I N T H I S I S S U E : Coronavirus Resource and Response Center | Local Arts Agency Roundtable Walnut Creek Arts Partnerships | Johnson Fellow Hannibal Lokumbe | Public Art and the Culture Wars
Americans for the Arts
THE SOURCE FOR ARTS PROFESSIONALS IN THE KNOW
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Arts Link Mission Published three times a year for our Professional Members, Arts Link provides insight and expertise on the latest trends, resources, tools, and ideas in the field of local arts agencies and arts professionals. Written by Americans for the Arts staff and guest contributors, Arts Link brings together arts advocacy news, member profiles, and highlights of artists and arts organizations from across the country so that our members can continue to create a world where everyone has access to the arts and their transformative power. Arts Link Managing Editor Linda Lombardi Arts Link Editorial Committee Carolyn Bartley Kelly Fey Bolender Lauren Cohen Ben Davidson Graham Dunstan Isaac Fitzsimons Nicole Goodman Peter Gordon Ruby Lopez Harper Michael Hornbuckle Danielle Iwata Jerelle Jenkins Pam Korza Clayton Lord Pauline Féo Pereira Christina Ritchie Susan Saloom Marissa Shadburn Ami Scherson Jessica Stern Inga Vitols Patricia Walsh Ann Marie Watson Arts Link Design Studio e2 Tell Us What You Think We value the input of our readers and are always interested in hearing your comments about what you’ve read or topics you would like us to feature. Please email your ideas, recommendations, and remarks to ArtsLink@artsusa.org. We look forward to hearing from you
AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS 2020 CALENDAR APRIL / MAY APRIL 27–MAY 1 First-Ever National Arts Action Digital Summit In response to COVID-19, Americans for the Arts launched our first-ever National Arts Action Digital Summit, taking the popular in-person annual event online. Advocating for the arts is more important now than ever, and we’re excited to present over a dozen plenary and issue-specific breakout session webinars live from April 27–May 1, 2020. Designed to bring advocates the latest updates in federal arts policy, compelling up-to-the-minute data, and successful advocacy techniques, participants will gain a depth of knowledge from policy experts at Americans for the Arts and many of our National Partners. After the online event, registrants may watch a recording of the webinars whenever they like to refresh their understanding of the issues. Register today at ArtsU.AmericansForTheArts.org/NAAS2020.
JUNE 26–28 2020 Annual Convention and Public Art & Civic Design Conference At Americans for the Arts, we are working to gather the arts field together this summer and showcase best practices, experts, and new ideas, while also prioritizing the well-being of our attendees. With those goals in mind, we are looking at new ways to bring the 2020 Annual Convention and Public Art & Civic Design Conference to you, including researching how virtual capabilities may help garner more participation from across the country in this critical time. In the coming weeks, we will release more information on these meetings and re-open registration. We look forward to brainstorming solutions, sharing our challenges, and coming together this June. Learn more about the 2020 Annual Convention and Public Art & Civic Design Conference at AmericansForTheArts.org/Convention.
Advertising Opportunities For information about rates, schedules, and discounted advertising packages, please contact us at exhibits@artsusa.org. Copyright 2020, Americans for the Arts. Printed in the United States.
ON THE COVER: A Creative Archivist tracks activity at a leadership development intensive for leaders in the field of arts education. Photo by Monica Almeida.
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contents
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
02 From the President
03 Working for You
Americans for the Arts’ response to COVID-19
04 Local Arts Agency Roundtable The journey and evolution of three local arts agencies
12 P ublic Art and the Culture Wars When art becomes a lightning rod for civic discourse
Americans for the Arts News
Arts Support in Federal COVID-19 Relief Bill, Walnut Creek Arts Partnerships
10 MemberCenter You Belong Here
Member Profile: Suzan E. Jenkins, ArtsU Live, Welcome New Members
18 Leadership in Practice Inspiring Leadership Through Example
Johnson Fellow Hannibal Lokumbe, The Arts & the 2020 Census, Business Spotlight: Heidi Jark
20 The Toolbox Information to Help You Succeed
Coronavirus Resource and Response Center, CYD Reports, Arts Mobilization Center
AmericansForTheArts.org
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From the President
A
t the time of writing this message, the United States and the whole world are facing one of the most challenging moments to date.
THE CORONAVIRUS HAS ALREADY had a human,
In a time when we need the healing powers of
social, and economic impact across the globe; an
the arts more than ever, we lean on one another
impact which we are not yet able to fully measure.
for support and explore our own creative ways to
However, we do know that it has been harshly felt
stay connected through the arts. Like the Italians
by arts organizations and artists everywhere.
singing from their windows and balconies during
From the moment this virus became a threat to our country, Americans for the Arts has been tracking and researching the impact it would
a period of quarantine, we will all find a common voice to spread relief and comfort throughout our communities.
have on our field. We quickly responded to our
This is a critical moment when the funders of arts
members’ requests to investigate and inform on
organizations as well as their board members and
all matters that we have been able to; we launched
executive staff must commit to understanding
our “Resource and Response Center,” which can
the depth of this universal issue, and to provide a
be found on our website and where you can get
wider range of support and solutions. The same
relevant updates on what is happening across the
goes to our government officials and this year’s
field regarding COVID-19.
presidential candidates, which is why it is urgent
We also released an important survey to find out more about the economic impact this crisis
for all of us to find and use our voices in favor of the arts and arts support in America.
has caused. Aggregating all the responses we
I personally am grateful to our staff, board,
received from you and thousands more in the
partners, members, and our funders, for their ded-
field, we created a tool that maps the areas of
ication. I know that together we will overcome this
impact to the nonprofit arts. From our findings
challenge. Thank you for your contributions to our
so far, we learned the financial losses have been
collective work helping us carry on our mission.
massive. With cultural institutions closing their doors, and social distancing becoming the new normal, we are preparing for things to get worse before they get better. The data we collect will be updated for as long as the crisis continues and will help us better advocate for arts and culture to be included in stimulus packages being considered by federal, state, and local public sector and private sector leaders.
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The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know
AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS NEWS
WORKING FOR YOU
NEWS SNAPSHOT
NEWS SNAPSHOT
AEP5 & NEW WALNUT CREEK PARTNERSHIPS
Federal COVID-19 Relief Bill and Arts Support
by Carolyn Jackson, Community Relations Manager, Arts + Recreation, City of Walnut Creek THE ARTS MEAN BUSINESS IN WALNUT CREEK, California, where a dynamic Arts + Recreation Department partners with nonprofit cultural organizations to provide an array of arts offerings to the community. Anchored by the city-owned and -operated Lesher Center for the Arts, programs include the acclaimed Bedford Gallery, Public Art program, and Center for Community
AT THE END OF MARCH, the U.S. Congress
Arts education programs.
unanimously passed, and President Trump
An Arts & Economic Prosperity (AEP) partner since 2000, Walnut Creek has
signed into law, the third phase of the
actively engaged in the study to make it as comprehensive as possible for the
coronavirus (COVID-19) response relief
city. The AEP5 results showed the nonprofit arts and culture industry gener-
package. The $2 trillion emergency stimulus
ates $41.5 million in annual economic activity in Walnut Creek, with cultural
package included important provisions
attendees spending an average of $31.90 per person, per event, as a direct
supporting the arts sector and creative
result of their attendance at an arts event, excluding the cost of admission. With
workforce. The nation’s arts and culture
a long history of investing in the arts, Walnut Creek’s AEP5 results echoed what
industry is experiencing devastating economic
the community has always known—the arts are an essential part of what makes
losses with closed venues and cancelled
Walnut Creek an economically strong and wonderful place to live, work, and visit.
performances, exhibitions, and events as a
Armed with the AEP5 results, Lesher Center staff began outreach on a new Arts
result of the pandemic.
District partnership with downtown businesses, igniting conversation around
This vital piece of legislation includes direct
joint promotional efforts and in-kind donations. For more on Walnut Creek
support for both nonprofit cultural organiza-
Arts + Recreation and their AEP5 results, visit Walnut-Creek.org/ArtsAndRec.
tions and state and local arts and humanities
Due to COVID-19, the start date of Americans for the Arts’ upcoming Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 has been postponed for one year. Partner recruitment
will occur in 2021 (contracts available now), surveys will be conducted in 2022 (about fiscal year 2021–2022), and reports published in June 2023.
agencies, as well as economic relief provisions for independent contractors; “gig economy” workers; and artists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses working in the creative economy.
Each partner will receive a customized report about how the nonprofit arts
The inclusion of the provisions to help
and cultural industry supports jobs and generates government revenue in
nonprofits, the arts sector, and the creative
their community. To participate, email Senior Director of Research Services
workforce can be attributed, in part, to the
Ben Davidson at bdavidson@artsusa.org.
incredible grassroots outreach by arts advoA full house at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Photo by Ben Krantz Studio.
cates across the country, coordination with national nonprofit coalitions, and Americans for the Arts and Arts Action Fund outreach to Congress and the Trump Administration.
U.S. Senate unanimously passes (96–0) $2 trillion stimulus bill on March 25, 2020.
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Akron Cultual Plan. Photo by SolBrand Design LLC.
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LOCAL ARTS AGENCY
ROUNDTABLE by Erick Deshaun Dorris, Joliet Arts Commission; Nicole L. Mullet, ArtsNow; and Kristin Sakoda, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; with Ruby Lopez Harper and Linda Lombardi, Americans for the Arts
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t the center of most arts and culture communities around the country sits an arts agency. Local, County, and State arts agencies provide infrastructure that support arts and culture in deliberate ways. They may act as the primary funding body in a community, the lead convener, and primary advocate. Playing many roles is standard practice for today’s arts agency. As varied as their work is within each individual community and ecosystem, their genesis is also varied. We asked three agency leaders—Erick Deshaun Dorris (Chair, Joliet Arts Commission), Nicole L. Mullet (Executive Director, ArtsNow), and Kristin Sakoda (Director, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture)—to share their origin story for insight into the journey, and in one case, evolution. The following is an excerpt of our conversation. To read each panelist’s full interview, visit AmericansForTheArts.org/LAARoundtable.
AmericansForTheArts.org
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LOCAL ARTS AGENCY ROUNDTABLE THE ROAD SO FAR
In 2012, the GAR Foundation and Knight Foundation launched the Summit County Arts and Culture Initiative to better understand the strengths, challenges, relevance, and opportunities for the arts sector of Summit County, Ohio. A diverse, multi-sector, 19-member steering committee oversaw the research phase, culminating in The Arts and Culture Assessment for Summit County, followed by an engagement phase including 250+ people from all walks of life. It became evident a new organization was needed to meet the needs of Summit County, and in July 2015 ArtsNow was created to address the report’s findings and ensure the arts and culture sector is fully leveraged in finding solutions to community needs and moving the region forward.
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Erick Deshaun Dorris, Joliet Arts Commission; Nicole L. Mullet, ArtsNow; and Kristin Sakoda, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
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Six years later and 2,300 miles away, LA County’s Board of Supervisors voted to transition LA County’s long-standing Arts Commission into the County’s firstever Department for Arts and Culture in response to the growing and expanding arts ecology. “There is culture in all people and all places—rich, cultural diversity; heritage; artistic practices; and traditions—but often unequal access, resources, recognition, and histories of support,” said Sakoda. “In a county as ethnically and culturally diverse and geographically sprawling as Los Angeles, the Department seeks to ensure that all the benefits of, and opportunities provided by, the arts are available and accessible to all residents, no matter who they are or where they live.”
Last year in Joliet, Illinois—inspired by a rising tide of creativity and arts stewardship—the city council recognized the need for a central, organizing body for the local creative sector and voted unanimously to establish the Joliet Arts Commission. As the Local Arts Agency for the city, the Commission supports local artists, makes the community attractive to new artists and creative businesses, and strengthens the economic development of Joliet through promotion, advocacy, funding, and identity. WHAT LED TO THE CREATION OF YOUR ARTS AGENCY? Mullet: ArtsNow was created through a
collaborative and community-driven process. That remains our organization’s hallmark; collaboration is core to the work we do. Being a small staff requires that we collaborate and share resources to serve our community. But we also believe that an inclusive and authentic process garners the best results and most significant impact. The arts and culture sector is threaded throughout healthy communities and we partner accordingly. We allow the community to drive
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Artist Dray Evans. Photo by SolBrand Design LLC.
collaboration and convening and bring people together around opportunities and needs identified by our partners. Sakoda: As we worked through the
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The Foundation of Every State is the Education of its Youth: Joliet Township High School Centennial Mural. Lead artists: K. Farrell, T. Manley, K. Scarboro; assistant artists: D. DiBartolo, N. BrintsViner, A Roundtree. Photo courtesy Eric Ginnard/Shaw Media.
AmericansForTheArts.org
internal process of transitioning from a Commission to a Department within LA County, we also set about on the strategic visioning that could guide us moving forward. We engaged our stakeholders in surveys and phone interviews about our current and aspirational role as an agency. Armed with that data, we held several inclusive staff convenings to develop a new mission, vision, and values statement, with which we then engaged our advisory body, the Arts Commission, and ultimately the Board of Supervisors. Dorris: Most of the credit is due to our
Vice Chair, Quinn Adamowski. He and I had several conversations about the arts and Joliet while serving on the school board for Joliet Public Schools District #86. One day he emailed me
a draft of an ordinance and said he had all the city institutions on board. We lobbied, attended events, talked to the community, and recruited potential commissioners. I advocated with Illinois’ Local Arts Network, Arts Alliance Illinois, and the Local Arts team at Americans for the Arts. Through the work of local artists, community members, and civic leaders an ordinance was drafted, reviewed, and approved in the summer of 2019. WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON? Sakoda: In addition to core programs and
services, including grants, professional development, civic art, arts education, research and evaluation, and cultural equity and inclusion, we are creating and implementing innovative policies to support the role of arts and culture in civic life—addressing areas such as homelessness, foster youth, and those impacted by the justice system. Since
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LOCAL ARTS AGENCY ROUNDTABLE March, we have been working to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis, providing resources to the field and adapting our long-standing programs to the needs of the day and beyond. In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to support our local arts and culture community in any way that we are able. Dorris: The Joliet Arts Commission
encouraged local organizations and individual artists to participate in the COVID-19 Cultural Sector Impact Survey conducted by Arts Alliance Illinois, our state’s arts advocacy organization. Responses from across the state informed COVID-19 responses for the arts and cultural sectors, including #ArtsforIllinois and the Arts For Illinois Relief Fund. These initiatives provide our community a place to share, connect, and support one another during this tough time. In June, we’ll report on our progress and give recommendations to the Joliet city council. This year’s report will include organizational information,
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plans through December 2020, and recommendations for long-term projects and initiatives. After that, we plan to take our show on the road throughout Joliet, listening to community members, artists and creatives, business owners, and students. These feedback opportunities and data will help guide and refine how our commission moves forward. Meanwhile, there are new cultural projects happening in Joliet that may require us to be nimble. We are attempting to build a road that already has a lot of traffic on it, so being slow, deliberate, and collaborative is deeply important. Mullet: We’re focusing on sector growth,
collaboration, and organizational structure, but also pivoting due to the COVID-19 crisis. There is so much strength in our county’s cultural sector, but the financial ecosystem is fragile. Our current priorities include supporting the health and safety of our community; providing local artists and organizations with accurate, timely information; and
Students attend the 2019 LA County Arts Internship Summit at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Monica Almeida.
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state and national local arts networks. About two years ago, I walked into a meeting in Galesburg, Illinois, and said, “Joliet wants to start a local arts agency,” and the resounding response was “Okay, how can we help!” I have found that people in these roles want to help you and are looking for opportunities to connect with you. Reach out, be humble, and ask questions. Mullet: Lean on the network Americans
for the Arts provides! You can feel very alone in the early days, but you are valuable, and you are not without support. Leverage ArtsU, use the listserv, and reach out to colleagues nationally. We are all in this together and you have a bench of support ready and willing to help you navigate this work. Sakoda: Every arts agency serves and
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Embodied by Alison Saar in downtown Los Angeles. Photo courtesy L.A. Louver, Venice, CA.
ensuring our community knows the arts and culture are here to help during the crisis and during the recovery. As local arts agencies, we must lean on our colleagues regionally and nationally to support, resource, and advocate for our communities thoughtfully and with an eye on the health and safety of all. WHAT WORDS OF WISDOM WOULD YOU OFFER OTHERS LOOKING TO CREATE AN ARTS AGENCY IN THEIR COMMUNITY?
is reflective of the region in which it resides, so it is important to think about the needs, strengths, and opportunities within that region. You also need to build good will in different stakeholder groups simultaneously— arts organizations, artists, advocates, community members, and government officials. It is hard, but their input and support are what will sustain the agency in the long term.
Dorris: If I can offer any word of encour-
agement, it is that you are not alone. There is a network of folks across your state and the country who are doing this work, even if you are a solo act in your community. Joliet could not get this far this quickly without the guidance, support, and encouragement from our
AmericansForTheArts.org
QUICK LOOK
Full Interview 4 To
read each panelist’s full interview, visit
AmericansForTheArts.org/LAARoundtable.
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YOU BELONG HERE
MEMBERCENTER As a mentor for Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA), how do you feel the industry has improved regarding the inclusion of women in the arts?
training in racial equity and inclusion
Women have always been included in
working knowledge of equity, curates a
the arts community, but the issue is not
collaborative peer learning and action
inclusion, it is equity. My work as the
network for racial equity, and activates
CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council
systemic change to address institutional
of Montgomery County, as a mentor with
and structural racism in our sector, our
WOCA, and being on the Remembrance
region, and our community.
and Reconciliation Commission is about achieving equity for women. Women have been included, but we haven’t MEMBERCENTER
MEMBER PROFILE:
Suzan E. Jenkins
strategies. The program encourages the development of actionable and race-explicit interventions that build a
How has AHCMC responded to the coronavirus?
necessarily had power. For the arts sec-
AHCMC has taken steps to help reduce
tor to thrive, women must have a seat at
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
the table without exclusion and without
on our local sector in response to
condition. To achieve this, I am com-
numerous challenges our grantees
mitted to conversations about equity in
are facing. Emergency relief matching
all facets of my life, to the notion that
funds were added to our recent
nothing about us—without us—can be
Power2Give crowdsourcing initiative,
for us, and to the tenet that to achieve
leveraging $200,000 in county funds
equity power structures must shift. We
to raise $200,000 in private funds,
must have access to all the resources
allowing us to funnel $400,000 to our
necessary—whether fiscal, physical, or
community. We expedited FY20 grant
SUZAN E. JENKINS, CEO, Arts and
philosophical to advance our sector and
award disbursements, relaxed our
Humanities Council of Montgomery
to advance the human race.
award policies to allow more flexible use
County, Maryland (AHCMC), has been
of funds, extended project timelines, What’s coming up for AHCMC in 2020?
provided emergency individual artist and
In 2018, AHCMC began a two-year
scholar support, and allowed changes
program to combat racism in our
to project descriptions. We established
community. Our entire board of directors
a Resources and Response page which
What interested you in the arts community?
and staff completed a two-day racial
acts as a clearinghouse for up-to-date
equity training intensive facilitated by
information in response to business
My love of the arts began early. I can’t
the Racial Equity Institute. Following
disruptions caused by the shutdowns
recall a time when the arts weren’t
that training, our board, grants
and refocused our newsletters to
inextricably woven into my very fiber.
committee, and staff, with extensive
address the new reality of presenting,
My parents exposed me to music early
input from the community, updated
performing, and exhibiting while social
on. My earliest memories are of listening
grant guidelines for fiscal year 2021
distancing in a pandemic.
to music in church, on the radio at my
through an anti-racism and community
AHCMC will continue to explore ways
grandparent’s house, and to jazz and
impact lens. Beginning in November
to address our new normal so that we
classical music at home. I recall twirling
2019, in partnership with Race Forward,
can best support, engage, and attract
in the living room while listening to
AHCMC initiated the Racial Equity
Montgomery County’s communities now
Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” Harry
in the Arts and Humanities Learning
and well into the future.
Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song,” and
Cohort. Comprised of CEOs from 60 of
the soundtrack from Gershwin’s Porgy
AHCMC’s general operating support
and Bess on our stereo.
grantees, this cohort is an intensive
a visionary leader in the nonprofit arts and culture sector for over 20 years.
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The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know
ArtsU Live speaker Ceci Dadisman presents a Marketing Bootcamp for Artists. Photo by Butch Wilhelmi.
MEMBERCENTER
Welcome New Members AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS is pleased to welcome these organizations as new members. We’re thrilled to have you! n
American Association of Community Theatre
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Art Fair 14C
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Artichoke Dance Company
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Artists Working in Education, Inc.
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Arts Business Collaborative
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Bambridge Accountants New York
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Bill Flood Community Cultural Development
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Breuil Fussion Academy.corp
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Bromo Tower Arts & Entertainment
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Cabot Foundation for Arts & Culture
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Camden FireWorks
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City of Alpharetta
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City of Azusa
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City of Bastrop
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City of Beverly Hills
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City of Coronado Cultural Arts Commission
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City of East Point Georgia
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City of Fairfax Cultural Arts
According to Cultural Arts Manager Amanda Harris, the Commission wanted
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City of Pittsburgh
to bring an ArtsU Live workshop to their community after hearing “from many
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Classic 107.3
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College for Creative Studies
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Dance/NYC
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Davis Restoration
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Foundation for New American Musicals
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Glass Axis
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Greenwood Parks & Recreation
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Healing Arts Project Inc (HAPI)
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Hexagon Project
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James Madison University
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The Music District
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National Accelerator for Cultural Innovation,
MEMBERCENTER
ArtsU Live: Where We’ve Been – Elgin, Illinois IN JANUARY 2020, AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS had the pleasure of partnering with the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission to provide three ArtsU Live Workshops: Audience Diversity and Engagement, Marketing Bootcamp for Artists, and Building Arts and Business Partnerships.
of our local artists and arts organizations that they needed help in a few areas: marketing, audience diversity and engagement, and business partnerships [and] I knew that we needed to bring in professionals to help in these areas.” The three workshops, which were specifically tailored to the needs of the Elgin community, had around 150 attendees total, comprised of artists, business members, and arts administrators from the local area and from as far as 30 miles away. “Each workshop was so great in such different ways,” said Harris. “The diversity and engagement workshop brought to light the very basic ways in which we sometimes fail as arts professionals. The marketing workshop was so hands on
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and addressed so many questions that it made it easy to walk away with a plan
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to move forward. The business partnership workshop laid out the benefits of partnering with a business and how easy it can be.”
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Harris attributes the success of these workshops to multiple factors, including the presenters and the content. “It’s helpful to bring in someone from the outside. Sometimes things you
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have been saying hold more weight when they are addressed by a professional in the field. The workshops worked here because they were what our community asked for.”
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Through Americans for the Arts’ ArtsU Live workshops, attendees gain new skills, knowledge, and connections to further their personal and organizational goals. To learn more and bring us to your community, visit us online at AmericansForTheArts.org/Workshops.
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Arizona State University The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Norcross Public Arts Commission North Central Louisiana Arts Council NW Michigan Arts & Culture Network OhioDance Oxford American Literary Project Oye Palaver Hut, Inc. Silver Kite Community Arts Sumter County Cultural Commission Tennessee Performing Arts Center Towson Creative Partnership Tufts University Art Gallery University of Missouri Extension Urban Confluence Silicon Valley The Village Inc. Washington Studio School Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts
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Plumed Serpent, San JosĂŠ, California. Photo by Dave Lepori.
PUBLIC ART AND THE
CULTURE WARS by Kerry Adams Hapner, Director of Cultural Affairs, Deputy Director of Economic Development, City of San Jose
A
cross the United States, politics of place, art, and culture are dynamic. What is considered truth, fact, perspective, and historical record depends on who has power. With changing demographics, new generations, and evolving cultural values, new voices question who and what should be commemorated. This tension of competing cultural perspectives exists in our nation’s culture wars in which different constituencies demand public art that is reflective and inclusive of their identity and experiences. From the National Mall to the town square, public art holds power in punctuating identity, history, and public memory. Consider the controversial case studies of Plumed Serpent, also known as Quetzalcoatl, in San JosÊ, California, and the Robert E. Lee Monument in Charlottesville, Virginia. The controversies surrounding these works reflect evolving generational views and must be considered not only within their localized battles, but in the greater national context of the culture wars and how these works reflect changing public values of our collective historic narrative and identity.
AmericansForTheArts.org
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PUBLIC ART AND THE CULTURE WARS U.S. CULTURE WARS AND LOCALIZED BATTLES
In the early 1990s, the political landscape in the United States was increasingly polarized by competing ideological worldviews—secular progressives and religious traditionalists. These “culture wars” contested polemic issues such as abortion, LGBTQ rights, the right to bear arms, representation of the Confederate flag, and publicly funded art. In his speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention, conservative presidential candidate Pat Buchanan declared, “There is a religious war going on in our country for the soul of America. It is a cultural war, as critical to the kind of nation we will one day be as was the Cold War itself.” His call to action was to take America back “city by city.” PLUMED SERPENT: A CASE STUDY
QUICK LOOK
Artist Robert Graham (1938–2008) 4
Born in Mexico City, Robert Graham moved to San José at the age
of 12 and studied art at San José State University and the San Francisco Art Institute, and ultimately settled in Los Angeles. Most known for his figurative bronze sculptures, Graham’s career grew quickly through gallery and museum exhibitions and high profiled public art commissions, most notably the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. He became one of the greatest artists of his time. Photo © 2020 Robert Graham Studio/Estate, Artists Rights Society (ARS) NY.
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Located in downtown San José’s central Plaza de Cesar Chavez, artist Robert Graham’s Plumed Serpent, a sculpture of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, was installed by the San José Redevelopment Agency (SJRDA) in 1994. Since its conception, the artwork has been a lightning rod for civic discourse, which now offers a generational view of how public art elicits animated democracy and reflects social issues. To some, it is a beautiful homage to Mexican culture by a leading artist, while others debate its artistic merit, religious symbolism, cost, and more. San José’s rapid changes in population, diversity, and redevelopment play out in the artwork’s cultural context. By 1990, the city’s population had grown to 782,000—eight times its size in over four decades. Its ethnic demographics, too, quickly evolved. In 1970, San José
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was over 90% white. By 1990, the population diversified with about 25% Latinx, 20% Asian and Pacific Islander, and 5% African American. Today it is a minoritymajority city, with no one ethnic group comprising a majority of the population. How a community responds to a work of art starts with each of its citizens and their set of schemas, an evolving set of cognitive structures that organize past stimuli that create experiences and reactions, which collectively reverberate and inform public value. The tale of the serpent is intriguing and tainted by urban myths perpetuated by the media and public discourse. Thus, the myths become a normalized part of public discourse. Plumed Serpent represents a Mesoamerican symbol of the union of the snake’s terrestrial environment (earth) with the bird’s celestial environment (sky). Other associations with Quetzalcoatl are fertility, learning, knowledge, merchants, arts, and crafts. Commissioned in QUICK LOOK the aftermath of another public art controversy, the Thomas Fallon Statue, which was protested by 4 In The Social Imperative, members of the Mexican Stanford scholar Dr. Paula Moya American community writes “schemas will be shared with others who are similarly as a symbol of conquest, situated within a particular Graham sought to heal the society—so, for instance, racial, wounds with a positive gender, religious, and class symbol of good celebrated schemas are often shared across in Mesoamerican culture. a demographic group.” Schemas inform collective discourse within Sparking an emotional complex, pluralistic communities; religious debate, Plumed enable one to fill in gaps of Serpent became a localized information; and provide a means battleground in a national to interpret and evaluate artwork. culture war. Led by the U.S.
Schemas
AmericansForTheArts.org
QUICK LOOK
Thomas Fallon 4
In 1988, SJRDA commissioned a statue
of Captain Thomas Fallon on horseback raising the U.S. flag in San José in 1846, when California was still part of Mexico. Artist Robert Glen’s statue commemorated a man whose significance is contested amongst historians and community members. The artwork provoked debate about representation, perspective, public memory, belonging, and inclusion. In 1990, Vice Mayor Blanca Alvarado wrote to the RDA board, “historical fact has many meanings. A significant number of our community finds the act of conquest portrayed by the statue to be offensive…the raising of the flag points to the subjugation of the ancestors of many of our citizens.” Thomas Fallon Statue, San José, California. Photo by Dave Lepori.
Justice Foundation, an organization that advances conservative right-wing political causes, a lawsuit was filed against the City of San José and the SJRDA, alleging that the artwork was a violation of the separation of church and state protected by the First Amendment. Plaintiffs claimed the work was a religious symbol of an evil Aztec culture. Members of the far-right evangelical Christian community protested the installation of the work.
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PUBLIC ART AND THE CULTURE WARS
n
Robert E. Lee Statue. Photo courtesy City of Charlottesville.
16 | ARTS LINK | SPRING 2020
Led by the former head of Operation Rescue’s 1993 campaign opposing abortion in San José, a new organization called Word in Warfare Ministries held a four-day around-the-clock prayer vigil at the site of the sculpture. Supporters of the artwork dismissed these acts as political propaganda. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against the plaintiffs, citing that the work was an artistic interpretation and not a religious symbol. This court decision was appealed but upheld in 1996 by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Plumed Serpent was dedicated, yet controversial public discourse continued to swirl around it.
Within weeks, media outlets ran articles, cartoons, and letters reflecting a spectrum of opinions about the work. The local press ran sensational headlines, including a piece by the editorial board of The Mercury News titled “Tale of the Serpent: How City Hall turned monumental art into a lump” with cartoons associating the artwork with excrement. Over time, the pejorative reference took on urban legend and overtook the positive Mesoamerican symbol, defaming not only the artwork but the culture it celebrated. Ever since, the artwork has become a cautionary tale of politics and public values. It is not the artwork that is controversial, but the issues surrounding it.
The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know
In an era in which we are experiencing a resurgence of white supremacy, we must be vigilant about language. Once normalized, defamation can lead to ethnic superiority and marginalization. Culture is in the conversation.
protected by state law. The decision was appealed by Charlottesville and a new state legislature passed an amendment to House Bill 1537 enabling local control, which Governor Ralph Northam signed into law on April 11, 2020.
A NEW GENERATION OF CULTURE WARS
OUR IMPERATIVE
These culture wars impacted generations to come. The modern debates over public art are a powerful symbol of memory, identity, and public value. For example, in efforts to remove testaments to glorified and false narratives that promote bias and racism, the City Council of Charlottesville, Virginia, voted to remove several statues, including one of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The City Council’s decision to remove the Lee statue catalyzed multiple highprofile protests by members of that community and national white supremacy groups, including the Ku Klux Klan. In August 2017, the Unite the Right white supremacy rally held at the site tragically culminated when a neo-Nazi man rammed his car into a crowd of protestors, killing Heather Heyer and injuring at least 28 people. The State of Virginia blocked the statue’s removal, citing it as a historic war memorial
Our national culture wars are high-stakes debates being waged at all levels of government. We must ask whose memory is being commemorated. How does that historic narrative reflect and inform public value? Whose memory is being served and how does that shape public opinion, systems of power, and cultural inclusion? As culture evolves through demographic, technological, political, environmental, and social shifts, we have a civic and moral imperative to create an equitable society of inclusion through the arts. This imperative is crucial. Our future depends on it.
QUICK LOOK
Art, History, and Community Dialogue 4
QUICK LOOK
Suggested Reading
The monument to Confederate general
Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, became the focal point for a violent, racismfueled clash that brought to the forefront the existence and legacy of divisive monuments in communities across the United States. In
AmericansForTheArts.org
Devil in Silicon Valley, Stephen J. Pitti
«
The
«
Memorials
«
The
«
Standing
to Shattered Myths, Harriet Senie
Social Imperative, Paula M. L. Moya Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves, Kirk Savage
response, Americans for the Arts released a Statement on the Intersection of the Arts, History, and Community Dialogue to support
community-driven discussions on who and what is reflected in public artworks.
SPRING 2020 | ARTS LINK | 17
INSPIRING LEADERSHIP THROUGH EXAMPLE
LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE “I never really thought of myself as a leader. It’s not of interest Hannibal Lokumbe (center) in community procession. Photo by Alan Poizner.
to me,” Lokumbe mused. “There are many predecessors who laid the groundwork. There has always been and will always be the work to be done.” This year, Americans for the Arts awards Lokumbe its Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities, recognizing his musical gifts and exemplary humanist work. The body of work is vast and deep. In recent years—in Charleston, South Carolina, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—grieving communities summoned Lokumbe in the aftermath of gun violence acted upon faith congregations. His piece, Crucifixion Resurrection: Nine Souls a-Traveling, a silent, meditative, public procession (see photo this page) followed by a musical homage, aimed to heal unspeakable loss. In prisons over decades, Lokumbe has guided a music and storytelling process rooted in vulnerability, openness, spiritualism, and forgiveness. He is the founder and director of the Music Liberation Orchestra, a program that teaches music, genealogy, and writing to incarcerated men around the country and in his own home community of Bastrop, Texas. One thematic thread across many compositions relates the experiences of those who have shown courage in the face of oppression, including enslaved Africans, Native Americans, Anne Frank, Rosa Parks, and Fannie Lou Hamer. The $65,000 Johnson Fellowship, supported by the Yankee
LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE
and Laurel Johnson Trust, enables the Fellow to pursue their creative work in and with community. Lokumbe is developing
HANNIBAL LOKUMBE:
Composer and Torchbearer for Healing and Change
a project in Africatown, a historic community near Mobile, Alabama, formed by a group of 32 West Africans, who in 1860 were shipped illegally (on a wager) and are the last known Africans to have arrived to the U.S. Lokumbe’s vision is to create a “holy site” for the ancestors of enslaved Africans whom he calls “the Tribe of Jonah.” As a first step to know the community, Lokumbe will teach music at a school, then let the project evolve organically. He is also composing The Jonah People: A Legacy of Struggle and Triumph, written for full orchestra, mass choir, and principal soloists; commissioned by
ASKING HANNIBAL LOKUMBE to reflect on being a leader, he
the Nashville Symphony in commemoration of 400 years of the
is quick to deflect. He praises jazz titans Charles Mingus,
African American experience.
Archie Shepp, Duke Ellington. As a classical composer, Lokumbe was breaking ground long before others, creating orchestral works on social, historic, and identity themes and infusing them with his own distinctive jazz trumpet playing. His sustained engagement with populations has been a model for transformative healing—employing music and spirituality
Whether in the concert hall, schools, prisons, or other community settings, Lokumbe leads a path forward. “Hopefully I can make some substantial contribution to the human paradigm. I consider myself an avid carrier of the torch. I feel honored to be one of the torch bearers.”
with youth, incarcerated individuals, and communities to
For more on the Fellowship and Hannibal Lokumbe, visit
overcome violence and trauma.
AmericansForTheArts.org/2020JohnsonFellowship.
18 | ARTS LINK | SPRING 2020
The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know
LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE
Business Spotlight: Heidi Jark LAST YEAR, Americans for the Arts launched our ARTSblog Business Spotlight series, highlighting key business partners, including our Business Committee for the Arts members and past Arts and Business Partnership Award Honorees. Check out this excerpt with Heidi B. Jark, senior LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE
vice president and managing director,
Representing the Arts in the 2020 Census
(a 2018 Honoree), and follow the series at
Foundation Office of Fifth Third Bank Blog.AmericansForTheArts.org/Blogs/Tag/ Business-Spotlight. Where do you see the arts playing a role
APRIL 1, 2020 WAS CENSUS DAY—the official kick-off of a four-month campaign to count every American. The U.S. Census is a consequential tool for
in the future—personally, professionally, and/or in your community?
distributing time, attention, and money in all sorts of ways—including ways
We are at a critical juncture. Communities
that are deeply impactful on the arts. Between now and the end of July,
need to be strong and vibrant, which means
cultural institutions, artists, and others that implement the arts as a strat-
we need the arts—and we must ensure that
egy for community vitality across the United States are working to ensure
arts are accessible to everyone. In the future,
that the U.S. Census counts everyone in their community.
I can see our relationships deepening and
In Marin City, California, Dominican University students are partnering and collaborating with Performing Stars’ social justice youth group and residents
growing with the arts in our community to further achieve our civic and social priorities.
in Marin City’s public housing to create public art pieces that promote aware-
Read the full conversation at
ness of and involvement in the 2020 Census.
Blog.AmericansForTheArts.org/HeidiJark.
The Creative CityMaking program in Minneapolis is supporting artists to collaborate with the Department of Neighborhood and Community Relations to acknowledge the historic racism in the Census process and address chronic undercounting of communities. The Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs is participating in efforts to raise awareness of the Census and encourage participation in conjunction with a countywide working group. Staff will visit neighborhood groups to talk about the Census and host community information meetings at cultural facilities to share marketing materials about the Census. Cuyahoga Arts and Culture are part of the Complete County Committee for Arts and Culture to center arts and culture-based strategies in messaging, surface how artists can drive narrative change, and showcase how Local Arts Agencies can partner with those in communities most likely to be overlooked. Efforts like these are crucial, as the Census, in addition to driving government representation and funding allocations on the federal and state levels, also is used by private corporations, foundations, local governments, research institutions, and more. For a longer exploration of why, visit Blog.AmericansForTheArts.org/Census.
AmericansForTheArts.org
INFORMATION TO HELP YOU SUCCEED
THE TOOLBOX THE TOOLBOX
on an interactive dashboard, which displays aggregated national data and includes filters to explore the impact more locally,
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCE AND RESPONSE CENTER
including by state, county, or city. All this and more can be found on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource and Response Center, where we’re sharing up-to-
date news and resources for the arts and culture field. Resources include: +
I nformation on relief funds for both individuals and organizations.
IN THESE TURBULENT TIMES access to up-to-date, accurate information is vital. Americans for the Arts has produced a survey to capture the financial and human impact of the
+
I nformation on navigating the CARES Act.
+
A curated collection of national, state, and local resource pages.
coronavirus on the arts and culture field. With over 12,000 respondents from arts organizations and artists across the country, the early findings are sobering:
+
A ccess to Americans for the Arts’ dedicated page for free webinars on COVID-19, available live and on-demand.
94% of artists have experienced a loss of artistic income and
As we navigate through this crisis together Americans for the
over a third of organizations say they are likely to make reduc-
Arts remains committed to providing you with the research
tions to staff. Data collection is ongoing, and we encourage
and tools you need to ensure that the arts remain a vibrant
respondents to provide updated figures. Results may be viewed
part of your community.
94% OF ARTISTS HAVE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ARTISTIC INCOME
20 | ARTS LINK | SPRING 2020
The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know
THE TOOLBOX
Beyond Our Imagination BEYOND OUR IMAGINATION chronicles the founding era of community arts in Lima County, Ohio. For over 40 years, Lima used the arts to address a changing economy and inspire community pride. In 1982, the Wall Street Journal featured a front-page obituary—Lima crashing and San Angelo, Texas, booming. The community felt helpless. Lima called San Angelo for a favor— send their native son, Willie Nelson, home for a free concert. With 35,000 in attendance, they launched a weekend long sister-city celebration with armadillo races, and more ambitious community projects followed. Photo courtesy Big Thought.
Read more about the pioneering work by Lima County. Order your copy of Beyond Our Imagination on AmericansForTheArts.org/Store.
THE TOOLBOX
Creative Youth Development Reports Now Available
THE TOOLBOX
Take Action with the Arts Mobilization Center
AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS is proud to be one of the founding members of the Creative Youth Development (CYD) National Partnership. This Partnership
MOBILIZE is a word that arts professionals
supports and advances the growing field of creative youth development,
know well. In this presidential election year
which is the intentional integration of arts learning and positive youth
of 2020, our organizations will be mobilizing
development principles.
with additional purpose as we work to once
As part of the Partnership’s efforts, Americans for the Arts commissioned field
again help Congress pass a budget that sup-
experts to produce a set of seven landscape analyses about key topics within
ports the National Endowment for the Arts,
creative youth development.
National Endowment for the Humanities,
These papers identify trends in creative youth development, share recommendations for CYD practitioners, and suggest areas for future exploration. Reports can be found online at AmericansForTheArts.org/CYDToolkit.
Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Corporation for Public Broadcasting despite the Trump administration’s fourthstraight year recommending zero funding.
These landscape analyses serve as the foundation for the upcoming Creative
As you make your case for the arts and arts
Youth Development Toolkit. Building upon the success and longevity of the Youth
education, make our online Arts Mobiliza-
Arts Toolkit (2003), a landmark study of arts programs serving at-risk youth,
tion Center your go-to source for the tools,
Americans for the Arts will create a new, interactive toolkit that will aggregate
resources, and information you need. Visit
effective tools and resources on planning, funding, and advocacy through
AmericansForTheArts.org/Mobilize to find
case study research on a diverse set of creative youth development programs
the latest case-making tools, news, and
across the country. The CYD Toolkit is expected to launch in summer 2021.
ways to take action.
AmericansForTheArts.org
SPRING 2020 | ARTS LINK | 21
1000 Vermont Avenue NW 6th Floor Washington, D.C. 20005 T 202.371.2830 F 202.371.0424 ArtsLink@artsusa.org AmericansForTheArts.org
ANNUAL CONVENTION
PUBLIC ART & CIVIC DESIGN C O N F E R E N C E
JUNE 2020
WE ARE EXPLORING WAYS TO BRING YOU THIS YEAR’S EVENT, INCLUDING DIGITAL BEST PRACTICES.
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