Moore College in Philadelphia - Group Nine

The Big Canvas - July 30, 2008

-- Moderators Dick Gross and Erika Evans

Why did you attend this event?

• To be a part of the public process.

• Works in arts organization and communication organizations.

• Involved in music and the arts.

• Friends of the Barnes.

• Devoted to arts and culture.

• Freelance drama – arts citizenship.

• Moved here for the arts and culture.

• Expand the dialogue and break outside the for/not for profit world between institutional and freelance providers.

For what do people use arts and culture?

• To get away from the every day and relax.

• For entertainment.

• Educational purposes.

• Sociability – it is a shared event, whether that occurs with the audience, the people you went with or by the emotions elicited.

• In children, arts and culture promotes leadership development.

• It provides exposure to new ideas, new cultures, ethnic groups and new perspectives.

• Broadens the horizons of participants and challenges them to go outside their comfort zone.

• It provides inspiration.

• Provides self-awareness.

• Provides participants with an opportunity to process emotions.

• Promotes self-growth , self-expression and empowerment.

• It reaches out to people and reaches in to them as well.

• Economic impact.

Who are the users?

• Dramaturgs

• Children and schools.

• Teachers.

• Families.

• Therapists.

• Hospital – Provides services such as art therapy, music therapy, benefits and galas, etc.

• Social Agencies (they frequently offer free tickets and also have benefits/galas, etc.)

• Part of medical education. (Arts and culture is being used to assist training physicians in becoming more empathetic and engaging with their clients.)

• Profit and nonprofit organizations for tour groups.

• Design organizations (they not only create the spaces for traditional arts and culture events but they design the spaces used in offices, parks, etc.

• Seniors.

• Tourists.

• Prisoners.

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

• Improve our society – morally and aesthetically.

• Creates more shared experiences.

• Creates connections within groups and communities.

• Active and engaged citizenry.

• Creates a multiplicity of views of experience.

• Evokes emotional response.

• Provides a safe place to explore new ideas.

• Essential enrichment.

• Peace.

• Personal growth.

• Economic aspects – it brings in more money than sports.

• Business and arts has a cross fertilization.

• Preservation of culture.

• Arts and culture is an economic engine.

• Challenge status quo.

• Community building.

• Enhance democracy and citizenship.

• Shows what society and community value.

• Gives multiple perspectives.

• Potential egalitarian community.

• The process of collaboration.

• The construction of safe places and risk taking as either an audience member or a participant.

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

• Fear of using arts and culture, feeling inadequate, not fully understanding.

• Not wanting to expose self.

• Fear of new ideas.

• Cost (tickets, time, transportation, logistics, resources available, theatre production is expensive).

• Other priorities i.e. homelessness, health care.

• Unsupportive media and press for arts and culture events.

• The perception of arts and culture as a luxury or as frivolous.

• Lack of constituencies within political realms to advocate for arts and culture.

• Competing events.

• Transportation such as regional rails.

• Lack of good communication from public relations.

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

• Cradle to grave arts curriculum (6 votes) - lifetime learning

→ Executed in schools, community centers, senior centers, churches.

→ Administered by artists. Exposure K - 12 via art/music yearly.

→ Providing arts and culture programs during the after-school "Danger time" (3 - 6 p.m.).

→ Reframing essential value of arts and culture within education and society.

• Peer-reviewed granting process. (3 votes).

→ Artist run and driven - equal portions allotted to industry orgs. and institutions.

→ Capital support for infrastructure. Greening initiatives for cultural institutions.

• Accessibility (free tickets, free admissions to arts and culture
venues.) 2 votes

→ Partially funded transportation for arts and culture events

→ Admissions pass partially funded - provides admissions to any arts and culture event.

• Transportation - (2 votes)

→ Better coordination of schedules

→ Arts bus/regional rails/ subways. Promote regional transportation to support access to the arts.

• Marketing for specific disciplines (2 votes)

→ One large effort for each discipline

→ Calendar and commication coord. to avoid conflicting events (e.g. multiple opening nights on the same date).

• Expansion of public art regionally (2 votes)

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

• Sports - arts and culture out ranks, but could do arts and culture promotion events.

• Public safety - about even - See arts and culture investment in ex- prisoner programs (for ex.) as a way to enhance public safety. (Mural Arts cited.)

• Open-spaces initiatives - seen as preserving and consolidating for the public good. Synergy between arts and culture and open space

• Colleges, universities, trade schools - didn't rate as more or less imp. than arts and culture.

• Infrastructure - Iinitially rated as more important, but synergy found with arts and culture. Design involvement by arts community.

• Public subsidy of major bus. developments. Important place for arts found on boards, sponsorships. Place for arts and culture in major bus. (and casino) development.

• Tourism - less imp. than arts and culture, but both can benefit by working together.

• Social services - More important, but arts and culture can have a positive impact.