AGENDA #3i
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt
SUBJECT: Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission
DATE: January 15, 2004
The following materials provide the Council with information regarding a proposed status change for the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission (CHPAC), including research that was put together by the Public Arts Commission as well as a proposed four-year plan.
Questions concerning the CHPAC status arose after it was discovered that the CHPAC was under the assumption that their finances were a part of the Town and the Town was under the assumption that the CHPAC finances were separate. The Finance Department has recommended that the CHPAC pursue tax-exempt status. Establishment as a separate 501(c)3 organization, however, would negate the “public” arm of the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission because it would require a board of directors and by-laws that would not reflect the Town Resolution that created the CHPAC on February 10, 1992. Additionally, any entity that receives funds in excess of $500,000 must be considered a component unit of the Town and needs to be included in the Town’s financial statements. Due to the upcoming Percent for Art projects in FY 2004-2005, the Commission’s budget will exceed $500,000.
CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION
Established in 1992, the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission fulfills its mission by planning and implementing public art projects and programming, managing the Town’s Percent for Art program, and initiating partnerships in the arts. Eighteen volunteer Commission members are appointed by the Town Council to serve as advisors and supporters of public art. Terms run for three years.
RECOMMENDATIONS BY ARTS ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE CONCERNING THE BEST STRUCTURE OF A PUBLIC ARTS PROGRAM AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS OF THE ARTS IN A COMMUNITY
Over the past six months the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission (CHPAC) has been actively working to resolve questions surrounding the CHPAC status in relation to the Town. To do this, the Commission has researched other public arts organizations around the country and has studied the economic development benefits of a culturally vibrant community that embraces the arts. As a result, the CHPAC recommends that Town Council make it a goal for FY 2004/2005 to increase Chapel Hill’s commitment to the arts.
In order for the Town to foster a culturally vibrant and creative community, the CHPAC recommends that the Town Council consider folding the CHPAC into the Town infrastructure, by creating an Office of Public and Community Arts.
Since August 2003 the CHPAC has contacted more than twenty similar public arts organizations across the country (a list of these organizations is attached). This research was informative and presented several recurring themes. Each organization talked about the importance of a community’s dedication to the arts and, regardless of their own status, each organization stressed that it is crucial for public art programs to remain a part of their municipal government. The following reasons were given:
▪ Citizens and elected officials should feel ownership of public arts programming.
▪ The process needs to remain public, which is best achieved through close alliances with government.
▪ An integrated relationship with other Town departments is crucial for all public art projects and programs.
▪ The Percent for Art program is best managed and maximized through direct connections with Town staff and Town Council allowing for early involvement in the CIP process.
Numerous studies have been done to show that fostering artistic activity in a community is one of the best ways to ensure its future success.
In 2000, Americans for the Arts issued a report that showed the key role played by the arts in strengthening our nation’s economy. As summarized by Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts, “[The study] significantly alters the perception that the arts are luxuries – worth supporting in prosperous times but hard to justify when the economy is struggling. At a time when governments at all levels are making tough budget choices, this study sends an important message – that support for the arts does not come at the expense of economic development.”
The findings show that the arts generate $134 billion in economic activity every year - $53.2 billion in spending by arts organizations and an additional $80.8 billion in event-related spending by arts audiences. The findings also reveal that non-local attendees spend nearly twice as much as local attendees ($38.05 compared to $21.75), demonstrating that a community that attracts cultural tourists stands to harness significant economic rewards.
On a local level, new statistics from the North Carolina Arts Council show that every dollar of grant support for the arts in turn generates an additional $21 in revenue going back into the local economy, due to ticket sales in addition to arts-related spending such as coffee shops, restaurants, parking garages, and souvenir sales.
As one of the several quotes incorporated into the Arts and Economic Prosperity study, Ken Fergeson, Chairman and CEO NBanC and President-Elect, American Bankers Association said, “As chairman of the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce, I have visited almost every city and town in the state. There is a visible difference in places with an active cultural community. I see people looking for places to park, stores staying open late, and restaurants packed with customers. The business day is extended and the cash registers are ringing.”
PROPOSED FOUR-YEAR PLAN FOR THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY ARTS
In its first year, the Office of Public and Community Arts would continue managing all of the current programs that are currently being administered by the CHPAC, with the addition of several new Percent for Art projects. The Office would have two full-time staff positions. Programs and ongoing projects would include:
Percent for Art (between 6-15 projects annually)
Exhibition Series, Town Hall and Library
SculptureVisions
Arts in Education programs
Community Project
Conservation of Town art collection
Advise Town Departments on design issues
Consult on the proposed Pritchard Park Art Garden
Collaborate with County and State arts organizations
Initiate Strategic Public and Community Art Master Plan
Promote arts and cultural events throughout the Town
In its second year the Office of Public and Community Arts would have two full-time and one part-time staff positions. The Office would continue all of the programs identified above, and add the following programs:
Implement the Strategic Public and Community Art Master Plan
Consult with artist selection for AppleChill and FestiFall
Plan new community exhibition space
Plan new community performing arts space
Plan a public art lecture series
Research a Public Art in Private Development ordinance
In its third year the Office of Public and Community Arts would have two full-time and two part-time staff positions. The Office would continue all of the programs identified above, in addition to the following programs:
Plan artist-education seminars
Host a public art lecture series
Plan a regional public art conference
Draft an ordinance for Public Art in Private Development
Establish new community exhibition space
Review and modify the Strategic Public and Community Art Master Plan
In its fourth year the Office of Public and Community Arts would have three full-time and two part-time staff positions. The Office would continue all of the programs identified above, in addition to:
Host a regional public art conference
Host artist-education seminars
Establish new community performing arts space
Manage Public Art in Private Development
IMPORTANCE OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN CHAPEL HILL
In addition to generating extraordinary economic activity, jobs, and tax revenues, the arts add immeasurably to a community’s spirit and vitality.
With the addition of new exhibition and performing arts spaces, a lecture series, ongoing permanent and temporary public art projects, an ordinance for public art in private development, and constant consideration for the aesthetics of the Town, Chapel Hill will become a more vibrant place to live and to visit. A greater dedication to the arts would:
▪ Enliven the intellectual and aesthetic environment
▪ Increase educational opportunities
▪ Strengthen the community identity
▪ Enhance downtown
▪ Create a dynamic arts community
▪ Make Chapel Hill a destination for the arts
Chapel Hill would be leading the way in cultural programming in the State of North Carolina. Our hope is for Chapel Hill to become increasingly supportive of the arts and recognize the importance that art and culture play to educate, enrich, and inspire a community.
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Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
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Leslie Oliver, Administrative Assistant
Margaret Bruning, Project Manager
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Esther Polito, Cultural Services Manager
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Leon Kaplan, Director, Arts and Culture
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Tasha Loveness, Director
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Hamp Simmons, Manager
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Mary Huber, Cultural Division Manager
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Valda Meijers, President
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Karla Prickett, Community Art and Design Coordinator
Cambridge Arts Council Public Art Program
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Hafthor Yngvason, Director of Public Art
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Randy Vega, Coordinator
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Lois Krueger, Chairman
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Marie Nau Hunter, Manager
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David Mitchell, Superintendent of Cultural Affairs
Cary Visual Art
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Laura Harrar, Executive Director
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Jean Greer, Vice President, Public Art
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Donna Cullum, Cultural Planner
Beaverton Arts Commission
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Jayne Scott, Executive Director
Regional Arts and Culture Council
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Eloise Damrosch, Director of Public Art and Advocacy
Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission
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Sandra Duncan, Public Arts Coordinator
Tom Turk, Executive Director
Municipal Art Program
Tacoma Arts Commission
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Amy McBride, Public Art Coordinator