Archive: July, 2008
Thirty-nine people braved lightning and drenching rain on July 23rd to participate in the latest Big Canvas community forum in
Working in three small groups, participants were led by moderators. Given the limited two-hour time frame, event co-founders Harris Sokoloff and Chris Satullo instructed attendees to “explore and clarify” disagreements, not solve them.
A majority of those in attendance made a portion of their livelihood from the arts. Some worked for local organizations. Others were poets, artists or actors. All of them brought with them a deep passion for the importance of arts and culture in people’s lives. It also left many of them completely nonplussed that people could discount the value of arts and culture.
Arts and culture are good for the economy, as one participant pointed out. “Yes, but everyone is making money but the artist,” said one gallery owner, who announced his gallery would be closing soon.
It’s clear that many in the group felt their work or their organization was overlooked. Not enough volunteers. Not enough patrons. Not enough funding. And most importantly, not enough love. They pour their hearts and souls into the museum or the theater company or the gallery and not enough people appreciate it, value it or support it. Naturally, you could sense immediate kinship between folks that could empathize with each other. There were lots of nodding heads and knowing murmurs of agreement.
I thought the conversation started to get interesting when the moderators asked participants to list major obstacles to the continued arts and culture diversity of this area. Among the most interesting reasons suggested:
- Failing to adapt as times change. One participant pointed out that some institutions have done things the same way for more than a hundred years. They are appealing to the same audience, which is getting older and smaller each year. The question is “how to engage without compromising,” added another attendee.
- Too much of a good thing. Everyone agrees that the sheer number of arts and culture organizations in the area creates a rich patchwork. However, it can also exacerbate the scarcity of resources, both human and financial. There is a dilution of the qualified leaders, willing volunteers, talented participants and dedicated funding forcing especially small organizations to compete with other groups.
- Standardized testing in schools. In an effort to meet benchmarks mandated by No Child Left Behind schools have been forced to take resources and time away from art and music programs. This creates the risk of a whole generation of young people without the building blocks for life-long art appreciation.
The list of obstacles generated in the small groups was mostly abstract. It wasn’t until participants were given the exercise of deciding how to allocate $60 million annually to the arts institutions or programs that the conversation moved from the abstract to the concrete.
The discussions of all three groups hit on three common themes: lack of transportation to suburban venues, poor communication about programs and events and the need for arts education in schools. Some of the suggestions for how the money should be spent included:
- Giving cultural passes to students of a specific age
- Subsiding art and culture organization ticket prices
- Designing programs geared toward connecting students to art
- Creating a transportation network to get patrons to organizations far from public transportation
- Funding small, local arts groups
- Developing spaces for artists to live and work
- Providing micro-grants for individual artists
- Publicizing arts happenings with a dedicated daily radio spot and website
One group went as far as creating a holistic three-phase plan that would provide capital and maintenance funding, pay for the build-up of programs by those organizations and then market the improvements. Not bad for a five-minute discussion.
Generally, the participants were good at keeping to the task at hand. Most tried to stay away from politics. The few political references I heard were met with silence and lots of shifting in chairs.
There were several light moments, including one that showed the desperation of small organizations. In each group, participants went around a circle explaining why they had attended. One woman, an actress and artist, described how much she missed the vibrant arts and culture in southern
As a final exercise, the groups were asked to list other relevant community issues. Not surprisingly, sprawl, violence, health care, schools, affordable housing, the economy and the environment made it on to many of the lists. Next, participants were asked to decide on spending for the arts verses each of these issues. It was during the show of hands that the dedication of the participants came through. Some were unwilling to yield any funding to other problems. “Not a dollar,” one man said.
Given that not everyone is quite as passionate, it became clear that arts and culture funding initiatives could be paired with several of these issues needing immediate solutions as a way to get them both addressed. One moderator pointed to a fund created in
If these well-designed discussions are to bear fruit, it seems that two key challenges will need to be addressed.
First, these discussions will need to be more inclusive. Instead of just “preaching to the choir,” more citizens from outside the arts world will need to be involved. In addition, more young people and people of color will need to participate. (Most participants of this discussion were older than 50 and white.)
Second, people with the greatest stake in the success of this initiative will need to figure out how to convince others of its importance. As one participant put it, “How do we make art more relevant?”
More imagesOn Thursday, July 24th, I attended The Big Canvas forum on Arts and Culture held at
Both Dr. Harris Sokoloff, from the University of
We had a relatively small group of about 25 people present at the forum, ranging from Bruce Melgary, from the Lenfest Foundation, one of the major sponsors of the Great Expectations project, to Andrew Douglas from the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, and others who worked in Arts and Cultural institutions in the area in paid or volunteer positions, to ordinary engaged citizens. We split into two groups, to discuss how citizens used the arts, to what barriers prevented people from going to art and cultural events, to what we saw as fiscal priorities in funding and promoting Philly’s great art and cultural events.
In the first group, we had 12 people, with a moderator and recorder, and began discussing how people “consumed” arts and culture in the region. I found it interesting how many people saw attending art and cultural events as a way to meet people with similar interests and grow new friendships and relationships. Going to events like the Savoy Theater performances or the museums were pleasant escapes from day-to-day life. Others really love the community nature of events like Second Saturday in Manayunk or Media, promoted as Art, Music and More events, where artists and musicians display their talent, local merchants stay open later, and in general, the center of town becomes a street festival that lets people experience the arts and culture in a less “institutional” setting, such as visiting a museum, going to a concert, or attending the theater. The arts were seen as a way of bringing a much more diverse group of people together, attracting people of all ages and demographic groups, unlike, say, churches, where groups can be much more homogeneous.
Our group seemed really proud of all Philly had to offer and the commitment its made to the arts. Between the mural project, that has such great pieces of art on display across the region, to the requirement that 1 percent of new development costs be dedicated to public arts projects, we live in a region where the arts contribute to a sense of what Philly is about. One woman’s eyes just shone as she recalled a friend from Boston remarking on a visit that Philly was much more engaged in the arts than Boston, and you could see the civic pride just fill the room.
This being said, there are clearly barriers to accessing the great arts and cultural opportunities in the region. Barriers such as costs and transportation were discussed, but I was much more intrigued by the barrier created by not always understanding the social rules of attending art and cultural events, such as “What do I wear to the Kimmel Center?” Laura, from the Curtis Institute, said people regularly ask the box office about what they should wear to events, implying that sometimes the perceived formality of some of the city’s cultural institutions may in fact be working against them, as people just don’t know if they will “fit in.”
Everyone felt that more arts education was important, whether it was making sure that schools had enough funding to have a dedicated arts program, or teaching artists about how to go present their art to students, or using local libraries as “cultural ambassadors” to help bring “samples” of art and culture right into the heart of the local community.
One of the other big problems is that there seems to be no central spot for information regarding regional art events. For example, someone in
In wandering into the next group, they were discussing priorities in funding. How do we decide, or expect our political leaders to decide how to divvy up the tax dollars? When making difficult choices between safety and the arts, or local transportation and infrastructure versus the arts, what is a bigger priority? People actually got quite worked up when asked to make this either/or choice, because they view arts and culture as a vital part of things like regional economic development. The group clearly felt that investment in arts and culture helps to address other problems, and you can’t draw a neat little ring around arts and culture as a “luxury” item. It was viewed as a very important part of the quality-of-life issues in the area.
While the attendance was not as large as some of the other forums held around the area, the passion for arts and culture was high in the group, and the ideas were wonderful. I came away from the evening with lots of ideas of new experiences to explore with my family, as well as an appreciation for how barriers to access, even small things like feeling whether you’ll be accepted as part of the community if you attend an event for the first time, can keep people from taking advantages of the many opportunities already available.
I know the Great Expectations project will help us all work together to reduce barrier to access, but the most important barrier is to get over any fear or hesitation you might have in going to a local art or cultural event. Give it a try. It’s clear from the people I met last night that the local arts and culture “scene” is filled with friendly people, just waiting to meet you, just the way you are.
Christine Cavalier joins Great Expectations' team of citizen bloggers, weighing in on the second of five Big Canvas events to be held Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania suburbs. You can read more of Christine's work at www.purplecar.net. She writes:
On Wednesday, July 16th at 6:30 p.m., I was invited by Great Expectations to The Big Canvas forum at the Philadelphia Inquirer headquarters in Conshohocken. You can read more about the Great Expectations project here. The Great Expectations Team invites Philadelphia area bloggers to report on the event and participate.
Above Average Jane, my fellow Philly-area blogger, was invited to the July 8th event in Doylestown. She does a great job of explaining the process of a Big Canvas event. Our Conshohocken event went down pretty much the same way, with the absence of co-founder Harris Sokoloff. Co-founder Chris Satullo said that they “forced Harris to take a vacation” so we missed his presence for the evening.
Mr. Satullo started the evening by giving us a little background about the project’s goals of civic dialog and engagement. He said that Philadelphia area arts and culture programs are underfunded compared to other cities of similar size. The Big Canvas initiative wants to gather ideas from the community on how to promote arts and culture in the region.
We were introduced to a local state representative from Montgomery County, Daylin Leach. Funny and honest, Mr. Leach talked about strategies art and culture groups could use to get their case for funding heard in local and state governments. He gave practical advice, such as:
- Scheduling a visit with your state rep. He said that ‘letters are fine’ but taking the time to personally visit impresses a representative much more.
- Consider testifying at a state hearing on funding for arts & culture events. Citizens are welcome to testify.
- Look at the ‘big donor’ list on PA department of state and government Web sites. The names there are people who are probably philanthropists or board members of arts organizations. Ask them to put a word in for your program with the state rep.
- Invite the rep to your organization’s functions. Let the rep see first hand what you do, how you raise money, introduce them to your board members.
When Mr. Leach finished, the audience members were asked to find a number on their nametags. The number indicated which room each participant would be in for the break-out sessions.
As a blogger invited to cover the event, I wasn’t quite sure if I should pop in and out of all three break-out session rooms or just stay in one. I decided to stay in one to get the full experience. Our session had seven other participants besides me. Jean Sabatino and Louise Giugliano led the session.
Our room was a focus group researcher’s dream. Every person (except me) had direct experience or leadership positions with major projects in arts and culture in the Philadelphia region. I was the last to introduce myself. Questions ensued from the group (made up of Baby Boomers) about what constitutes ‘social media.’ I stumbled, finally offering meager explanations like “sharing information with friends” and “the future design of the Web.” Thankfully, we moved on.
We then brainstormed for two hours about what we in the social media world would call branding of art & culture, its customers, its clients, its message, its values and worth. I occasionally offered ideas on how Web sites and social media could help ease some communication problems between art & culture organizations, e.g. a Google shared calendar for events in the region. (Unfortunately my ‘geek’ talk was mostly met with blank stares, but I was elated when one of the session leaders knew how to spell ‘Flickr.’)
A knock on the door told us we had to finish up. We had a great group; we could have talked for hours. Quickly we voted on what we felt were the top priorities, and then reconvened with the other participants in the general meeting room. Session leaders placed all the self-stick posters with ideas up on three walls. Mr. Satullo invited participants to read the results from other groups. Mr. Sartullo ended the evening by asking the audience for suggestions, improvements.
At one point during the wrap-up, an Inquirer staffer said a few words about the art show happening in the building, directing our attention to some paintings in the room. Apparently, the Inquirer building hosts juried art shows as well as art shows with works solely from Inky staffers. It made me think that we could have used a bit of art in my former employer’s office. Workplace + rotating Art Gallery: what a great idea to help tap into the creative parts of people’s minds. Instead of office gossip, you could have discussions about which artwork you liked or hated. The artists could have a place to display (and maybe sell!) their work. It was one of the more revolutionary ideas that came out of the evening for me.
State Sen. Connie Williams was present at the wrap-up. She very briefly offered some words of encouragement for the project and for any initiatives that seek to gather public opnion. She reiterated much of Mr. Leach’s sentiments about how important it is for arts & culture groups to gain exposure to state and local representatives in government. The presence of both Sen. Williams and Rep. Leach was an impressive showing of state government. They cared enough to spend a few minutes of their time to not only tell us that they are listening, but how to get other policy-makers to listen.
I think it is very safe to say that I was the youngest person in my break-out session room, and definitely one of the youngest at the event. I spoke with one of the organizers about their plans to recruit younger participants. I suggested a college-oriented thing, perhaps a session at UofPenn, one at Temple, and one at Haverford. There are also some arts groups around the city that are geared toward Generation Xers, like Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, that would be a good group to canvas for opinions.
The Big Canvas group seems to have a challenge in recruiting attendees who aren’t involved in the art community in any way. It’s essential for the project’s success to gather views from as many different perspectives as possible. After all, it’s your tax money and your hometowns that we’re talking about. If you are involved in any groups at all, please let them and any other friends know about the next Big Canvas event, to be held on Wednesday, July 23rd in Malvern. The Big Canvas is enabling people’s voices to truly be heard about spending and quality of life concerns in the region. Try to attend one of the events.
Philadelphia-area blogger Above Average Jane joined Great Expectations on July 9 at the Michener Museum of Art in Doylestown for the first of five community forums on The Big Canvas. You can learn more about The Big Canvas at www.greatexpectationsnow.com, and read more of Above Average Jane's work at her blog, aboveavgjane.blogspot.com. She writes:
Last year The Inquirer and the University of Pennsylvania’s Project for Civic Engagement sponsored a series of meetings called Great Expectations, to find out what the residents of Philadelphia wanted for their city. The final document from those meetings, representing an agenda set by people and not policymakers, has been embraced by Mayor Nutter. One of the frequently heard comments in those discussions was the availability and diversity of things to do in the area.
Building on the success of last year’s meetings, this year, with funding from the William Penn Foundation and the Lenfest Foundation, another series of discussions are taking place. The Big Canvas is a regional look at arts & culture in Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties.
There are five forums planned; the first one was held on July 8 at the Michener Museum in Doylestown, and I was invited to be the community blogger on hand. Over 50 people attended, which is a good draw on a July evening. Most were residents of Bucks County but a few from Montco and the city were also there.
Chris Satullo of the Inquirer and Harris Sokoloff from Penn gave brief introductions and set some ground rules (listen, don’t dominate the conversation, encourage others to talk, and it’s okay to disagree). While there is a wealth of artistic and cultural resources in the area, those who work in the field are stressed by annual funding worries. Bucks County helps with this somewhat by having a hotel tax that supports arts and culture. A Rand study found that there was a high level of public support in the region but relatively low levels of government and private (philanthropic) support.
The Big Canvas meetings are not designed to try to solve financial problems but to create a framework and strategies for dealing with challenges, and help set priorities. After the five initial forums, there will be another series in September and October with a final distillation in November.
After the initial overview we broke into four groups of ten or more, with a moderator and a recorder. One of the more practical things I learned is that you can buy easel tablets that are giant Post-Its. After a page is full the recorder simply pulled it off and stuck the top edge to the wall; no more rolls of masking tape, rumpled paper from the taping process, and tape residue on the walls. Ingenious. Each group had a different dynamic, and those who are interested in studying verbal and nonverbal communication would find these groups fascinating. The group I was in had a number of people involved in artwork, primarily painting, and that showed in the ideas brought forth. Some were artists themselves, some were involved in the business aspects of art, galleries or simply businesses that got a great deal of collateral business from arts tourism. Some were quiet; some were not. Some used expansive body languages and gestures, some did not. Some had a specific point they wanted to make, some came without an agenda.
As a group we were asked to think about several topics relating to who uses the arts, how and why or why not, and what that says about us as a population. We broke into smaller groups of 4 to 6 and did some brainstorming and then came back together to discuss priorities.
We then had some time to do a “gallery walk” where you can go around the room and see other groups’ pages on the wall. Reading those sheets and talking with other people there it was obvious that while we often came to the same conclusions there were differences that stood out. Libraries and museums were more visible in the work of some groups; others had more mention of music. I did not see much about literature although Pearl Buck was spoken of and we were meeting in a museum devoted to a writer (James Michener). Writers might want to go to some of the future meetings to make sure their voices are heard. There was at least one local publisher in attendance and someone in public relations, but little discussion of the literary arts. I didn’t see much evidence of dance presented either.
We were asked to fill out evaluation surveys and mingle or leave as we wished.
The crowd was diverse in many ways, though not racially. There were only a few people that looked under 30 but above that age it was a mixed group, and I don’t remember a gender imbalance. The arts are often thought of as elitist but that wasn’t evident. A number of people had a vested interest but no one (that I observed or heard about) tried to put anyone else down, though some spoke more forcefully than others.
There are four more forums in the series, and I would encourage those with any interest in the arts and culture to attend. Even if you don’t have a pre-set agenda or a specific tie to the industry, you still have opinions that are worth hearing. The more voices that speak in this process, the better. We are all stakeholders in the future of arts and culture in the region and the priorities and strategies that come out of these meetings should reflect that. For added incentive, fruit and cookies are available during registration and were still out when we finished.
Vaughn-Lewis was one of the top award winners in last summer's "My Philadelphia" contest, which was sponsored by Great Expectations and The Rotary. Check out the "My Philadelphia" page on www.GreatExpectations07.com to see his entry. (It's the fourth one down the page.)
Congratulations and good luck, Steven.
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