I would like to begin with a disclaimer: I know very little of the history of Windsor's Arts Scene, my comments simply as an outside observer and are meant to provoke discussion vs. being a judgement on our arts groups.My first experience with an arts Incubator was in Kalamazoo, Michigan where I was sent by the International Downtown Association to look at the downtown as a model for Windsor. Its an idea that seems to not be able to gain any traction in Windsor.
In London Ontario they have the Arts Program or TAP, although it is in financial difficulties you have to admire the ambition of the project. Conversion of a 15,000 ft2 bldg with a 100 seat theater. The Arts Program provides
- Exhibition space
- Performance Areas
- Educational Arts Program
- Arts Business Skills
- Mentorship Opportunities
- Arts Related programs
- Artist Studio's
Funded with a 2 year trillium grant of $100,000 in the year 2000 and another $130,000 in the year 2002 Trillium still obtains $13,000-$15,000 in city grants each year which are used to pay its property taxes. (Funding to be discussed on Tuesday)
The only comparables I'm aware of in Windsor are Artcite and the Arts Council office located in Walkerville with about 2000 feet of exhibition space between them. This is not a "jab" at Windsor, it's a contrast in what is possible. Remember if it exists elsewhere, you can't argue that its not possible here.
We have the vacant buildings for something like this. We can talk about the Pelissier Street parking garage main floor, the recently opened gallery by Christian Aldo in a creative partnership with a building owner that sees vacant bldgs made attractive.
There is so much to talk about but unfortunately today I only have time for the intro. This is where the blogging community comes in...
Next in the series are the parts entitled "The Arts mean Business" and "Funding"
7 comments:
Often viewed as the fluffy pastry in the meat-and-potatoes world of economy building, the arts world is often overlooked as a means of economic revitalization.
I am no economist, but I can read. I can also "feel" the vibrancy and energy in a successful, creative neighbourhood with people bustling between restaurants and galleries, hoisting there purchases up on their shoulders so as not to spill their lattes.
You don't need to be a financial wiz to know when a community has life in it or not. We just have to acknowledge that the arts community is the first demographic to move into a failing neighbourhood and breathe life back into it. We also need to protect them from eviction after they raise the property values and safety of a community, bringing in the "established" and "respected" businesses, and squeezing themselves out in the process.
They are, after all, the reason the neighbourhood has been revived from the dead. These fearless folks are the future of Windsor.
Too bad city council and teh budget process doesn't think the arts need funding. But then again neither do a lot Windsor residents who have probably never looked at art in real life and I would surmise don't know the real value of art in a community.
Case in point with regards to the city (talking out of one side of their mouth while doing another).
Windsor Symphony has been cut by 10%. Interesting to note their recent award plus no consideration was given to their request for an additional $50,000.
Arts Council has been cut by 10% (this equals $1,300 and their request for an additional $7,000 has been completely ignored).
Artcite Inc. has been cut by 10% (this equals $300 and their request for an additional $7,000 has been ignored).
Thanks to someone (can't say who) who knows the budget very well they provided me with the above.
Imagine the ablity to fund these projects plus even more if we actually had a city hall that respected their own audit department? There would be funding for everyone!
So now when teh city says they don't have the money, we will just have to tell them to audit a department or look under their pillows. I am sure they can find the funding if they had the will. IF....
Aw..yes another study/report pointing out the well known fact that arts communities have a more economic impact, a more livable city impact than anyone can ever believe. I have been reading these reports for years..most if not all are gathering dust somewhere.
I was a professional working artists, as was my father and mother in this city a long time ago and from an insiders point of view of living and working this city as an artist...OUR visual artists, our musicians/composers, our writers/poets, dancers, our artisans et al should be given a badge of courage for staying here, living here and producing their art here! They are truely heroic given the complete disregard and destruction by this city council and almost all city administrations in this city's history.
I was a kid in Toronto, when David Mirvish opened his gallery on Markham Street, Abrams, Dorothy Cameron open their galleries in the Yorkville village, life swarmed in to create communities. I was in New York when the artist moved into the derelict lofts of Soho and are now moving to Brooklyn because life swarmed in to make it the place to live.
In the twentieth century, artist et al have become the driving change of city life, looking for cheap working/living space becoming communities unto themselves, which as observed by the cool outsiders was the place to live and hang out.
The history of this city, is that they always paid the lip service to the arts...like...how can you compare the earnings of the arts and their undervalued contribution to our society, to a under educated slug making $60,000 a year screwing a nut on something and thinks that wrestlemania is an art form and All My Children is high drama.
Chris, Dave you make wonderful points on how we should in brace our arts communities but that to has been stated before, many a time and nothing has changed in this city. We don't have and have never elected an enlighten city council or mayor in this city. It takes a good education to understand art, right now there isn't anybody on council that has that great an education, just bean counters and retired civil servants.
They cut the arts because that is easy money for them in this city and has always been that way. How can you fight the six pack soft ball teams who can scream louder when their grass isn't cut on the diamond. Or a columnist who see arts grads as flakes and welfare bums.
One thing disturbs me..what is that new city department doing about the arts in this city...The department of Culture and Heritage, where are they in this, was it them that recommended the cuts to the arts in this city. What mission or vision statement have they produced in this city..from them nothing but silence, taking their paychecks and running. Why aren't they vocal to all the cuts..Sorry! Eddie has clarified and re-clarified them to keep their mouths shut. They haven't produced any reports on the economic impact of the arts on this city, they haven't produced anything tangible that I can see.
Same old story just a new date.
One of my biggest frustrations was the one day forum that was ignored
2 years ago the city hosted an arts and cultural summit similar to the recent "challenges of change" economic development summit
Myself and dozens of others volunteered an entire day to voice our input into strategies and solutions to benefit Windsor's Arts and Culture.
The results and documentation of that meeting were never published.
I will never give up as I don't believe its about the obstacles or the people I argue with. I believe this is about my character and setting an example to my son.
However, frustrations are human nature. To volunteer your time to these type of strategies, only to find out that they are abandoned is what turns most people cynical.
This first started when I volunteered for CCSERT, I was disappointed when I found out the city spent tens of thousands to get Bellmio recommendations only to budget $6,000 to implement them. (See end of post for interesting how that money was used)
Then I volunteered dozens of hours (not including my personal research) on the city Center West CIP only to have it put on hold since 2004. I was credited for introducing the term "urban village" to Windsor although was common knowledge in other cities or by a simple google search.
I volunteered to research and participate in the cultural summit, only to have its results kept silent
I volunteered on a panhandling task force whose recommendations were thoughtfully addressed but rejected by administration.
With all my experience, I still have no idea how to get an issue before City Council.
The DWBIA, Mr Horwitz and myself have tried to get the issue of massage parlor rezoning before council for 3 years.
A third of that was spent on sending Me and another person to Philadelphia where we discovered the tremendously potential HRP concept which we still struggle to get our own BIA members to buy into. (I must mention that I commend the Police and councillors for their immediate, full and continued support)
You have to remember, If I can get an issue before council and it is rejected outright. I'll move on. Like the after hours issue, I cannot get council to give a definitive decision.
Other than the After hours issue which I have decided to take a stand.
On all other issues all I want is my lousy 5 minutes before council. To state my case and have them make a final decision and then move on to the next issue.
Its the indecision that gets me because you can only address so many issues at a time. Make a decision and move on
It appears that the mayor and the city's department of culture and heritage is gutting by death of thousand cuts all those culture groups by the recommended 10% including the destruction of the Capitol Theatre AND the Windsor Public Library, which the city is forcing a deficit spending scenario on!
The irony is that Windsor's Community Museum got a $50,000 INCREASE on the recommendation of the Manager Mary Baruth. in C&H department, who is a museum specialist by profession an ex-member of the Windsor Symphony. I'm not saying that she has personal interest in the museum but it appears that way, that one group gets money and others don't! The city now owns and operates the museum which they removed from the transparent management of the Windsor Public Library!
The real prize that the mayor and the Cultural and Heritage department want is the Library system. At this moment in time, WPL is the one body that holds records of our culture (our Local history more so than the municipal archives) and heritage, through their strong genealogy department which is known nationally and internationally for its strong holdings on the French settlers that settled here in 17th and 18th century and spawned a continent.
But the mayor, city council and the department of culture and heritage haven't told the public what they intend to do with the arts groups in this city or how do the cultural groups fit into the resurrection of Windsor..oh! Windsor hasn't died yet!
I think the game plan is to destroy ALL competition for the new Casino and the new arena in this city.
I also wonder if the new St.Clair Centre for the Arts has a no competition clause with the city because of the new casino? Just wondering based on the actions of this city and other thoughts by bloggers.
Mark, I totally understand your deep frustrations in volunteering for anything in this city and I remember that culture summit which was never published. And I will tell you that it will never be published. This city has always paid lip service to the arts, much like they have done with the university and the college over the years.
This city has always eaten its caring volunteers, has burned up anybody that tried to present the arts to the city, who worked hours turning into years but get the same old treatment and abuse from the city. This city and city administration aren't trained in the arts, have no education in the arts but beer and sports they understand and gambling now. It is only the buzz and the appropriate good face that the city wants to put on for the public but there will never be anything of substance to it..it never has been that way and it won't change now. There aren't voters in Windsor to aid the arts but there are enough voters for ball diamonds and beer!
Through the 70's and 80's, I volunteered my time as did my parents in the 50's in the visual arts in this community, only to have it come to naught.
I think that it is time for all arts groups to boycott this mayor and city council. Don't invite them to anything, don't mention them in any press release, refuse them any sound bites or photo-ops with any group. Work around them and if we don't need their money all the better.
Knowing our arts groups and the struggles that they have overcome time and again to live and work in this city, they will survive regardless and in spite of this city's administration and intentions. We have lived without city's help before and we can do it now.
Our arts groups are resilient, tough and adaptable. They will survive the collapse of this city, the ball diamonds and the automotive industry.
If anybody is interested, I now have the published financial and budget records for 2007 and the projected budget for 2008 by the Windsor Public Library. It shows Councillor Budget's voodoo accounting and how he and the mayor are forcing deficit spending on the Library, which by law the Library can't have under the Public Library Act..the one Caroline Postma publicly whined about in the Star the other day.
The arts make any city more livable and history is on our side.
Urbanrat, didn't you receive the memo? Our councillors (some not all)and our mayor are experts at EVERYTHING! Just as our administration is an expert on all things. Is it any wonder we have the highest admin. costs in the province? We must be paying them for SOMETHING...anything?
Remember that when the city states they need "another" study or plan. The sad thing is even when they ask for "another study or plan they won't follow thorugh with it anyway.
Dave said; "We must be paying them for SOMETHING...anything?" We are! We're paying for the managers in culture and heritage department to attend their upteenth conference at anywhere in Canada to figure out what culture is, or how to run a museum. This department really needs a forensic audit also, since they have spent money without producing anything tangible, even to report!
Ya I got the memo but I ignore anything coming from city hall these as propaganda and buzz spin!
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