By Patsy K. Eagan 
Right now in warehouse studios all over Oakland, preparations for Burning Man 2010 blaze ahead. Some artists solder scrap metal while others engineer solar-powered light displays. Sculptural gardens and LED-lit costumes come together in rusty neighborhoods that once bustled with industry. On August 30, the city will export its art to the lonely expanse that is Nevada's Black Rock Desert.
As artists forge their concept of "Metropolis" for this year's event, utopian questions come to mind. How does Burning Man, a week-long art event based on radical self-expression and self-reliance on the playa promote livable cities? Are the guiding principles of Black Rock City and Oakland's city charter viable blueprints for utopia? Or are they diversions from dystopian realities?
This story will explore the relationship between Oakland and Black Rock City, and what the Burning Man culture contributes, and takes away, from Oakland. Some say the city is in the midst of a cultural renaissance and despite the economic recession, burner artists and organizations continue to thrive. A closer look at Oakland's burner culture and the impact of art on city development may guide the decisions of a city facing unprecedented deficits. A better understanding of the symbiotic relationship between art and city could inform public policy.
In addition, this story series examines Burning Man's impact on other U.S. cities. Who are the burners in your town? The essence of burner culture—and its impact in metropolises on and off "the playa"—is the thrust behind this inquiry.
Born and raised in Oakland, California, Patsy K. Eagan has seen the city in many phases of growth. Since she started writing about Oakland seven years ago, she has witnessed a proliferating art scene. She has covered art and culture for publications including Oakland Magazine, Bitch, Elle and most recently for Oakland Local, for which she is a contributing writer and editor. While a master's student in writing at the University of Pittsburgh, she studied utopian literature and urban studies. More recently read Sessions S. Wheeler's historical nonfiction, "Nevada's Black Rock Desert," at the Fourth of Juplaya, an Independence Day for burners.
This story will be published in three parts, each at a length of 500 words. The first installment will take a wide view of the culture from the perspective of a Burning Man scholar and burners across the country. The second in the series will narrow the aperture to Oakland burners and their influence on the city in which they create. The final piece will cover the burn in the Nevada desert, and how the burner culture imagines and reimagines its notions of utopia each year.
The funds required to write this story cover entry to Burning Man, a related event known as Sand by the Ton, and three articles of 500 words each.
