Cultural Policy Review Website | Lane Arts Culture Dialogues Website

New (9/15/2006). Consultants' Situation Paper for comment or annotation. Visit this page: situation-paper.

Creative Conversation #4, May 15, 2006

Summary Notes

Question: What is the mission/shared vision/policy statement that (we) (arts community) could advocate to the City?

Underlying principles

• Recognize the reciprocal relationship between the arts community and the city. We are willing to do our part to make this happen; we expect them to be responsive.
• It’s important that both fringe and established organizations and artists are valued.
• The mission should come from continued, shared dialogue.
• The vibrancy of the arts in a culture is defining of the community’s vitality, and is of great historical importance.
• Assume we want to increase the vibrancy of arts in the city and that artists are the indicator of the city’s livability.
• If the city is calling itself the world’s greatest city of arts and the outdoors, they need to put their money and other forms of support where their mouth is.
• Art is an identifier of the community. Art expresses more than the individuality of the artist—it expresses the culture of the community as a whole. This becomes a selling point for community development.
• Focus on larger initiatives: incentives, bigger % for arts, art space
• Opportunities for participation in the arts must be diverse/broad, but also opportunities for deeper, ongoing involvement and more meaningful engagement.

Overarching vision/mission

• Foster education, cooperation, creative endeavor, new and emerging arts leaders.
• Vision:

• It should be about downtown. Downtown should be a space for art and artists; create incentives for this. Breadth and inclusivity are important to that. Opportunities for lots of different people, not just the standard gallery crowd.
• Incubator facility such as is created for small business. Infrastructure: printing facilities, networking.
• There must be a recognizable focal point for the arts community, like an art center.
• In the reciprocal relationship between the city and the arts community, there will be clear areas of responsibility. Arts organizations will understand what their responsibilities are for this collaboration.
• The arts will draw new businesses to the region.
• Opportunities for participation in the arts must be diverse/broad, but also opportunities for deeper, ongoing involvement and more meaningful engagement.
• The arts community will become more diverse, e.g. more ties to faith communities.
• The city’s recognition of the arts should include arts in schools and outside schools.

• Recognition of players (e.g. city, business, education): their roles and responsibilities in creating a community heritage
• The city is responsible for designation of arts districts by signage, maps, directories, logo, branding.
• The city is a partner in creating shared infrastructure (e.g. printing facilities), facilitating activities that all nonprofits do on their own, but that could be better done collaboratively.
• The city has roles/responsibilities in art acquisition and preservation: public art.
• The city must officially promote the value of the arts.
• A great variety of free, open resources should be available to all, used to extend relationships with the arts community. The city locates these resources and makes them available.
• Importance of cooperation skills—a substantive area the city could provide (e.g. Stanford cooperation studies)
• Role of government: create a hospitable environment for development without displacing people who are already there.
• A point person in the city for the arts community.
• The city should be responsible for disseminating information about arts availability.
• The city is facilitator of shared resources that promote a healthy arts community, economy, and experience.
• The city needs to officially acknowledge the value of the arts, and recognize what other communities have done (e.g. art shows in Springfield City Hall). This sends a message that art is important.
• Role of the city and arts organizations, working together, in helping to foster a diverse arts community.
• In the reciprocal relationship between the city and the arts community, there will be clear areas of responsibility. Arts organizations will understand what their responsibilities are for this collaboration.
• A chamber of commerce for the arts: a professional association that becomes a vehicle for getting, e.g. low cost loans, tax incentives, lower membership rates to other associations. Create a visible presence others could identify to have a dialogue with; anyone can be a member. Is this a role for Lane Arts Council, or does it go beyond what LAC does?
• The arts community has a point person for the city

Participation/access

• It’s important that both fringe and established organizations and artists are valued.
• All people can see themselves as part of the arts community and as artists.
• Access to a variety of activities
• Various entry points to the arts, in terms of cost, experience, and audience appeal
• A chamber of commerce for the arts; anyone can be a member.
• The conversations keep going when Creative Conversation is through.
• Downtown should be a space for art and artists; create incentives for this. Breadth and inclusivity are important to that. Opportunities for lots of different people, not just the standard gallery crowd.

• The arts community will become more diverse, e.g. more ties to faith communities.
• The city’s recognition of the arts should include arts in schools and outside schools.

Transformation and education

• Urban revitalization
• Education
• Education is an important component of a healthy arts community, economy, and experience. Art is a necessity. Promote educational opportunities through existing organizations and as a component of arts policy.
• Art is an identifier of the community. Art expresses more than the individuality of the artist—it expresses the culture of the community as a whole. This becomes a selling point for community development.
• The arts will draw new businesses to the region.

Programmatic suggestions

• Percent of space in new housing dedicated to artist space: rehearsal, studio, classroom, office.
• Provide protection and capital for incubation of startup organizations and artists.
• Public works:

• Empty storefronts: pressure landlords to make windows pretty, install art
• Get rid of eyesores
• Penalty for keeping buildings empty, incentives to keep them occupied.

• Focus on larger initiatives: incentives, bigger % for arts, art space
• Incubator facility such as is created for small business. Infrastructure: printing facilities, networking.
• There must be a recognizable focal point for the arts community, like an art center.

 

Financial suggestions

• Put dollars into the arts community.
• Corrective policy/bureaucracy-limiting actions
• Does cultural development plan focus only on “save the Hult”? or is there a broader mission?
• Get rid of prohibitive regulations.

Action steps

• Write up notes in categories (done)
• Post notes on Lane Arts Council web site. Add page with link.(done - 20060523 - Ben)
• Create listserv through Center for Cultural Policy. Members can post. Anyone can join the list and write to everyone through the list. (Done - Lori Hager is host. Instructions at http://lanearts.org/advocacy/conversations)
• Better communication among arts community members, to have better participation at meetings
• On-line dialogue
• Help for Ben: to get more people involved (Laura Young and Angela Henderson volunteered)
• Find out when consultants will be in town. (Update: Thursday, June 15, 1:15-2:45. Location TBD)
• Invite mayor’s committee of 30 to a Creative Conversation?
• Creative Conversation becomes an event that people don’t want to miss
• City and large arts organizations invited to comment
• Resources: Tree Bressen (treegroup.info), Metamedia Cooperation 3 (March 3 2007)