Thursday, January 16, 2014

Tennessee Arts Commission's Strategic Planning West TN Public Meeting

 

The Tennessee Arts Commission’s Strategic Planning Public Meeting

Monday, January 13, 2014

STAX Museum of American Soul Music 1:00 - 3:00 PM with networking at 3:00 PM


PANEL MEMBERS 

Bob Loeb, President, Loeb Properties, Memphis

Gretchen Wollert McLennon, Program Director, Authentic Assets and Communications, Hyde Foundation, Memphis

Tim Sampson, Communications Director, Soulsville Foundation, Memphis

Patsy Camp, TN Arts Commission Member, West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation Member and Jackson Arts Council Past President

Moderated by Ann Coulter, Principal, A. Coulter Consulting, Chattanooga

Round-Table Discussion Report

1. How are the arts positively impacting your community?

  • The arts are more and more in the past decade a part of the conversation around community development.  In the example of the Sears Crosstown development project, Crosstown Arts instigated the idea and was the developer. The arts are beginning to define community development – they are more a point of departure rather than an after –thought in this important conversation in Memphis. 
  • Africa in April Festival– the arts have tremendous impact just by getting arts to underserved communities. The festival is in its 28th– 26 years were free. International arts and culture resonates with the community that comes to Africa in April.  
  • An NFL player that played for the Saints – Mike McKenzie, a student and when he went to University of Memphis came to the Africa in April festival. He expressed years later that the experience still resonated with him as unexplainable and so encouraging. As a result, he wanted to give back to the festival.  He brought the Zulu players and the chefs from New Orleans for the festival in 2011. 
  • The arts bring meaning and a new way of expressing oneself. This is especially true within the deaf community. By hosting music, visual arts showcase a community of deaf has received more exposure and interaction with other communities. Resulting in more exposure and meaning to the lives of both types of people. 
  • Free programs/subsidized tickets for students is helpful
  • Center for Southern Folklore, a grade school girl would come to visit a lot and spend time at the Museum. When asked why she come she said it was the only place she was able to come in and look at art for free within walking distance of her home. 
  • Festival is a place of common ground and shared experience that is triggered through the art of the festival. The setting and art ignites conversation and understand between people from different back grounds.
  • A  Documentary on Teenie Hodges – Al Green’s song writer- done by New York film maker came to the Indie Memphis Film Festival. The film was able to introduce or reintroduced, Teenie to Memphis. The audience was made up of so many diverse communities and the film created a conversation between to them. With film you can combine live experiences with the film by inviting the subject or filmmakers which provides more engagement. ‘
  • Loeb’s effort in Overton Square
  • Carpenter Art Garden in Binghampton had a student who shared his story with a police officer and got a new mural site through that conversation.
  • Levitt Shell free concerts make Memphis feel like cohesive community and a growing sense of pride for our city.
  • The arts are a perfect facilitator for community.
  • When the arts are involved, many times property values and sense of pride/community go up – for example, Cooper Young and urban gardens in Binghamton.
  • Organizations that pay artists.
  • Numerous Memphis arts organization with national recognition.
  • The Choose901 effort.
  • Organizations increasingly collaborate.
  • Shelby County Schools spends 45 million in fine arts education, with 700 fine arts teachers serving 140,000 students.  They recently completed a 4 year national education grants and a University of Memphis study positively quantifying the impact of SCS classrooms that focus on arts integration and community partnerships.
  • Hattiloo Theatre is one of only 5 independent black theaters in the country and the new facility opens on July 18, 2014 in Overton Square.  They are a connector and cultural connection black arts Memphis and around the country.  Hattiloo is excited for new collaborations now that it can bring physical in addition to artists’ assets to collaborations.
  • Memphis Black Arts Alliance is a place where cultural heritage arts transform people.  They focus and are a multiple disciplinary facility focused on education and artist incubation.  Example of pride: George Hunt and Frank Robinson had their first arts show at the Firehouse.  They provide a venue for artists to come together for mutual benefit and growth. Dovetailing to the need for advocacy working with you people.  Some programs include:  camps,   jazz series, etc.
  • Germantown Performing Arts Center has 70,000 patrons annually at performances and family events like jazz, international artists, diverse international performing. They offer discounts and programs for children and education programs.
  • Ballet Memphis takes the Memphis vibe out nationally and internationally and gets good press for the city and state.  They are willing to work collabratively - lot of arts group sharing.  They would like the possibility of going a new direction working to focus on understating the infrastructure of underserved community in the arts and how to break down those barriers.
  • The Orpheum Theatre offers diverse programming to over 275,000 patron annually and is focused on audience development and engagement of young and underserved population through it student, family and educational programs.  A new facility to expand these efforts breaks ground in late February / early March.  This new facility will turn the historic building into a modern performing arts facility.
  • We refocused to partner with the Grizzlie’s  and winding arts into that. We go into charter schools and brings arts into subjects. Then we create a spoken word piece giving the students a voice. First time some of them have been given approval for anything they have done. We do a poetry workshop that has grown.  As teaching artists, we go out and bring our community into our theater
  • This is a room full of professionals that work in the arts so as arts grows that professional development of the arts grows
  • McNairy County Arts started off as a place that needed a place for kids to do community theater and grown into the hottest properties for econ development, 2 public art projects, tourism. The theater has been the core of what we do and one of the big things is that you can work in an arts org in rural west TN. Go from the volunteer into a council model and so now there’s an arts job there. What’s missing is a rural presence. There’s a lot of arts history and talent that needs to have a seat at the metro table but it’s not organized. We have an informal network, but Memphis and Nashville can’t be all it can be if the middle is still suffering
  • I work and live in Crosstown. We used arts as a means to have a block party with music and arts that included neighborhood discussions with business and architecture. Careful to balance a visual reference --  if the store fronts weren’t empty, how  it would look if people lived there. MemFix has pop up parties, critical in allowing the discussions. 50 60 years ago it was a vibrant area but people moved because of the interstate fight and because of the sears distribution center closed -- 3000 jobs were lost in the 90s. That affected all the mom and pop businesses as well. Way to bring back the neighborhood is we have a vacant space for art performances  for anything you want as long as it’s not hateful and charge less ten dollars. Helped bring people back out and talk about the neighborhood, especially kids 
  • Arts Memphis participated in an 18 month study with Americans for the Arts, the findings were that $120 million per year is earned thru the arts, it is the cities 3rd largest employer. Arts groups were very eager or share information for the study. They responded quickly and efficiently. 
  • Engaging children - giving them something else , engaging the youth. Changing role of arts education. When kids learn to read music their brains change. 
  • A lot of development in the area - STAX, Sears tower, Overton square. Reformation thru the arts. 
  • Professional development during Teacher in services. 
  • TAC speakers bureau list. Regionally get information out to teachers/schools.
  • Be in touch with city mayor and county mayor. Such as charter schools for the visual arts, in Memphis.
  • Quite a few different ways – New Ballet Ensemble programming affects children and family lives – as long as they stay on track –program is structured for success and composition of program gives authentic and engaging ties to other generations
  • Impact – people’s lives transformed and then they come back to give back – graduates
  • Connecting people, collaboration that builds on strengths, authenticity and legacy – what quality of life stems from
  • Engagement of non-arts audiences
  • Metrics – we struggle with them – because the tangible measurements don’t measure what people live for
  • Authentic culture – success stories – work at Germantown Community theatre – mother of youth with Aspergers tried to find outlets for him – student cast and then participated in talkbacks – mom said a light has been turned on – brother and sisters are now in program too
  • Authentic dance style has taken youth out of community to see world that they never would have seen – students performing on national stage – charm of Memphis fusion of dance
  • 100% economically disadvantaged school that had ongoing relationship with students and through art ed. – providing students with positive role models and outlets
  • Urban Arts Commission – graffiti artist – mentors students after commission provided access – horizons are being broadened – convention center program – design competition builds pride of young participants – kids end up being cultural ambassadors because of access to arts education – not biased and welcoming
  • We answered this question in relation to each of the organizations represented. All of these organizations improve the quality of life of their participants. Many help stimulate the local economy. All of them engage budding artists and promote a sustainable culture of arts. Many also seek to reach a demographic that is traditionally not as active in the arts. An explanation of what each of these organizations is doing to impact their communities is listed below.
    • Better Choice Living has one mission – Better Life Through Better Choices
    • Their target audience is minorities and their program includes getting the minority population, especially youth engaged in artistic endeavors, particularly through R & B music. They fulfill this mission in several ways, including:
      • Providing opportunities for local high school students to work with guest artists -Providing a space for youth to perform
      • Equipping aspiring artists with business skills and knowledge.
      • Preserving heritage & culture through cooperative programs with seniors and youth
  • Voices of the South creates, produces, and performs theatre from diverse Southern perspectives. Their work includes award-winning new plays and adaptations of literature. VOTS’ intended audiences range from the very young up to grown folks. They impact the community through a positive celebration of Southern culture by
    • Providing educational touring shows for preK – 12th grade, complete with study guides. Topics have included Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King Junior, Langston Hughes, Southern storytellers, and more.
    • Providing several works per year that are geared toward adults or family audiences that celebrate Southern culture. These works also promote the writing, performance, and artistic endeavors of local visionaries. 
  • Producing an annual children’s theatre festival at Rhodes College (in central Memphis) that is absolutely free and open to the public.
  • Fuel Film Memphis promotes the growth of the Memphis film industry by educating filmmakers and investors on the development of independent film projects, and facilitating relationships between investors, producers, directors and writers to get more local films made in Memphis. They do this by
    • Offering classes in film making
    • Creating an environment for mentorship
    • Promoting positive business and commerce relationships with their clients and local businesses.
  • Mayor Wharton’s office is interested in promoting local art and artists, especially as they relate to the social infrastructure, economy, travel, & tourism.
  • Theatre Memphis’s mission is to provide outstanding theatrical experience for their patrons, volunteers, and other participants. They seek to engage community members in a variety demographics. Their programming currently includes:
    • An afterschool youth enrichment program for elementary and middle school student in the Binghampton Neighborhood, which is predominantly, populated by lower income Latino families.
    • Writing and creative arts residencies in local grade schools, that supplement the lack of artistic programming found in public schools.
    • Volunteer programs that allow members of the community to explore and cultivate performance and performance support skills in an environment where high quality performance art is created.
  • Producing several classical and modern productions a year geared toward adults or family audiences. 
  • Quite a few different ways – New Ballet Ensemble programming affects children and family lives – as long as they stay on track –program is structured for success and composition of program gives authentic and engaging ties to other generations
  • Impact – people’s lives transformed and then they come back to give back – graduates
  • Connecting people, collaboration that builds on strengths, authenticity and legacy – what quality of life stems from
  • Engagement of non-arts audiences
  • Metrics – we struggle with them – because the tangible measurements don’t measure what people live for
  • Authentic culture – success stories – work at Germantown Community theatre – mother of youth with Aspergers tried to find outlets for him – student cast and then participated in talkbacks – mom said a light has been turned on – brother and sisters are now in program too
  • Authentic dance style has taken youth out of community to see world that they never would have seen – students performing on national stage – charm of Memphis fusion of dance
  • 100% economically disadvantaged school that had ongoing relationship with students and through art ed. – providing students with positive role models and outlets
  • Urban Arts Commission – graffiti artist – mentors students after commission provided access – horizons are being broadened – convention center program – design competition builds pride of young participants – kids end up being cultural ambassadors because of access to arts education – not biased and welcoming
  • GermantoWn Comm Theatre

2. What can we do beyond funding to get the arts to more children in your region?

  • In schools, testing is so much the focus of the entire school culture that the arts cannot thrive. 
  • We need a space for just the art.
  • Bring more artists to students in schools that they are familiar with and admire this will break down barriers to the arts, inspire and give context.  Introduce children to new genres through the gateways of celebrity and social media content. 
  • Join resources together from the arts community for more or higher quality exposure. 
  • Help smaller arts organizations to navigate through bureaucracy and manage time. 
  • Efficient transportation solutions.  
  • Need help building relationships and trust in neighborhoods (spending time with kids in their neighborhoods and also taking them outside of their neighborhoods are important), taking outside neighborhood).
  • Meeting actual needs is crucial – a theatre can’t just show up with a play in an underserved neighborhood with there are issues of hunger, transportation, succeeding in school/getting homework done…
  • This group believes that getting the arts to more children must be done with a mission of showing kid’s what’s possible rather than making kids actors, musicians, painters, etc.
  • Would be good to link Teach901.com with the arts.
  • Communicating how the arts can be used as engagement in other subjects (Orpheum has seen success with this in professional development – increasing teacher involvement from 8 to 45).
  • Perhaps ArtsMemphis could host an online forum and quarterly get togethers for cultural program leaders to get to know each other, make connections and discuss important topics.
  • Provide more arts to students by collaborating and leveraging assets
  • Arts organizations need to work towards a better understanding of barriers that prohibit arts participation
  • Black children need to have a stake in the ownership of Memphis and understand and embrace their ownership
  • Find a way for students to better understand the contributions of non-white leaders in Memphis.  Present these ideas in an historical state through arts and not focus on struggles but importance of history.
  • Curriculum development so access goes to intellectual engagement not just access. Bring educators to with arts providers - how do I make this experience real to be able to be used in the classroom.
  • Quality Arts integration for teachers may be the way to get them to be able to better relate the arts experiences to their classrooms.  SCS & The Orpheum have worked with 500 teachers in workshops or 3-40 hours on arts integration but there are 7500+ in our area needing these services to better deliver and deepen  all arts experiences to/for  children.   
  • Shelby County Schools Arts Fest was discussed and how different arts groups collaborate to heighten awareness for arts. SCS participation for outside is important and key to keeping the arts in our public school system.
  • Kids need help right after school with homework so if we can tie art into other things. Story booth is where kids come to do homework and work with a mentor and then write their story. Published 3 books to date. They do a book signing and they make their own book. Artists are on site to help them. Also do the same with music producing CDs. All done through the arts organizations in this room
  • From a non-funding standpoint, we need to be sharing these ideas with each other. Caritas started in an after-care program in a Hispanic neighborhood and now as performing arts, the children perform and bring the parents in. Partner with church originally and now running it helps us extend into new neighborhoods.  Just getting the word out internally and communicate with each other if there are other programs we can share expertise and resource
  • This is valuable to me as I am from business. Would like to have arts orgs come visit and present
  • Resource sharing 
  • Arts Memphis initiative to get arts organizations around the same table to develop partnerships . Learn how to build strategic partnerships and alliances to focus on the kids and the underserved . Deadline passed and got lots of applications Arts Memphis Community Engagement. Bring in some national folks that are doing their work
  • Arts Fest with Memphis City Schools that happens in March, Work is from a Student’s perspective. Bring an arts on wheels bringing arts to the community
  • Need for statistical data for each region. Neutral entity for Memphis organizations to convene needed where a centralized message can be spread. 
  • TAC create incentive to start an arts charter school in Memphis.
  • Accessibility in schools is becoming more of an issue – artists and arts organizations are being shut out – talking about using churches and comm. centers – working with transportation issues – those places have trust already in place
  • Public arts 
  • Share the Value Plus data with other funders (not just arts) – needs to come from someone (state advocate) that doesn’t have vested interest – could be conduit for educational funders – simple presentation – make the info more accessible
  • Arts executives struggle with types of metrics  - need information and training on, especially communicating 
  • Arts Memphis – economic impact study results need to be communicated in accessible way
  • Advocacy with local funders and schools – advocacy goes both ways – brokering relationships
  • In some cases we are aware that the TAC has programming that already supports these thoughts, which we want to encourage you to continue or develop more extensively. In others we wished the programming could be made available. Our thoughts are:
    • Help spread the word about and help host events that highlight local artists
    • Help encourage collaboration between different arts venues
    • Help encourage collaboration between art & non-art venues
    • Play a greater role in schools – How do we get the arts incorporated into standardized teaching?....The standardized teaching programs seem to be stripping away access to the arts and TN educators’ empowerment to be creative teachers.
    • Create & maintain relationships with established and highly recognized artists and encourage their involvement in local and budding artist.
    • Help create programming and awareness that empowers ALL TN citizens to get informed and involved in the arts on some level - service, patronage, etc. The arts are SO important to quality of life and everyone in TN should know WHY the arts matter.
    • Provide budget, management, and self-promotion skills for upcoming artists
    • Offer mentoring programs
    • Host arts education and showcases
    • Help us make TN a stronger go-to place for arts & culture in respect to recruiting tourism and providing a “home” state in which artists will choose to live (having grown up here) or move to in adult years to help their art flourish 
  • Accessibility in schools is becoming more of an issue – artists and arts organizations are being shut out – talking about using churches and comm. centers – working with transportation issues – those places have trust already in place
  • Public arts 
  • Share the Value Plus data with other funders (not just arts) – needs to come from someone (state advocate) that doesn’t have vested interest – could be conduit for educational funders – simple presentation – make the info more accessible
  • Arts executives struggle with types of metrics  - need information and training on, especially communicating 
  • Arts Memphis – economic impact study results need to be communicated in accessible way
  • Advocacy with local funders and schools – advocacy goes both ways – brokering relationships

3. What could we do to help the arts get “a seat at the table” in all Tennessee communities?

  • Add some chairs. 
  • Become the developers.
  • Arts as entrepreneurship
  • The arts are solutions to economic development. Not viewing it as entertainment and tourism. 
  • More examples for public consumption.  
  • Getting the word out. Advocacy. 
  • Data to back up claims. 
  • Social media, to change perceptions of the community.  Utilize our networks to get the same message across. Creating a space to go online for information news about the arts. 
  • Training to teach arts organizations how to lobby (how to book a mtg, what to say).
  • A “playbook” for advocacy on the local level – maybe formatted after TFTA’s recent forms for state advocacy day. Important for arts organizations to collaborate on this.
  • Hattiloo has done a great job at getting a seat at the table; other organizations should follow this model.
  • Bob point about needing someone to translate was great.  Perhaps artist groups need a translator to better explain to legislators and business people.  Help groups on how to use metrics to communicate to - arts are economic driver and more than entertainment.
  • Memphis Chamber does have an art seat on the Board of Directors.  This is good for all arts in Memphis.
  • Staff education on legislature- make sure we are advocating up - someone needs to speak for us.
  • What the state does is trickled down through the mayor’s office 
  • Need better connections between arts, econ development 
  • And corporations, for them to search out arts to be a part of. Not just governmental. Struggle to get corporations but if the state could help 
  • AutoZone for example. Amazon. We need to help make those strategic partnerships 
  • It needs to state at home. Always get elected officials involved. They are the ones who vote on our funding such as STS but if you invited them to a student matinee or master class
  • We need to do more advocating
  • A lot of nonprofit arts start from creativity and don’t have means to track and obtain data
  • Connector – great position to get a seat at the table – TAC can really foster those collaborations
  • Providing representatives of the arts to participate in other initiatives 
  • Who is the connector to get the artists in the door?
  • More active in working with boards – teaching them how to be better advocates
  • Schedule – practical - of where you can go and advocate and get a seat at the table – what entity can do this
  • Perception that artists are not good at business – how do we address – professional development – need for world of business to trust that will be able to follow through – need to promote that artists are good at and for business
  • Tell stories of impact through several pathways
  • Facilitate meetings that get the right people together in the same place
  • Facilitate “out of the box” partnerships between the “art word” and “other worlds” -Spread the word about activities/artists/festivals/programming that is gaining positive notoriety and making positive impact
  • Partner with other non-profits and civic organizations, especially those that already have a well-worn seat at the table. 
  • Connector – great position to get a seat at the table – TAC can really foster those collaborations
  • Providing representatives of the arts to participate in other initiatives 
  • Who is the connector to get the artists in the door?
  • More active in working with boards – teaching them how to be better advocates
  • Schedule – practical - of where you can go and advocate and get a seat at the table – what entity can do this
  • Perception that artists are not good at business – how do we address – professional development – need for world of business to trust that will be able to follow through – need to promote that artists are good at and for business

Other thoughts

  • Bring Legislators and artists together for an arts conference economic summit forum.  Not just 3 or 4 of them and a bunch of artist group more of a split.  Perhaps revamp arts day to include not just the lunch or visiting but the information/educational part together for more impact. 
  • Douglas Turner Ward’s play Day of Absence.  What if we could paint for legislators how much a day with no arts (a blackout day) really impacts not just how you define your life without the various arts forms but things we would not have.  Graceland, movies, restaurants, architecture, sights, graphics, events, etc.  Show legislators arts are not just as past time but we use these things everyday - - understand more than just economic value
  • Building partnerships. 
  • Ticket sales aren't the only way to measure the of the value of the arts. 
  • Standardized evaluation forms, so that orgs can compare like issues. 
  • ROI are a thing of the past. 
  • Chambers of commerce need to get on the same page as the arts. 
  • Legislation 
  • TAC have a bigger presence. 
  • We need TAC in The artists' toolbox.