The Arts Council of Windham County held an Arts Summit on Tuesday at the Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center. The purpose was to gather information from a variety of arts organizations on the future direction for the ACWC, and help map out what the priorities for the arts community might be.
Who was there? Over 50 people representing performance, theater, dance, business, government, music, and photography. There were instrument makers, planners, teachers, puppeteers, composers, museum professionals, gallery owners, painters, writers, singers, librarians, and circus performers. There were people who knew about tango, jazz, and economic development.
The day began with an overview of the history of the Arts Council. Current President Marie Proctor spoke about recent accomplishments such as Gallery Walk, the Alliance for the Arts, the Creative Economies Forum, and others. Past president Don McLean spoke about how the organization came to be in 1974. He said that most other rural towns that have an arts scene also have a college, and when there isn't a college, the local arts council usually becomes the principal producer of local arts. He described how Brattleboro's arts scene developed in a unique way:
"Instead, the Arts grew here largely as a result of energetic artists, mostly imports, who arrived here with suitcases, paint brushes and violins, & decided to stay. Quickly, they found that, with the absence of the support I’ve been describing, they had to be entrepreneurs, too, & build their own structures. Thus we had the Serkin/Busch/Moyse group founding the Marlboro Festival and the BMC, followed in like fashion in neighboring Putney and Guilford by similarly-generated Yellow Barn and Friends of Music; Kathi Keller and the School of Dance; Atilla Zoller & in the next generation Eugene Uman and Howard Brofsky with the VJCc; Sam Pilo and the Actors Theater; the River Gallery School; Chelsea House; the wonderful puppet groups, & recently the Nimble Arts & New England Youth Theater, & more."
Craig Dreeszen, PhD. of Northampton's Dreeszen & Associates, led the group through a number of questions designed to get the answers the ACWC was after, beginning with asking people for a list of what was already working well. It was early and participants began slowly mentioning items. Gallery Walk. Classes with hundreds of students. Energetic volunteers. The coffee must have started to kick in because the room started to hum with suggestions: guest performances, support of local media, generous community, artists that tour, global exchanges, our reputation and recognition, diversity, a beautiful setting, a tie to local farms, a spirit of self-reliance, our historic buildings, vibrancy across generations, the surrounding communities, and a strong local democratic spirit were just a few of the many items the group was able to list.
Next the group was asked to list the things that this arts community values. Words like sustainability, local, creativity, diversity, volunteerism, alternative, inclusive, intergenerational, planning, economic vitality, respect and humanity, and participation were high on the list. They spoke of Brattleboro as a humane place, with local shopping. It is walkable and eclectic. It is vibrant and has a strong aesthetic quality while retaining a sense of "town" and rural values. They said there was inspiration here, as well as grit and tension, and a desire to "keep it real."
Issues and concerns were next on the list. What threatens the arts community? The group was warmed up and had no problem listing things like the need for housing and services to be affordable, that jobs needed to pay a living wage, and that there needed to be equitable access to the arts. Kids need transportation to and from arts activities. The arts community needs funding, professional development, advocacy and networking. A call for fewer meetings and more art, the involvement of local government, and addressing issues of culture and class were heard. There was a suggestion that the arts community should make the case for the "right to art" and fundamental access for everyone, of all generations.
While the group took a short break, the lists were reviewed and sorted. Dreeszen then suggested five "big" categories that many of the day's comments seemed to fall into: Integration of Arts and Politics, Participation/Marketing/Access, Funding and Support, Arts and Education, and Coordination between organizations.
The large group was then asked to divide up into smaller groups to tackle each of these topics with the aim of coming up with suggestions for what needs to happen.
Arts and Politics suggested a goal of municipal funding for the arts, improving the relationship with the Vermont Arts Council, increasing public art, working with planners and local organizations to make sure artists can afford to live here, and more.
Participation/Marketing/Access suggested defining the region the Arts Council serves, creating a needs assessment, devise a "creative trust" to fund artists, and gather more market data.
Funding and Support thought that the Arts Council could serve as a collective and help artists work together, could explore whether "United Way" model could work, should stress accessibility, and build up the mechanisms for financial support and distribution of funds.
Arts and Education had many good ideas, too. They thought that kids could help be advocates for the arts through the programs they participate in during and after school - in effect, showing their parents about the importance of the arts in their lives. They thought increasing participation and expanding outreach, and thinking of the whole town as an arts campus, would be wise. They suggested integrating the arts with sports and working with daycare providers, social workers, and paraprofessional to make sure they understand the value of arts.
The Systems group, of which I got to be a part, felt that the best way to build up the systems for collaboration was to do it naturally, by having large collaborative projects such as a town-wide circus. They suggested an annual Town Meetings of Artists, participation in town politics and planning, making the Arts Council into a Artists Town Hall with information and resources, advocating for a "1% for the arts" type of revenue stream, and to try to shift the attitudes with a "Medici project" to educate potential patrons on the value of investing in the arts.
By this point, people began to tire from all of their creative output. Dreeszen led the group through a short synthesis of what had been learned, and gathered all of the notes for the day so he could go back and prepare a summary report.
It was a long session, but the information gathered should be useful to the Arts Council as they make a Strategic Plan. It also comes amidst many other local planning sessions - for the town's design, for various local organizations roles, and for the sustainable economic future of the area. All of these efforts are giving us a closer look at who we are and what we would like to see happen, in greater detail than ever before.
The Arts Council is looking for new board members, so if you have a particular expertise (or even just some questions) be sure to get in touch with them. Their offices are located in the Windham Arts Gallery on Main Street in Brattleboro.
(disclaimer: as part of the Estey Organ Museum, I get to go to AFTA meetings and am supportive of the arts in town...)