HISTORY—Renaming the organization
On December 30, 2010, the board of Action Arts League had a conference call and decided, in recognition of the success of FIGMENT, that they should change the name of the organization to FIGMENT. The name change was accepted by the New York State Department of State on February 9, 2011. The new name of the FIGMENT 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization would be “Figment Project, Inc.” As part of this process, the organization revisited and revised its mission statement, adopting the new mission statement as follows: “FIGMENT’s mission is to build community through the participatory arts, inspiring personal and social transformation by creating cultural events and experiences in a spirit of participation and inclusion.”
In addition, the “FIGMENT Advisory Committee” was renamed the “FIGMENT Governance Council” and several new members (including Jason Turgeon and Peter Durand from Boston) were invited to join the Governance Council. The Governance Council remains the informal group that sets the broad philosophical direction for FIGMENT’s growth and development. A number of FIGMENT board members, including Rob Griffitts, Kevin Johnson, and Matt Goldberg, decided to step off the board at this time, and Debra Keneally and Jimm Meloy were invited to join the board in recognition of their contributions to FIGMENT’s success and promise of future support.
