Notes from the May 30th Arts Forum
VOTE June 6th for Ron Dellums
Voice
Your Opinions on the Arts in Oakland at the
Support Oakland Artists Online Forum
Arts Forum Categories
Leadership/
Cultural Funding Process
Community and Neighborhood Arts
Leadership/Cultural
Funding Process
• Craft and Cultural Arts Division website needs to be more of a
source of news for artists community
• Artist database (Ref. Center for Visual Arts)
• Mainstream arts budget, provide greater level of security
• Cultural Arts Commission to serve as primary arts and funding
advocate
• A person whose job is to promote murals
• Take the approach of WPA Arts Project. Provide the conditions
and materials to do our work.
Economic
Development
• Artist Employment Opportunities
• Art Festival/Artist Marketplace
• Streamline permit processes- zoning, insurance, etc.
• Grand Avenue/Overpass Area
• Development of monthly artist marketplace featuring as many artists/craftspeople
as can fit
• Cultural Arts gallery in State Building is under-funded and un-promoted
• The City undervalues its artists
• Advocate to do research on number of artists, taxpayers, etc.
and the economic potential of artists in Oakland
• Art subsidies for businesses
• The City should develop leniency and advocacy program for new
cultural developments- galleries, art spaces
• Identify viable arts/cultural institutions and work on how to
retain tenants (advocate for art spaces facing zoning/building code issues)
i.e. Black Box, Oaklandish
• No art = boring communities, higher crime rates and school dropouts
• Politicians and developers just don’t get it
• Tie in benefits, target market/cross market
• Low-cost loans for artists and institutions to stay in Oakland
• City budget for promoting all cultural arts events and venues
• Public relations is key
• Artists should organize their own PR mechanism and marketing vehicles
• Enabling legislation for the arts (SF live/work- 1978)
• Help artists buy their own properties
Economic Development Comments directed to Ron Dellums
• Define arts agenda in 4-5 bullets
• Are you willing to advocate for the arts
• If so, are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?
• The economic power of creative based businesses, artists and craftspeople
in Oakland is established- Please prioritize it on your agenda
• Develop arts related economic development activities pertaining
to youth/counter crime rates
Community
and Neighborhood Arts
Question: What should the Dellums arts platform include
• Fully funded cultural center in each of the flatland neighborhoods
• Convert closed schools into cultural centers and functioning multi-media
studios in neighborhoods
• Create a new model for focusing role of art and culture in City’s
priorities
Question: What is the role of the arts, artists and arts
& culture in Oakland?
Question: How can we focus resources on cultural development
in communities?
Specific resources include:
Websites for artists
Promotional tools
Physical spaces like theaters and galleries in each community*
* see proposal for converting closed schools
Proposal:
• Implement minimum of 1.5% tax revenue for new development
to be earmarked for artist/cultural development of Oakland.
• Sweat equity- subsidies, rent relief, etc. for artists that contribute
to community directed art projects
• A clear platform that challenges Brown’s “Market driven
arts program, whose trajectory ties art development to gentrification/”Beautification”
and shows preferential treatment to academic, self commodified artists
rather than artists who maintain a political, grassroots center.
Examples- East Side Arts Alliance, Mama Buzz, CCA, Ascend
and UPA
Four
Major Points of Focus:
1. Arts must be an integral part of education
2. Infrastructure developed has to be a collaboration of agencies, providers,
etc. to solve funding, resource and policy issues
3. Funding should be increased and allocated for arts education, including
expansion of Cultural Arts Department, etc.
4. Task force must be established before and after the campaign to ensure
that the objectives are met. It would be comprised of youth, artists,
educators, etc.
Points:
• Oakland International Academy of the Arts- Fox Theater
• Oakland Fine Arts Summer School- Cultural Arts Department
• Arts being dismissed/marginalized
• There is no access to arts education. Parks and Recreation has
no budget for art supplies.
• Creative uses of technology/science in art (web design)
• Oakland Museum
•Cultural awareness
Question: What can we do to help?
Cultural funding program at the City of Oakland
• Mechanics of getting funds to targets working in No Child Left
Behind
• Dance and music integrated into cultural arts programs
•There is a concern that the arts have become “projects”
as opposed to utilizing real creativity
• Disappearance of arts in school
• Disappearance of music in school
• Funding does not reach the vast majority of students
• Take a larger view
• Children are afraid to be creative
• Integrate science and art
• Only one art medium is selected or promoted
• Problem solving/thinking outside of the box derived from creative
process
• Prop 45- After school programs
• Partnership between schools and recreation centers to develop
art programs
• Database of local cultural artists/resource directory
Question: How can cultural arts be re-funded
• Create awareness of existing funding opportunities
Question: How can we work around the current constraints?
Collaboration between OUSD, art institutions, nonprofits and recreation
centers
Relationship with Washington D.C. (NEA) to assist in funding
• Artists need to be involved in the process
• Quality of life for artists
•Develop a committee to address the above
Live/Work
and Facilities
Four Major Points of Focus:
1. Balance market pressures with long-term approach to neighborhood
improvement
2. Enact a more holistic approach to planning that includes multi-generational
participants including artists, developers and neighbors to impact arts
and social work activities
3. Project area committees should have cultural art representative and
create partnership with City for inspections to improve properties
4. Underutilized and defunct industrial space is an opportunity for innovations
in community-based renewal
Comments:
• Revitalize facilities with job training (construction)
• Create affordable housing to sustain the arts in Oakland
• Increase accessibility of resources- Web Site to aggregate all
knowledge relating to cultural life including building codes, government
and private sector resources and arts venues
• City/State subsidies for artist housing
• Retail leasing methodology as a model for work/live enclaves and
landlord/tenant partnerships
• Work/Live vs. Live/Work
• Incentives for developers to partner with the community
• Land trusts
• Other City successes
• Sustainable renaissance
Question: How do you balance market rate motivation with affordable
housing?
• Offer tax breaks- through time-sensitive contracts (10-20 years)
Question: Can the idea of redevelopment (as officially
defined by law) be expanded to include the cultural arts?
Question: Is there a difference between being an artist
and a businessperson?
Workforce Housing
Create workforce housing incentives for artists, teachers, nurses,
police and full community
Win-win between landlords and artist-citizens
• Presence in the community
• Sustainability
• Investment in the community
Contact: info@supportoaklandartists.com
Oaktown by Arnold White
Dave's by Dan Fontes
Rachel Konte at
Guerilla Café
Photo by Keba Konte
Clay by Assata Konte
Freedom Tree II by
Arnold White
Crossed by Randolph Belle