are certainly necessary, we reject such a format since they move people even farther away from actual art objects/shows (the artworks discussed in them are rarely, if ever, experienced directly by their readership). Such periodicals are really about power and exposure (seductive illusions), whereas ÆQAI is about empowering our community into involvement, exhibition attendance and self-awareness.
Do you have a listing of the current exhibitions in the region?
What does it cost to run this? How are you funded?
It is the ‘big question’ of all online periodicals. Outside of labor, it doesn’t cost much at all. We have operated 2009 on a voluntary basis with the hope of improved finances. The contributors have been especially selfless in this regard. With such a start, I believe the journal will always be grounded in this initial impulse. However, if we were able to fund the writers a fair amount for their efforts, pay the editor, programming etc. for their work, we could easily compensate everyone well for under $25,000 (that is less than a typical receptionist’s salary). How do we get this sum? We will be doing a multi-pronged effort of advertising slots, competitions, non-profit grants and donations, book sales, fundraisers (like this one), and charitable donations. We did not have an underwriter for 2009, but then we are proactive people: act, and then seek a financial response later. Another means of funding this journal would be to have the editorial/programming role assumed as a part-time position of an existing arts/educational entity. This would eliminate a fair amount of the cost, leaving all funding for the writers and graphic work.