Below is the full 22-minute video by Nonfiction Media that was shown at the event on November 10. Watch it and share it!

Click here to view the video.

Thanks to all who came to the Taking Stock event on October 10. If you weren’t able to attend, you can download a PDF of our recommendations for further conversation here:

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The “informal arts” are chock full of agency, which is described as the capacity people have to act or make an impact on their community.  Secretly, we all want to be important in affecting our world.  Whether it be the through the mere want of fame like a movie star or the ability to change the rules like a government official; that drive to make a difference is inside everyone.  Ever since I came across the concept of informal arts I’ve been intrigued with these ideas.  Is the arts industry still stuck in the past, when attending a theatrical performance was perceived as the cutting edge of society?  Are these types of “passive” art experiences pedestrian to the 21^st century?  Are more participatory, or “informal” art events, connecting audience members to content in a more meaningful way?

To answer this let’s take into consideration the Seattle arts community.  With so many non-profit theatres closing one has to wonder if audiences are still happy “attending” performances.  At the theater I’m on the Board of, the “choose your own adventure” show has sold more tickets than anything else all season.  Successful marketing techniques for events now include myspace pages, photosharing and blogs.  The importance of the user’s ability to actively share and manage their own content has increased since the days when media focused on the individual as a mere consumer of content. 

It’s strange to think that the advent of social technologies/media could have such an influence on the “innovative” arts community in Seattle.  This region has always been ahead of the curve in arts and technology with Percents for Public Art and the leading software company in the world.  Why then are city’s art ordinances still limited to capital improvement expenditures like sculptures, or funding programs narrowed to non-profit organizations with antiquated business models?

I would love to again participate in the arts actively through “Foxtrot Fridays in the Park” or “the Around the World Refrigerator Magnet Wall.”  There is civic engagement and renewal in those encounters.  People become animated with making a place better or with the perception of becoming a better person.  It’s hard to see how audience members are benefiting from sitting back in their cushy, velvet chairs.  It is the meaningful discussions over pie after the movie, or the wine and cheese mingling at the reception, that connects us.  By socializing and sharing ideas we “animate democracy,” and move from a passive consumer and into an engaged active participant.  If the informal arts are a forum for this, we must insist that it be included in our arts toolbox. 

The one element that currently drives my inspiration is my participation in the Emerging Arts Leaders’ Creative Conversations.  At the “Taking Stock” meeting on October 10th we’ll hear what ideas make the Seattle arts community participate in the arts.  My sincerest hopes that you’ll come out and join us.

This region has a long, rich history of innovation in every sector – from the arts, to green building, to technology – and as we continue to experience rapid growth, Young Professional groups like Emerging Arts Leaders are becoming more important than ever. The fact that this region has so many active leadership-building groups is a sign that we are a world-class community continuing to look forward. It’s also a sign that every sector is recognizing the benefit of coalition-building and collaboration across traditional boundaries to achieve long-term success. In that spirit, I’d like to ask the question: what can arts leaders (and leadership developers in general) learn from the successes of the green development movement?

In the best scenario, leadership development isn’t an after-thought. When it comes to stewarding the regional arts scene, the difference between “tack-on” leadership development and integrated leadership development is like the difference between constructing a building that just meets code or choosing to construct a building that will be LEED Platinum-certified. Integrating leadership development into daily business practices may not seem efficient in the short-term when all noses are to the grind-stone. Why then take the extra steps to integrate future leadership into the problem-solving activities of today? Unlike any generation in the past, we are being faced with issues that force us into the heady space of geologic time, and this is changing the way we make decisions as well as expanding our concept of “efficiency.” It’s true, too much time thinking in the future can mean lost opportunities in the present. However, as the past century has shown us, action without consideration of long-term environmental and social impacts can yield devastating results. All sectors need to continue to develop innovative social mechanisms for balancing and maximizing future consideration with present action.

In the case of green building development, LEED certification isn’t just a statement, it’s an opportunity to lead by example and influence practice by building a critical mass of “green successes” that will in turn influence the development of future public policies. When it comes to holistic urban development, LEED is to our natural environment as –what?– is to our local arts ecology? How do the needs of real estate developers, local governments and arts infrastracture builders intersect? On Wednesday, let’s explore this question in the context of our successes and one of our most pressing concerns: the future of arts spaces in the Puget Sound Region. “Creative/Adaptive Space and Facility Models,” Part III of the Emerging Arts Leaders Creative Conversation series, is an opportunity for emerging leaders to engage with peers and professionals who are shaping the future of arts facility development. At the Emerging Arts Leaders Creative Conversations, established leaders and emerging leaders have the chance to step back together and look at big-picture issues – as well as opportunities for action – with the benefit of each other’s perspective and unique skills. Please join in! The event is free and open to the public. (See July 1 post for event details.)

Creative Conversations Part III:
Creative/Adaptive Space and Facility Models

Wednesday July 18, 2007
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Georgetown Ballroom - 5623 Airport Way S - Seattle, WA 98108

Featured participants:

Cathryn Vandenbrink (Artspace USA)

Joaquin Herranz (UW Evans School and Urban Institute)

Kathy Nyland (Georgetown Merchant’s Association)

Susan Shannon (Office of Economic Development)

Amy McBride (City of Tacoma Public Art Program)

Daniel Carlson (UW Evans School and Land Trust Consultant)

As the Puget Sound continues to experience rapid growth, the region is
being actively and quickly re-made. “Creative/Adaptive Space and
Facility Models”, Part III of the Emerging Arts Leaders Creative
Conversations Series, will explore the innovative steps communities are
taking to create spaces for forward thinking arts programming What do
these spaces look like? How are they being financed? What are the
innovative programs going on inside?

The Creative Conversations are a collaborative initiative organized by
emerging arts leaders for emerging arts leaders. These local
conversations are connected to the Emerging Arts Leaders Network
coordinated by Americans for the Arts. The events provide opportunities
for emerging arts leaders to engage with the professionals that have
helped build the foundation for arts in the Puget Sound region.
Attendees will have the opportunity to share their thoughts with peers
and practitioners, and not only celebrate our region’s recent successes
in creating new and innovative spaces, but also look forward to how we
can apply the lessons from these projects to future arts facilities
development.

The conversations are being recorded by the documentary team, Nonfiction
Media. Their “docuportrait” will bring the Creative Conversations series
to a wider audience of arts leaders at a public meeting in October 2007
(Arts & Humanities Month).

Part I “New Administration and Fund Development Models” featured
panelists Michael Seiwerath (NW Film Forum), Josh LaBelle (Seattle
Theatre Group), and Hallie Kuperman (Century Ballroom).

Part II “Advocacy in a Changing Market,” featured panelists Gretchen
Johnston (Washington State Arts Alliance), Denee McCloud (Central
District Forum for Arts & Ideas), Richard Andrews (Henry Art Gallery),
and James Keblas (City of Seattle Mayor’s Office of Film and Music).

Future Conversations:

Taking Stock - Summary of Creative Conversations
Wednesday October 10, 2007
6:30 - 8:30 pm

For more information, contact:

Paige Weinheimer

Paige.Weinheimer@4culture.org

Phone: 206.296.8605
Fax: 206.296.8629

In case you missed it, there was a great Opinion Leaders Podcast on June 6 with varous arts leaders and the Seattle P-I editorial board. They spend a good deal of time going over the economic impact study that Elly posted about the other day.

Arts Advocacy Toolkit  If you missed Creative Conversation: Advocacy in a Changing Market, you missed out on Gretchen Johnson’s arts advocacy toolkit document.   Check it out…and go to www.artsalliance.com for more info!

Seattle Arts & Economic Prosperity study  Seattle One-Pager Thanks to a recent study by Americans for the Arts, it’s clear that the arts mean business in the city of Seattle!  Take a look at the study (click on link).  There’s also a Seattle-specific one-pager summary of the study.  The study is of interest to both arts professionals as well as business professionals, which was made evident by the multiple newspaper articles about the study, found in various sections of local newspapers (Seattle Times, Seattle P-I, Puget Sound Business Journal).  The study is credible due to the fact that it used conservative methodology and no multipliers, unlike many other surveys of its kind.  Seattle ranked right up there with Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Portland.  Goal for the next study: rank up there with Miami, San Francisco, and Chicago!

EMERGING ARTS LEADERS ORGANIZE
Creative Conversations Part II: Advocacy in a Changing Market
Wednesday May 23, 2007
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center
104 17th Ave S
Seattle, WA

As arts programming evolves in the Puget Sound region, arts advocacy takes on new meanings. “Advocacy in a Changing Market,” Part II of the Emerging Arts Leaders Creative Conversations series, will explore the issues of arts advocacy on a legislative, community building, and personal/professional level. The event will kick off with the insights of panelists Gretchen Johnston (Washington State Arts Alliance), Denee McCloud (Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas), Richard Andrews (Henry Art Gallery) and James Keblas (Office of Film and Music), and will open up to a moderated forum for response and group discussion.

The Creative Conversations are a collaborative initiative organized by emerging arts leaders for emerging arts leaders. The events provide opportunities for emerging arts leaders to engage with the professionals that have helped build the foundation for arts in Seattle. Moderators at each forum help initiate and guide successful dialogue.

The conversations are being recorded by the documentary team, Nonfiction Media. Their “docuportrait” will bring the Creative Conversations series to a wider audience of arts leaders at a public meeting in October 2007 (Arts & Humanities Month).

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