Spring Break
Politics calling Philly artists
Noah Cohen
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
With the next mayor set to take office in January, artists have begun organizing to ensure they have a voice in city hall.
Cecelia Fitzgibbon, director of the Arts Administration graduate program at Drexel, joined the efforts by moderating a town hall meeting of city officials from around the nation at the Painted Bride Art House Sept. 9.
Fitzgibbon said she hoped the meeting would "turn creative energy into political activism."
Panelist Randi Vega, the director of cultural affairs for the City of Baltimore, explained how art can be used to form community.
"The arts are such an important player in providing opportunity for neighbors to meet each other," Vega told the audience.
Although the panel of officials from Baltimore, Denver, and Phoenix had their own ideas for Philadelphia, much of the discussion focused on the input of the listeners.
Ideas ranged from having artists take care of blighted buildings in exchange for free rent to devoting ten percent of casino revenues to the arts.
One audience member stood up and yelled for everyone in the room to say whatever ideas were on their mind at that moment.
He also called on voters to support candidates with arts platforms; this suggestion preceded a loud applause from the crowd.
Erin Trapp, the director of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs stressed the need for action and political savvy.
"Collaborate, organize, mobilize," Trapp said.
She shared an example of the mayor of Denver saying he was flooded with calls on an issue-that meant seven calls according to Trapp.
Imagine if "everyone in this room calls the mayor," Trapp said to the group of over 200.
Artists did not need a phone to reach Democratic mayoral primary winner Michael Nutter as he sat in the front row during the early part of the meeting.
Nutter has an arts policy listed on his campaign website.
Increasing funding to $1 million dollars in his first year as mayor and re-opening the Office of Arts & Culture are among the changes Nutter's website reveals he will implement if elected.
Philadelphia once had a specific city agency responsible for the arts but Mayor John Street closed it as a cost saving measure.
Today, the job of arts policy is scattered among a number of city agencies including the Department of Commerce and Department of Public Property, according to a city official.
Professor Fitzgibbon called the current state of city arts policy "lackluster."
A March 2007 study by the RAND Corporation called for a centralized office to handle art policy.
"The arts sector in Philadelphia and other big cities would benefit greatly from a strong local agency to coordinate cultural activities and help make arts an integral part of each community" said a statement on the RAND web site.
For Fitzgibbon, community involvement is crucial in making changes and she announced a "policy challenge" website for people to submit suggestions at www.culturecreativityandthecity.com.
Cecelia Fitzgibbon, director of the Arts Administration graduate program at Drexel, joined the efforts by moderating a town hall meeting of city officials from around the nation at the Painted Bride Art House Sept. 9.
Fitzgibbon said she hoped the meeting would "turn creative energy into political activism."
Panelist Randi Vega, the director of cultural affairs for the City of Baltimore, explained how art can be used to form community.
"The arts are such an important player in providing opportunity for neighbors to meet each other," Vega told the audience.
Although the panel of officials from Baltimore, Denver, and Phoenix had their own ideas for Philadelphia, much of the discussion focused on the input of the listeners.
Ideas ranged from having artists take care of blighted buildings in exchange for free rent to devoting ten percent of casino revenues to the arts.
One audience member stood up and yelled for everyone in the room to say whatever ideas were on their mind at that moment.
He also called on voters to support candidates with arts platforms; this suggestion preceded a loud applause from the crowd.
Erin Trapp, the director of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs stressed the need for action and political savvy.
"Collaborate, organize, mobilize," Trapp said.
She shared an example of the mayor of Denver saying he was flooded with calls on an issue-that meant seven calls according to Trapp.
Imagine if "everyone in this room calls the mayor," Trapp said to the group of over 200.
Artists did not need a phone to reach Democratic mayoral primary winner Michael Nutter as he sat in the front row during the early part of the meeting.
Nutter has an arts policy listed on his campaign website.
Increasing funding to $1 million dollars in his first year as mayor and re-opening the Office of Arts & Culture are among the changes Nutter's website reveals he will implement if elected.
Philadelphia once had a specific city agency responsible for the arts but Mayor John Street closed it as a cost saving measure.
Today, the job of arts policy is scattered among a number of city agencies including the Department of Commerce and Department of Public Property, according to a city official.
Professor Fitzgibbon called the current state of city arts policy "lackluster."
A March 2007 study by the RAND Corporation called for a centralized office to handle art policy.
"The arts sector in Philadelphia and other big cities would benefit greatly from a strong local agency to coordinate cultural activities and help make arts an integral part of each community" said a statement on the RAND web site.
For Fitzgibbon, community involvement is crucial in making changes and she announced a "policy challenge" website for people to submit suggestions at www.culturecreativityandthecity.com.
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