Council Observation

The council meeting I viewed was the Major Transportation and Infrastructure projects sub-committee on 2/1/11. The topic of this discourse was the update about Bridging Broadway. "Bridging Broadway is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to maximize the new casino’s positive effect on Greater Cincinnati. We achieve this mission by connecting stakeholders, sharing concerns, and promoting opportunities."

This discourse went over some of the aspects re the vision statement. Here are some general key points that are factored into the vision statement: pedestrian oriented; mixed use, residential, retail and arts; mixed incomes, not completely gentrified; economic development; connecting surrounding neighborhoods; Be an entertainment district.

The idea is to maintain what is there, connect to historic districts, have good neighbourhood policy, and create a green infrastructure for the development.

A lot of the conversation involved the 6 month research process and updates. The update was by Stephen Samuels, giving his Phase 1 update. He said it is in tandem with Leah’s team, 6 month scope of work, still in the research phase. 1^st half has been defining the study area, proposing primary corridors, looking at base line metrics and demographics, the 3 community dialogues, get the input (for qualitative data to go with the quantitative), to create the policy of: live, work, play. The data comes from every facet that will factor into the casino districts.

A lot of the discussion has been with the 5 surrounding neighbourhoods, Pendleton, central business district, OTR, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Auburn. Working with the community organizations, committees, and property owners. Another aspect has been looking at crime trends, doing a 4 year study. The idea is to look where the crime has moved. 

A lot of the conversation was on the visual ascetics of the surrounding areas, be that the physical infrastructure, lighting, safety, etc. Which is fascinating, because of the criteria in which they were rating the areas, because Art was not a factor. The reason for all of this is how to design routes and structures to accommodate the expected foot traffic around this new corridor.

About 45 minutes into the conversation they mention a little about the "Arts experience." No clue what that means. 

It seems like the overall point of this entertainment district is to overcome the barriers to entry of consumers to downtown. 

What do people get for participating? That is a powerful statement, and one that could be applied to the arts as a whole, not just this project.

There's No Place Like Home...

So, imagine being one of 30 talented artists living in a giant warehouse, converted to artist studios. Suddenly, you find out you are going to be evicted. And not because you haven't paid your rent or you've broken the rules of living in the studios. It's actually because the former owner of the building is in jail and the building has been turned over to the city, who has decided that the run-down warehouse/mansion (weird combo, I know) would provide more use when renovated and made into high end stores and apartments. This is what is happening to the artists of Shanghai's 696 Weihai Road. The city has decided to evict the remaining artists (many of whom have signed contracts with the city to live here) and once the building is renovated, many of them will not be able to afford living there.

So, what's an artist to do when faced with such a challenge. 2 things. The first, is to protest. The second? Stage a kick-ass social media campaign, using all of your creative powers combined!

(one of the pics from the social media campaign)

This movement (supposedly inspired by the Wizard of Oz) by the artists has gained massive amounts of support from the people of Shanghai and it looks like the artists will be getting a reprieve-at least for now. I love that they were able to "stick it to the man" by using their talents to create public support for themselves and their artforms. Well done artists, well done.

(more pictures featured in the Shanghai artist eviction social media campaign)

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Chinese+artists+fight+studio+eviction/23355

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/usa/life/2011-02/09/content_11968339.htm

http://www.shanghaieye.net/english/2011/03/shanghai-artists-plan-%E2%80%98wizard-of-oz%E2%80%99-activity-to-resist-eviction-in-april

Right is wrong, and wrong is right.

I'm sure many of you read this article about the DSO musicians rejecting managements 'final' contract. I have to admit, I'm actually rather surprised that Board kept their word and canceled the rest of the season.

From the Detroit Free Press:

"The musicians rejected management’s final contract offer, and management and the board of directors responded by carrying out a long-promised threat to suspend the remaining 3-1/2 months of the 2010-11 season. Half the season was lost to the 20-week strike already."

Maybe the DSO should start thinking about the Supply and Demand argument that Rocco Landesman brought up.

Though, I am curious to know how much money the DSO saved during the 20-week strike by the musicians. And I'm REALLY curious as to know whether or not canceling the remainder of the season will save the orchestra even more money.

So, what is going to happen next season? No contracts have been signed, programming seems like a shot in the dark, and no ones happy. Where do we go from here?

A while ago I remember having a conversation with one of my professors about the current state of orchestras in the US. My professor presented a rather interesting question:

If you're faced with the choice of losing your dream or taking a pay cut - which do you choose?

:sigh:

Ah well. I guess we'll have to wait and find out.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110219/ENT04/110219009

Sharing information

As this program reaches to an end I would like to share a link where arts supporters, artistic directors, board members, artists and everybody involved in the arts can look for some ideas on how to support the arts. Anyone interested in arts can find conferences about public policy, cultural economics, cultural legislations, sociology of culture, budgets, marketing, management and many other areas of interest. An interesting fact about this site is that there are conferences from many countries, therefore many different cultures, lifestyles and of course politics. It is a great tool to get new ideas that might be implemented in our local environment.

Today I want to share with you a video about Culture and Politics. In this video John Holden talks about the reality for many museums and almost any other artistic organization. I will not repeat what the speaker says since he does a great job by himself. But I will tell you something about him.

John Holden was previously Head of Culture at Demos and is a Visiting Professor at City University. He has Masters Degrees in law and art history and his main professional interest is in the development of people and organisations in the cultural sector. He has been involved in numerous major projects across the sector, from libraries to music to heritage, and has worked with many organisations both large and small. He was a principal organiser of the influential Valuing Culture conference in June 2003, and has developed a theme of work around the topic of cultural value. John has spoken at many conferences in the UK, and also in Finland, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

http://vimeo.com/2103263

Cincinnati City Council Meeting

On February 24, 2011, I attended the Cincinnati City Council Meeting. The meeting was run by Mayor Mark Mallory, and I thought the the issues presented were very interesting. The first item that was discussed was an emergency ordinance that authorizes the city manager to submit a substantial amendment to the City of Cincinnati 2010 consolidated plan to the department of housing and urban development. There was a process of yes/no votes, and then the ordinance was approved. The next several items also went through the same voting process.

- An emergency ordinance that customizes the appropriation of $1 million dollars for the purpose of providing for the current expenses for the year 2011.
- An emergency ordinance that authorizes the city manager to apply and accept an appropriated grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
-An emergency ordinance that authorizes the city manager to establish terms and conditions for the presentation of the "Taste of Cincinnati."
-An ordinance to authorize the city manager to establish terms and conditions for the presentation of "Oktoberfest."

After this business portion, the meeting presented different announcements from various committees. For example, the Quality of Life committee will meet to discuss the "Green Cincinnati" plan and evaluate environmental efforts. Another example is the Job Creation committee which will discuss the number of job loss that the city will encounter, in addition to the loss in tax revenue.

As an international student, this was my first time to attend a council meeting. It was an interesting experience to see the variety in issues presented during the Council meeting. I thought that the agenda items would fuel lengthy discussions; however, all of the agenda items were agreed upon using a quick yes/no voting system.

Oklahoma: Dilemma with Public Art and Funding Measures

The Oklahoma House subcommittee suspended a law that requires a percentage of the funds spent on public projects to be used for public art. Under House Bill 1665, Rep. Leslie Osborn says that this will eliminate the Arts in Public Places Act for the next three years.

The Arts in Public Places Act was initially passed in 2004. Whenever the state has building renovations or projects that cost $250,000 or more, 1.5% of the cost is allocated towards public art projects. More recently, the Arts in Public Places program has been suffering due to revenue shortfalls. $500 million is the anticipated deficit for the upcoming fiscal year for the state of Oklahoma. Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said that “We ought to be building a lot more bridges than pictures of buffaloes on freeway walls,” while Rep. Leslie Osborn said: “Government needs to focus on its core functions.”

Public art programs add vibrancy and excitement to a city. I believe that politicians need to start supporting artistic projects instead of cutting them for the sake of balancing the budget.

http://newsok.com/law-deferring-arts-program-passes-panel/article/3542879

Arts Education Decline for Minorities: Why?

According to a new report by the National Endowment for the Arts, fewer U.S. children are getting access to arts education, especially minorities (African-Americans and Hispanics). The research results report a drop to 50% in the number of adults who received any kind of arts education during their childhood. Also, only 26% of African-American citizens surveyed in 2008 reported getting any sort of arts education. For the Latino population, the figure of individuals receiving arts education has decreased to 28%. The question is: who’s to blame for this problem? Is it the schools?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2011/02/new_study_suggests_arts_ed_for.html

The NEA and Arts Participation

The NEA recently reported that 75 percent of Americans participate in the arts, according to a recent survey. The survey took into consideration the use of electronic media, and what is interesting is that 53 percent of all American adults pinpointed electronic media as their delivery system. In addition, 75 percent of all adults interacted with the arts, not only through electronic media, but also by attending arts events or creating art. In the 2008 Public Participation in the Arts Survey (2008), only 34.6% of adults attended a live performance (opera, ballet, jazz, plays) or visited a museum.

The survey results also mention that 18 percent of adults used mobile devices and the internet to access classical music, while 15% of adults accessed Latin music through these avenues. It is worth noting how new media has expanded people’s access and reach to the arts. Arts organizations need to leverage social and upcoming media to reach out to their audiences and spread their art.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/24/AR2011022407296.html

Collaboration with Non-Arts Groups Good for the Arts

The Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which has been mentioned in several posts, recently launched Legacy Destination weekends that will be held throughout the year to showcase projects and organizations that have received funding through the amendment. Each month, one community in the state will feature activities such as arts performances, fishing tournaments, tours of historic buildings and towns, trail walks, and other activities held by organizations that have been supported by the amendment. The weekends, which are being organized by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Conservation Minnesota, Explore Minnesota Tourism and local community groups, are an opportunity to celebrate the amendment and also showcase how the fund has helped improve the state’s outdoors and arts and cultural assets.

While the amendment is still in its infancy, having been passed in 2008, there is still the need for public awareness to show how the funds have been used to benefit the state so far. This comes at a time when Minnesota is facing a $6.2 billion budget deficit and legislators are looking for any ways they can to fill the gap – including impeding on the Legacy Amendment (despite the wording of the law that says amendment funds “must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute”). While this is a serious concern, the good news is that there are many different types of stakeholders who came together to pass this amendment and who would be willing to defend it.

Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment is a good example of how to bring together multiple interest groups to help reach a common goal – supporting the organizations and projects that make a place special. This is why several Ohio organizations are looking at doing the same type of thing in the state. And this same type of collaboration can be used in Cincinnati’s discussions on how to brand the city – it can’t just be about the arts or baseball or the parks or Fountain Square. But it can be all of these and more.

When talking about what makes a place unique, it seems that arts messages have a better chance of being heard when they are built into a larger dialogue with other types of advocates (whether it be the environmental folks or historical supporters or others). Ohio seems to be on the right track and hopefully Cincinnati will take note.

Sources:
http://exploreminnesota.com/travel-ideas/legacy/index.aspx

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/statewide/archive/2011/02/legislators-eye-legacy-fund-to-balance-budget.shtml

http://www.theamendment.org

City Council Meeting

I attended the city council meeting on February 16th. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend a meeting that pertained specifically to the arts. This meeting was perhaps not the best to judge the city council by as it was very brief and did not go into detailed discussion on the items. Roxanne Qualls, the vice mayor of Cincinnati, ran the meeting. It began with resolutions to honor two citizens. David Allen was honored for his work as music director at St. Williams church since 1961 and a "David Allen" day was proclaimed. So at least the arts were mentioned in some small way! Then the recently deceased Roberta McClain was recognized for her work in Cincinnati and her widower was given a certificate in honor of her. While these recognitions were very nice, they seemed like empty gestures made in front of an almost empty room just for the council members to be able to say that they honor local citizens.

After the pledge of allegiance the business portion of the meeting began. There were about 30 items on the agenda and for the most part they were run-through very quickly with just yes or no votes. I was surprised and became very wearisome of how many times they had to go through the yes/no process. There was only real contention over one item. One of the council members was upset that it didn't pass because a member who had promised to vote yes was not present. I was never clear where she had gone, on a bathroom break or been called away for a moment, but she came back and there was a call to re-consider. With her there the motion did pass. Item 27 was a motion to help the Clifton IGA work with local tax officials to be able to re-open. A council member made a speech imploring the passage of this motion by talking about the 50 jobs that would be restored if IGA could re-open. It did pass. The meeting was wrapped up with announcements by committees about upcoming meetings and birthdays.

I was surprised how little discussion there was about any of the motions. I expected there to be more argument over passage and to get to hear more about Cincinnati politics. I have since watched pieces of other meetings in the online videos and it appears that more of that usually happens. Perhaps it didn't on this day because the mayor was not there, or maybe all the items just happened to be very straight forward. I was also surprised by the process that had to be repeated over and over and over again when passing items. This kind of thing is what defines bureaucracy negatively in my mind. However, it was very interesting to go and observe the process of local government. So much emphasis is put on learning how the federal government works, but it is the local government that most impacts our day-to-day lives and this is the first time I have ever seen it at work.

Cincinnat: Arts Mecca of the Midwest?

Last week I attended the Quality of Life meeting at City Council with several other classmates. Tom Mariner of Express Magazine gave a very compelling and intelligent presentation about the Cincinnati arts scene that I found both inspiring and disheartening in many ways. His presentation brought up many good points about the way that Cincinnat is viewed by "outsiders" and residents alike and as a future arts administrator, I believe that they way we approach these factors could truly affect our the success of our organizations. I'd like to discuss several of Mariner's key points here and how they relate to the arts.



1. Cincinati Chamber Website

Mariner points out that the Chamber website promises that Cincinnati has "Something for Everyone!" which really translates to most readers to mean there is "Nothing for me." The "something for everyone" catchphrase means we really don't know who the hell we are as a city, and therefore, choose to take the easy way out. People are attracted to activities that make them feel special, where they can express their individualism and uniqueness, yet also feel that they are part of a larger group on some level. The arts has this ability. Vast experiences, repertoire, and interpretations of performing and visual arts allows audience members to express their individuality yet still participate on a group level. Tom Mariner is right. The arts would be a GREAT solution to this problem.



2. CinciUSA.com

This website claims Cincinnati as the "Arts Mecca of the Midwest." I have to say, I agree. Where else in the midwest (besides Chicago) can you find a Tony award winning regional theatre, one of the top 10 orchestras in the country, an opera company that attracts the biggest names in the business season after season, ...that is just the bare surface of what Cincinnati has to offer. However, no one knows it. What is Cincinnati known for? Not all of this great arts and culture, (which, considering the size of the city is pretty freaking remarkable) but it's ragtag losing football team which can't seem to keep it's players out of jail. And the Reds. Alright, I'll give you that one. Sometimes the Reds actually make me proud to live here. But only sometimes. The arts, however, make me proud to live here ALL the time. I constantly find myself defending Cincinnati to people who call it the "Nasty" or complain that there isn't anything to do here. When I do go into defense mode, I find myself using arts as the prime example. Since the city itself seems to be focused on promoting the aforementioned sports teams (which aren't really doing much to improve the nickname of CinciNasty, I should add) it seems to fall to US to promote the arts here. And by us, I mean all lovers of the arts. Why is it that our society chooses to see a losing football team of criminals as a necessity, but the arts, which promote communication, community, and enligthenment are seen as expendable? (Thesis paper anyone?)



3. Branding

Mariner talks about how Cincinati should use the arts as part of the branding of the city. In his presentation, he describes that branding involves:
1. A story
2. A promise to be true to who we are
3. A unique set of assets and attributes.

Once again, Mariner is right on the money. The arts provide all of these things for Cincinnati. Certainly more history and better stories than anything else in this city, with the exception of Oktoberfest perhaps. The arts and arts leaders in this city are always true to who we are (we have to be-we actually have missions and all that crazy stuff) and certainly the arts provide a unique set of assets and attributes.

So what is City Council waiting for?

Arts in Cincinnati Rated as "Sustainable"

Recently, The Columbus Foundation and AMS Planning and Research from Fairfield, Connecticut completed a study focusing on the sustainability of the arts market in Columbus. Unfortunately, the Columbus market was given the lowest ranking of "Viable" which means the market has the capability to function in the short‐term, but is limited in the capacity to adapt and grow.

The study examined the Columbus arts market over a 10 year period (1999-2009), and found a few distressing signals. The study found that there has been major drop in earned revenue in the sector, with a decline of 27.3% ($4.8 million). Corporate contributions increased by a mere $285,000 (5.0%). The study was also able to better analyze the Columbus market by comparing to 14 other similar cities. Using this data, they found that per capita public sector support in the arts in Columbus is well below average in the benchmark cities. Using national benchmarks, the arts sector is undercapitalized by $100 million.

Interestingly, Cincinnati was included as a benchmark city and was rated as "Sustainable", meaning the market has the ability to meet present needs, but also to generate enough resources to deliver on mission in a changing environment. Four benchmark cities were rated the highest rating of "Vital", which means there is access to sufficient resources to allow the organization to fulfill its mission, reinvest in its future, and maximize its public value by evolving to meet future needs: Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Kansas City. I found this comparison extremely interesting, as I was unaware the arts markets in nearby cities like Indianapolis or Cleveland were so strong.

The timing of the release of this survey is interesting because it aligns in some places with the supply and demand debate stemming from Rocco's comments (which has been discussed at length on this blog). The study found that the four "Vital" cities had a few important things in common:

1. Sustained philanthropic leadership, especially from institutional donors
2. Dedicated tax revenue streams; often both on the local and state level
3. There has been a successful alignment of goals and messaging with broader civic objectives
4. Collaborative arrangements to increase awareness and sales, such as centralized event calendars and cultural district collaborations
5. The sector has permitted contraction, i.e., some arts organizations have closed their doors

This finding is very interesting, and shows that perhaps Rocco Landesman is on to something with his comments about supply and demand. Other markets might take note of this study and really look at where there can be some consolidation. At the very least, organizations (especially small-medium sized organizations) should continuously examine whether there are opportunities in their market to create partnerships that will allow sharing of resources and capital. This is a healthy practice for any industry.

Another of the important characteristics of the vital markets was that they had dedicated tax revenue streams. This shows that it important for arts organizations to continue to appeal to their local and state governments for support

Columbus Foundation Press Release

Major League Arts??

Like several of my fellow classmates, I also attended the Quality of Life committee meeting last week and listened to Thom Mariner's presentation on the idea of branding Cincinnati by promoting its amazing depth and range of arts and culture experiences. Thom's presentation was very convincing and made a great case for showcasing Cincinnati's arts to people outside of Cincinnati. I won't go into the details of that presentation because my classmates have done such a great job of describing it already.

There was one part of the meeting that did stand out to me, however. This was when councilwoman Quinlivan explained that some people had the idea that Cincinnati should be branded as the "Birthplace of Baseball". She suggested tying in Cincinnati's baseball history with our arts scene and promoting that Cincinnati has "Major League Arts". I don't think that this is the correct way to frame a message about Cincinnati's arts and culture to the rest of the world. Using sports lingo to promote the arts seems like the wrong approach to me because in the battle of sports vs. arts, unfortunately sports will almost always win with the majority of the U.S. population. Attending a sporting event is a completely different experience than attending an arts event, and the customers of the two different types of events often value different things.

Overall, I don't think that tying a sports reference to Cincinnati's arts will be helpful in promoting them. It muddles our message and doesn't help us to focus on the diversity and quality of the arts in Cincinnati, which is a major strength for the city.

Protecting Ohio's Heritage

As Ohio’s statewide arts advocacy service organization, Ohio Citizens for the Arts works to secure public funding for the arts. Discussions of slashes to the National Endowment for the Arts continue in Washington, and the advocacy efforts of organization’s like Ohio Citizens for the Arts are critical to retaining as much of the NEA’s budget as possible. The organization is focused on its mission, and it is attempting to affect policy in a new way.

Five Ohio organizations have joined forces to form the Coalition in support of “Protecting Ohio’s Heritage.” The Ohio Citizens for the Arts, Friends of the Ohio Historical Society, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio League of Conservation Voters, and Ohio Soil and Water Districts are the first of other potential organizations that may participate in this effort. The Coalition states,

“There are few things that make Ohio a special place, that improve our lives and help define us. Our arts and culture, our land, our lakes and rivers, our history; these assets are the core of what it means to be an Ohioan.”

The goal of the Coalition is to create a statewide ballot issue that will dedicate revenue to protect Ohio’s arts, culture, historic, and natural assets. This policy mirrors the Minnesota’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which passed in November of 2008. The amendment stated that the sales and use tax rate would be increased from 6.5% to 6.875% on taxable sales until the year 2034—revenue which would be decided to protect drinking water sources, land, arts and culture organizations, parks and trails, and bodies of water. 19.75% of the new revenue created a new Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, which generated about $8 million in FY2010 and $54.5 million in FY2011.

If a similar amendment were passed in Ohio, $26 million could be generated to preserve Ohio’s arts and cultural heritage. The Coalition is currently in Phase I of their policy work. This includes such actions as research, polling, and focus groups to gather public opinion; legal research to draft ballot language and rationale; and economic impact analysis from a variety of sectors within the Coalition. The group is also utilizing strategy and communications firms to lead the process.

Again, like Arts Power Chicago, we have another example of collaborative advocacy in an effort to support the arts. In this case, the collaboration involves organizations that have a range of interests that collectively support not only the arts but also parks, natural resources, and historic sites. The research and analysis going into the process is deliberate and inclusive, which will hopefully help garner public support for the proposed ballot issue.