If you missed it, Tuesday’s Arts Matter Mayoral Summit was attended by approximately 200 people. The room buzzed with arts leaders from many area arts organizations as well as a fair number of practicing artists. As the event unfolded, it was apparent that the overwhelming response to the role of arts and culture in Charleston from each of the candidates was positive, supportive, and constructive.
SETTING THE STAGE
To begin with, the podium was stage for candidates Ginny Deerin, Dudley Gregorie, Leon Stavrinakis, John Tecklenburg, Paul Tinkler, and Maurice Washington. Moderator Mike Gibbons of the Charleston Regional Arts Alliance introduced the panelists Keely Enright, producing director of Village Reperatory Company, and Josh Silverman, founder of Jericho, Inc., and Jericho Arts. Unfortunately, panelist James Braunreuther, Fine Arts specialist with the Charleston County School District, was unable to attend.
As expected, no candidate spoke out against the arts in Charleston. In fact, each candidate shared experiences and insights into how critical the arts are to the heart of Charleston. All recognized, not only the economic impacts related to tourism, but also the significance arts and culture play in the livability of the city for residents. The #ArtsMatter twitter feed (here) will give you an intimate view of the proceeds from the seats.
GETTING WARMED UP
The event’s kickoff question was a winner and came from Mrs. Enright: “Mayor Joe Riley has a four-decade history of supporting the arts in our community. However, a new administration brings new opportunities for supporting the arts. How will your model for the arts differ from Mayor Riley’s?”
Every candidate was quick to acknowledge Mayor Riley’s unwavering and ongoing support for the arts, ranging from large organizations like Spoleto, to neighborhood and community programs. And no candidate expressed a willingness to do less. However, the potential to encourage more diversity, both racial and geographic, brought up programs deserving of a higher profile, such as the MOJA Festival, and the possibility of expanding arts programming to other areas of the Charleston region.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS
The discussions through the course of the morning included a foray into “creative placemaking” and how more public art could showcase local art and artists. The discussion of what possibilities might exist for public art production to extend to other parts of the city brought up notions of both organized and “spontaneous” endeavors. Acknowledgement of area organizations such as Enough Pie and neighborhood events in areas like Avondale were notable success stories of how grassroots energy can help build and maintain support for the arts. This type of collaborative action was seen as a potential avenue to engage other leaders from neighboring communities to make a difference in art’s role in shaping the story of our region. While it was clear that art can shape the vitality of other parts of the city, maintaining an arts presence downtown was certainly on the minds of many in the audience.
FUNDING ISSUES
It is no secret that public funding of public art is also a real challenge in South Carolina and a question in this regard brought out some interesting and differing points of view. Mr. Stavrinakis pointed out that it was important to emphasize that art is not a luxury and was, in his mind, a core function of government; and, he appropriately referred to his support and advocacy, as a South Carolina legislator, of the South Carolina Arts Commission when its existence was under siege by the governor. Ms. Deerin shared the loss to our community due to the lack of a budget for original art as part of the multi-million dollar Charleston airport renovation. This is a true failure of will to recognize, as Mr. Gregorie noted, that art is the “life blood and soul of this world class city.”
AUDIENCES AND AFFORDABILITY
Opportunities for the public to engage in the arts and for artists to maintain a real livelihood from their vocations also raised issues related to funding. The importance of sustainable resources was critical and the accommodations tax provisions have been a critical piece of the overall funding of the arts community. Mr. Washington expressed concern about other types of funding sources that could be directed to affordable housing, the arts, and other community functions rather than to incentivize or finance other types of development, both public and private. Ultimately, recognition that arts and cultural events and venues are a sign of a thriving community and continuing support is vital.
At IfYouWereMayor.com we believe that some creativity may be necessary to keep some non-profit arts organizations downtown, especially in privately owned buildings, just as it holds for affordable housing. One of the most interesting processes in the country is happening in Somerville, Massachusetts – a Next City article (here) gives a fascinating picture that has many parallels to the peninsula of Charleston. Rent subsidies and tax incentives that can fill the gap between affordable and market-rate for “benevolent landlords,” inclusionary zoning, and ownership programs aimed at permanent affordability are some of the solutions and experiments that hold promise.
EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION
Arts education and integrating art into the school curriculums brought up discussions about in-school and after school opportunities. Many of the candidates shared personal experiences to illustrate their support of educational opportunities. Ms. Deerin mentioned her long history with after-school programs (she founded the after-school program Wings for Kids in 1996). Mr. Tinkler and Mr. Stavranakis, both parents of former and current students in art-focussed programs in the Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School, noted how central this is and has been in their family life. Mr. Tecklenburg shared how his love of music came from both his family and from the area’s long legacy of jazz, going back to the Jenkins Orphanage Band. Mr. Gregorie emphasized the current city council’s support of the arts, especially the legacy of African Americans in the building arts.
THE TAKEAWAY
The summit was a bright indicator that each of these successful community leaders seeking the office of Charleston’s Mayor holds a fundamental belief in the benefits that arts and culture bring to Charleston. Whether everyone in the audience was satisfied with the answers or whether more detail will be sought remains on the table. Stay tuned.
Here is the coverage from Charleston’s newspaper, the Post and Courier.
