Malvern - Group Three

The Big Canvas - July 23, 2008

Our group was comprised of professionals-in-the-field, some of whom were serving double duty as consumers. Visual and literary artists, board members, professional staff members, producers were also parents, teachers, instructors and students. They were interested in learning more about the project. They attended because they felt the visual arts were typically underrepresented and wanted to make sure there was access to the arts. One was developing an arts-and-culture plan for Chester County and her interest was piqued. -- Moderators Kayte Connelly and Chris Satullo

For what do people use arts and culture?

Parents; children; seniors; teachers; businesses; taxpayers, tourists; performers; students, professional artists; institutions; public displays; curious people; technocrats; those who are physically, socially or emotionally challenged.

Who are the users?

Teaching; entertainment; social aspects; supporting the quality of life; recreation; personal reflections; destinations; community rehabilitation – stabilizing and regenerating neighborhoods; creative outlets both recognized and unrealized; reflections for self-purpose; businesses: for image purposes, to socialize and for fund-raising and charitable purposes; sometimes, as advertising outlets; employers: as a means to attract employees and offered them as benefits to retain them; arboretums; community gardens; chanticleers; an opportunity for learning; an appreciation of architecture.

What values do you think arts and culture bring to individuals, families, communities? What basic values do they support?

• Emotionally, they permitted an individual to feel good; to move out of their head.

• They provided intellectual and creative stimulation.

• They offered civility, while providing something to do with children.

• They presented a connection with others in the community; most especially with the artist and their vision for the product, whether visual or performing arts.

• They imparted by-products, like empathy and other feelings.

• They afforded a sense of pride in self-expression.

• They brought a sense of beauty that lifted one up emotionally and spiritually.

• They increased the value of a home and neighborhoods due to proximate location to open space usage.

• They bestowed a cognitive knowledge such as historic perspective and what the norms of a society might have been at a given time. Further, one might be able to reflect on the dress of a certain age in society or a religious experience.

• They are a measure of a civilization.

• Similarly, they educate in many other ways such as technologically. Additionally, other lessons can be taught through the arts, such as math and physics.

• There is an employee, a human and an economic impact.

• There are therapeutic benefits.

• They build self-confidence in all.

• They provide a communication highway both within technology and surrounding it.

In our region, what are the barriers to these uses and values?

• Money separates customers from institutions.

• Time and scheduling are often deterrents. What little free time there is available is often consumed by watching TV.

• Intimidation sometimes instills fear. Buildings too scary; not knowing what to expect, disconcerting.

• Distance and transportation often prevent physical and financial access.

• Lack of communication about what is out there for people to experience the arts. Many individuals don’t even know about exhibitions, performances and other offerings and don’t know where to find this information.

• “Stupid distractions” such as ipods and other handheld personal devices captivate and addict their owners.

• Arts and cultures are not an integral part of people’s lives because they are not exposed to them.

• There are too many choices for people to make with too little time.

• Electronics affect attention spans.

• The sheer volume of daily information is overwhelming.

• There is a lack of time for focused engagement.

• Arts organizations are stuck in old approaches to reaching a new public or expanding to reach new audiences.
They are experiencing the same, older audience.

• Limited ability to determine how to engage with a “wired” culture.

• There is a lack of direction on using digital media.

• Standardization in schools, with No Child Left Behind, has decreased even the basic arts awareness in schools, let alone education.

• Parents lack the knowledge and the confidence to pick up on arts education where the schools fail.

• Teachers teach to the test and there is a general lack of valuing for even an arts field trip.

• There is a general lack of understanding of relevance about why arts and culture are important. A limited perception about what is art permeates the general public.

• There is a notion that the arts are over commercialized and oversaturated. Certain forms of art, such as the public mural arts program, have made the experience of the arts almost blasé.

• There are more than 450 different historical organizations in the region, why? There is no way they can all be supported.

• There are not enough human resources to promote the arts and make them accessible.

• Too few staff and too few volunteers are the general state of affairs for the NPO’s coordinating arts and culture programs. Staff is diluted and fragmented and there is a need for qualified leaders.

• There is a lack of public resources to fund arts education programs. Most tax dollars go to sports.

You're part of a committee that's going to decide how $60 million gets spent. What's on your list?

Group A:

• Public education; arts appreciation and field trips.

• Research to demonstrate the value of art.

• Artist housing/venues in neighborhoods. More than rehabilitation of old factories and turning them into artist’s exhibition halls, such as the Torpedo Factory, the Banana Factory or Googleworks, these facilities would allow for the on-site
housing and living accommodations for the artists, such as Stoudt’s village.

• Taking arts programs into the schools.

• A regional Web site w/all the options.

• A reciprocal, dedicated arts transportation system with three prongs. The “Arts Shuttle” would maneuver between: the suburbs and the City; the City to the suburbs; suburb to suburb.

Group B: Took a very different approach dedicating ALL of
the money towards one aspect over each of three years.

• Year One: Devote all of the money to basic maintenance and capital needs. This helps the program to be the best it can be. Kids get to participate. Use the Smithsonian Model – offer the programs for free. Also, offer free parking and provide better access to transit.

• Year Two: Build up the programs.

• Year Three: Devote it all to marketing, including the transit issues.

While this dedicated, holistic approach seemed easy to facilitate, this would pose questions about how to distribute the funds; responding adequately to the mix of applications and spreading the grants around. It posed the question, would some sort of accreditation support this distribution process?

There's only $20 million to spend. How do you prioritize your list from the previous
question?

• We had a three-way tie with five votes each: Arts Education in the schools; artist “communes” – Stoudt’s Village concept; and capital and maintenance
improvements.

• Four votes were received for transit access and building programs.

• One for Web site and marketing.

Other major regional concerns or issues? Which of these have a higher or lower
priority than arts and culture?

• Equitable division of space (open space and sprawl)

• Violence

• Affordable health care

• Economic justice – access to education, housing, jobs and
gender equity

• Schools

• Peace in our time

• Rising cost of energy

• The global environment

• Affordable housing

For what other issues could arts and culture be part of the solution?

• Equitable division of space – Seven votes

• Violence – Three votes

• Affordable Healthcare – Six votes

• Schools – Five votes

• Global environment - One vote

Finally, which phrases might help to best support the framing for the Community Conversation when it is presented to the legislature?

• Arts and culture

• Quality of Life

• Community and economic development

• Regional assets fund