Mile-High Musings on Arts, Culture, Creativity and Philanthropy

There is interesting news out of Canada about a new arts awareness campaign that is being launched. I know many of the folks involved in this from my years running the national Arts & Business Council, followed by my years at Americans for the Arts after the merger of the two. I attended a few of the Canadian Arts Summit gatherings, of which this campaign is (indirectly) an outcome, and worked closely with the Canadian equivalent of the Arts & Business Council ( CBAC, now known as "Business for the Arts" ). I had always felt the Canadian Arts Summit is a great model to replicate in the US - there is frankly nothing like it here. Since 1998, the convening brings together every year the board chairs, executive director or managing directors, and artistic directors of the 50 largest Canadian arts organizations across all disciplines - museum, opera, symphony, theatre, dance, presenting, etc. This makes for fascinating conversations at the highest level about governance...

As the Mayor's Cultural Advisory Council works with me on developing some concrete goals, strategies and tactics for both the short and long term (if not a full-blown cultural plan) I can't help but reflect on the challenges of the balancing act this process entails, especially in the current climate. We have a wide array of organizations truly struggling right now with their financial stability, from the Philadelphia Orchestra down to very small one-person operations in danger of literally ceasing operations because they must lay off the one paid staff member. On a pure hard-nosed economic calculation, a large organization like the Art Museum or the Orchestra has the most significant impact on the economy - attracting tourists, generating restaurant revenue, employing workers, etc. As a City looking to bolster its revenues which ultimately serves all citizens, the impact of an institution on the City's economy MUST be an important factor in evaluating City investments. On ...

A new study was issued this week by consultant and author Patricia Martin , who writes a great blog on the cultural consumer. I have worked with Pat for many years, and she always has interesting things to say, and good insight into the "zeitgeist" of the cultural consumer - the folks who form our audiences, visitors and arts participants. The "American Life and Culture Survey" reinforces what many arts groups are seeing - in the difficult economy consumer spending and attitudes towards cultural engagement have not changed all that much - people are still buying books, going to performing arts events, attending and renting movies, etc. One big finding: Millennials create; Boomers consume - 82% of younger respondents said their peers consider them creative, and one third of this group blog. The older Boomer group create less, but consume at a higher rate, participating in cultural experiences and acquiring art.In a sign of the economic times, even though attendance ...

Today we issued a press release announcing the completion of a new study of Philadelphia's public art landscape. The text of the release follows: Philadelphia, PA - The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy announces the completion of a year-long study entitled Philadelphia Public Art: The Full Spectrum performed by PennPraxis , the clinical arm of the School of Design of the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the William Penn Foundation .  The study was undertaken to assess how public art is currently commissioned, managed, and conserved by the City and other local public art organizations and to make policy recommendations on how to best utilize this tremendous resource relative to the city-wide goals of neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and the creative economy. “This study will be an essential tool as we develop a strategy for how to take what is arguably already the most extraordinary public art city in the country...

This is a second video that has Williams and Tsien demonstrating the model, and also shows a number of renderings.This is a wonderful way to come to understand and appreciate their design, I think, short of having them personally walk you through it. They did a very successful presentation earlier this week to a few hundred cultural and civic leaders, along with landscape architect Lori Olin. I think this design is about as good a solution to this challenge as is imaginable. The existing Barnes is a very special place, but I think this new facility will come pretty close to replicating that experience, or even (dare I say it) enhancing it, while at the same time making the collection much more accessible and accommodating more visitors, adding a new temporary exhibition gallery, more classroom and support space, an auditorium, and a beautiful landscape addition to the Parkway. If construction proceeds on schedule the building should be done by end of 2011 and ready to open to the publ...

Here is a video created for the Philadelphia Inquirer's Web site that has Tod Williams and Billie Tsien explaining their design for the new Barnes on the Parkway. A great way to see and understand the philosophy behind this extraordinary new building.

Well, it now looks like at long last Pennsylvania has a state budget deal, 100 days+ into the fiscal year. Still being worked out are the mechanics for how it will get approved and some minor differences between the House and Senate bills, but it appears to have support from the House, the Senate and the Governor, so barring any last minute glitches, it should be enacted, it is just a question of process and timing. The good news is that the arts tax is NOT in the budget.  However, none of the alternate taxes discussed (cigars, smokeless tobacco, natural gas) were included in the budget deal, so the final budget does include some significant cuts on the expense side. The total state budget is down by $500 million due to declining revenues, so needless to say that means many expenses are being cut. The arts areas of the state budget have been on a seesaw throughout this budget process, eliminated in one version, restored in another, cut severely in yet another. How did we end up...

Was able to pop in on the opening celebration of Design Philadelphia at Love Park last night. It was also the opening of The Welcome House , a very cool temporary art installation by artist Marianne Bernstein, and a project of First Person Arts in partnership with InLiquid . First Person Arts is an organization that for the past three years has been using the arts for public engagement. This is exactly the sort of project I would like to see much more of throughout the City. It is art that is temporary, of the highest quality, wakes people up and confronts/engages/delights them in the course of their daily routine. Last night's celebration of Design Philadelphia was also remarkable - a party whose participants ran the gamut from hipsters to the homeless. Minima, the gallery in Old City which specializes in contemporary furniture design, was able to arrange for the installation of an array of very sleek white outdoor furniture in the park, so for the run of this installation th...