evanstarts report to evanston city council
TRANSCRIPT
REPORT TOEVANSTON CITY COUNCIL
March 18, 2013
Purpose of evanstARTs
Create a community engagement
process to generate avision and roadmap for the
arts for the Evanston
community
Key Questions
What do residents want from the arts and how do they view participation in the arts in Evanston today?
What are Evanston’s aspirations for making the arts more vibrant, accessible, and integral to the experiences of residents, visitors, and people of the region?
What can the arts contribute to Evanston’s future?
The PublicEngagement Process
Over 750 people responded through :
public listening sessions
focus groups
stakeholder interviews
online survey
Where Respondents Live
Representation from every Ward in Evanston.
In what Ward do you currently live?
1st 2nd
3rd 4th
5th 6th
7th 8th
9th Don't know
Don’t Know 16.1%
1ST6.5%
2ND6.1%
3RD15.7%
4TH10.5%
5TH4.3% 6TH
12.3%
7TH11.4%
8TH6.3%
9TH10.8%
WHAT WE LEARNED
“The arts are already an important component of Evanston’s economy…
The pieces need to be organized and addressed, and promoted
comprehensively to benefit the entire city.”
Evanston has many strengths in the arts
Evanston is home to:
–More than 85 arts/cultural organizations
–10 times more artists and residents employed in arts-related work than the national average
–A sizeable visual arts community and noteworthy array of theatres: NEXT, Piven, Mudlark, Piccolo, Fleetwood- Jourdain
–Museums: Block at NU, Evanston Art Center, Evanston History Center, Mitchell Museum
–Rich in musical genres: classical, choral, contemporary, jazz and pop musicians, ;vanston Symphony and Light Opera Works –Training organizations flourish including the Music Institute of Chicago and Actor’s Gymnasium
Evanston has a tradition of nurturingarts development:
–Evanston parents and schools have supported YEA for more than 25 years
–Selected by Arts Alliance Illinois as 1 of 4 cities statewide to implement Arts at the Core in elementary schools
–Rich craft traditions in jewelry, quilts, ceramics thrive in home studios and garages, Praise dance ensembles, gospel choirs, ethnic dance troupes and other informal arts ensembles
–An incubator for small dance companies along the Dempster/Dodge commercial corridor, fostered by the Evanston Dance Center
Evanston’s Arts Contribute to the City’s Economy
A sample of only 47 of Evanston's 85 arts nonprofits in Evanston indicates the arts:
• Contribute nearly $20 million in household income to residents
• Support 683 FTE jobs• Deliver $2.64 million in state and
local government revenue
Despite Economic Contributions
Evanston Arts organizations are struggling to maintain operations:
• More than 14 of 85 have budgets under $100,000
• Many artists and arts leaders work unpaid
• Funds to build capacity in key areas, such as development, promotion and marketing, are very limited
Evanston Arts Also Have Many Needs
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...0.0%
10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0% 55.4%
44.6%49.2%
38.0%35.5%45.5%47.5%
33.5%38.4%
24.0%
Evanston’s Art Needs
• Facilities
• Funding
• Collaboration with Business
• Branding, marketing and promotion
• Zoning and Permitting
• Arts Education and Arts Training
• Artist Housing
• Technical Support and capacity building assistance to artists & arts groups
Facilities
Downtown Cultural District
Fervent calls for an attractive, flexible cultural facility in central downtown
93% of survey respondents would support through attendance
Anchor for other arts orgs, tourism, related commercial activity
Space in Neighborhoods
Artist housing and studios
Resources for training, classes, production
Neighborhood venues to draw audiences to outlying business districts
Funding
• Budgets are small• Local donor
funding limited, lack cultivation
• ECF gives vital capacity- building support, unable to fund full volume of requests
• Evanston has limited foundation/corporate funders
• Larger than average % of artists– many working unpaid
• Lower than average % of city funding—erosion of already minimal budgets
• Greater financial stability essential to growth
“…IT’S TIME TO END THE TALK AND TAKE ACTION.”
Vision into Action: A Roadmap for Progress
“Get the right people, right positions and structure to advance the arts.”
CENTRAL PLAN
Linked to CITY PLAN
Inspired Leadership
&Coordinate
d Infrastruct
ure
Public Private
Partnership, Matched
by Resources
Coherent Brand, actively
promoted
Arts Education Opportunities for all
ages
A V I S I O N F O R E V A N S T O N A R T S
Evanston is invested in fostering a dynamic, accessible and culturally-rich arts
community. Creativity flourishes in a welcoming, collaborative environment that encourages lifelong participation in the arts
by residents and visitors alike
Visual Arts
TheaterBusin
essMedia Arts
FundersState and
Local governmen
tCivil
SocityNotthwes
tern University
District 65/ETHS
Music
Dance
Patrons and
Donors
Volunteers
The Arts Ecosystem
Priority # 1: City Action
Create a NEW cabinet level position to focus on arts sector and economic development
Community sentiment favors City in supportive role, helping to convene community leaders and stakeholders, and collaborating with them in forging civic leadership that advances next phases of planning and development
Role calls for a skilled, knowledgeable and charismatic leader, capable of galvanizing public and private sectors into an effective coalition to advance arts development
Position must build relationships and internal alignment to effectively coordinate pro-arts efforts with other City departments
Priority # 2: Community Action
Work in partnership with community organizations and stakeholders to drive research, planning and implementation of the cultural vision
In consultation with arts, business and civic leaders, appoint a committee of high-level public/private representatives to drive the next phase of research and planning
Seek initial funding from multiple sources to create first 2-3 years of budgets for planning and new initiatives
Ensure appropriate levels of services and facilities to support arts development, in consultation with the new City position
Spearhead planning, ecosystem development, advancing new arts economic initiatives with City
Priority # 3: Joint Action
Create a comprehensive plan for cultural development that is aligned with and integrated into Evanston’s goals
Conduct more extensive research on national models of civic arts management, arts district structures and related funding mechanisms for the scale and size of Evanston, a precursor to planning
Conduct a gap analysis on regional arts activity to identify a potential niche or unique services Evanston can provide
Determine first steps to connect arts ecosystem to the new comprehensive plan and its implementation
Top-Line Recommendations1. Explore Creative Use of Space
2. Accelerate Efforts to Identify and Grow Financial Resources & Support
3. Build a Coherent Identity as an Arts City
4. Nurture Artists’ Practice
5. Strengthen Partnership with a Key Collaborator: Northwestern University
6. Reposition Arts as Integral to K-12 Education
7. Establish a Seamless Arc of Arts Experiences Over a Lifetime
* Note: Specific initiatives linked to each recommendation are detailed in the full report.
Indicators of Progress
• Move forward with capital planning
• Review existing permitting, parking and zoning policies
• Update data on cultural assets–map the locations of arts organizations and
performance/exhibition sites. – conduct a voluntary artist “census” to create a more
reliable data base and profile of working artists
• Establish a centralized “awareness generator” for the arts in a prominent downtown location.
Immediate Next StepsAdopt the vision and incorporate into the City’s central
plan
Allocate funding to support next phase development including:
– Convening of follow-up meetings of leaders of the five arts initiatives: Cultural Facility-- Noyes, Art Center, Evanston Arts Education Coalition and evanstARTs-- to find alignment on top priorities for a unified planning process, and
– Appointment of public/private committee (new or existing group) to move research, planning and action on recommendations forward
– Research on funding mechanisms and models for cultural management infrastructure, cultural district
Residents Advocate for Action
“The most important ingredient is a conviction, passed on from generation to generation and seriously encouraged by school and public example, that the
arts are as important as more easily quantifiable aspects of life.”