Prescott 2050

Arts and Cultural affairs final report

Arts and Cultural Affairs Prescott 2050 Final Report

Mission Statement
Prescott is already known around the state not only for its natural beauty and heritage, but for its artistic events and for the many painters, sculptors, muralists, potters, weavers, jewelers, photographers, poets, fiction writers, playwrights, essayists, cartoonists, storytellers, actors, directors, filmmakers, re-enactors, dancers, vocalists, and musicians who offer those events to the public. It is the mission of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Working Group to explore and envision the state of the Arts in Prescott in the year 2050, to research new ways of increasing funding and making resources and services more readily available, and to promote a vision of Prescott’s artistic development that leads to the city becoming Arizona and the Southwest’s creative center. An examination of Prescott’s current Arts and cultural climate reveals a strong and promising foundation on which to build.

Definition
Arts and Cultural Affairs encompasses an exploration of visual, literary, and performing Arts and crafts and their evolution to the year 2050.

Support for Our Guiding Principles from the National Arts Policy Roundtable
On October 4-6, 2007, 32 leaders from business, government, philanthropy, education, and the Arts convened in Utah to focus on the role of the Arts in developing the creativity and innovation necessary to succeed in a global workplace. Results of this Roundtable, entitled “Thinking Creatively and Competing Globally: The Role of the Arts in Building the 21st Century American Workforce,” can be found at: http://www.Artsusa.org/information_services/research/policy_roundtable/

Among the statements made as a result of the Roundtable are these:

“In the 21st century global economy, the competitive edge belongs to the most innovative businesses—those that flourish in the marketplace by providing creative solutions. Today’s business environment is global, knowledge-based, and one of constant change. Recognizing that creativity fuels innovation, business leaders now list creativity among the applied skills increasingly necessary for workers at all levels in all industries to succeed in the new economy….Many other countries…are seizing this opportunity to strengthen the 21st century skills of their students by developing creative education programs, which often include increasing the amount of time students spend on Arts. This is a deliberate workforce development strategy aimed at capturing a larger portion of the new economy.”
In envisioning and moving toward 2050, our community must not only provide quality-of-life experiences for our residents, but also provide the kinds of creative experiences for our growing population that will engender the creativity necessary to attract and support businesses choosing to develop or relocate here. In developing our own guiding principles, we would do well to consider the following adapted from those of the Roundtable:
• Literacy in the Arts is essential in the 21st century.
• The Arts both nurture and enhance creative inquiry and innovation, complementing other fields that depend on these applied skills—such as math, science, and engineering.
• To foster and develop creativity and innovation skills that can be applied in life and work, opportunities for Arts experiences should begin before children enter school and continue throughout life, both in the schools, in the community, and in the workplace itself.

“Knowledge + Creativity = Competitive Edge

Three additional essays on the topic can be found at:
http://www.Artsusa.org/pdf/information_services/research/policy_roundtable/2007_essays.pdf

Overview
The Arts are by nature inclusive. They bring people together. They erase barriers. They also build the much-needed creativity that is needed to adapt in our changing times. Businesses are looking for creative people.

A community that values the Arts attracts prosperity. Cities like Carmel, California; Concord, Massachusetts; and Ashland, Oregon have found that support of the arts delivers a quality of life that attracts people while, at the same time, raising property values. Visitors who come to enjoy the city’s Arts see a city with vision. With that vision in mind, many of them decide to move to the city or relocate their businesses to it, bringing with them creative, curious, innovative, like-minded people who will also foster clean, innovative businesses with futures.

People who enjoy and/or pursue the Arts are generally well-educated, engaged citizens with discretionary income. These are people who enjoy buying from local businesses, even if it means paying a little more. They understand that they are not simply purchasing things with their dollars; they are building a community. Rather than going to out-of-state corporations, their money stays in Prescott. It supports local businesses. It goes into local banks. It shapes our local infrastructure. It supports local non-profits. Any thriving community wants to attract this kind of citizen.

The City of Prescott must be aggressive in developing and funding a comprehensive Arts program; otherwise, Prescott Valley may eclipse Prescott. To survive and thrive, the City of Prescott must make the Arts a priority. “Everybody’s Hometown” deserves great art.

Our Vision for Prescott.
By the year 2050—
• While maintaining its reputation as the home of the World’s Oldest Rodeo and even more deeply deserving its moniker “Everybody’s Hometown,” Prescott has become the Creative Center of Arizona and the Southwest.
• Prescott’s Arts community contributes to economic growth, fuels tourism, and is a major tax generator for the City of Prescott.
• Established events such as the Prescott Bluegrass Festival, the Arizona Shakespeare Festival, the Cowboy Poets Gathering, Tsunami on the Square, Prescott Indian Art Market, the Folk Music Festival, Prescott Jazz Summit, J.S. Acker Musical Showcase, and the Phippen Western Art Show and Sale attract ample funding and committed donors, drawing tourists from throughout the Southwest and beyond.
• The Arts enhance Prescott as a nationally recognized “top place to live.” The Courthouse Plaza continues to attract tourists and local families for enjoyment of the Arts.
• Prescott Public Library continues to provide leadership in promoting literacy, sponsoring premier literary and youth events, and serving as a lively hub of community activity, information, and connection.
• Prescott Area Arts and Humanities Council (PAAHC) is adequately funded and has substantial representation from the area’s artistic organizations and individual artists, allowing it to coordinate and oversee funding and events and to support individual organizations like the Prescott Jazz Society.
• A consistent funding model allows all of the Arts to thrive.
• Arts grants are available through established non-profit organizations.
• Arts organizations and individual artists collaborate in many ventures, raising the bar on what can be accomplished.  There is a special fund for collaborative and public art projects.
• An alliance between the hospitality businesses and the Arts community increases the benefits to our community while drawing increasing numbers of visitors to town.
• A prominent seasonal artistic culture serves the community and contributes to the Coalition of Tourism.
• Sharlot Hall and the Smoki Museum are well-funded. They continue to enhance the lives of residents and visitors alike by offering a variety of artistic and historical exhibits and events.
• The Phippen Museum has grown in size to better exhibit its expanded collection of western art and continues to be recognized as a center for viewing and learning about western art and western art history. 
• A state-of-the-art professional theatre with paid artistic and managing directors is well established in a beautiful setting, surrounded by gardens and outdoor gathering spaces. It presents both thought-provoking dramas and comedies and family-friendly performances that employ the talents of local professional actors and attract nationally recognized visiting artists. It has a viewing space for visual Arts that enhances the theatre experience and draws the support of a solid subscriber base.
• Sponsorships provide access to a children’s theatre program that offers fun, dramatic experiences to all who are interested, regardless of ability to pay.
• Prescott Fine Arts Association has a beautiful state-of-the-art theatre on its current grounds downtown and continues to provide excellent community theatre productions, supported by a solid subscriber base and a loyal audience. 
• Renovation of the historic Elks Opera House and careful planning has made it a prominent venue for local and visiting artists. It is well funded and valued by the entire community, and Prescott’s performing arts groups work hand-in-hand with the theatre management and the Elks Opera House Foundation.
• Purchase of historic properties around the Elks Opera House creates an Arts complex, providing additional spaces for artistic and public use.
• An artist’s community with partial funding for local and visiting artists who have undergone a juried application process includes living quarters, studios, and galleries, as well as retail spaces and arts classes. The developer/owner is provided tax benefits by the City of Prescott.

• Prescott College, Yavapai College, and Embry-Riddle contribute a variety of exciting arts and cultural programs each year.
• The Yavapai College Performance Hall continues to offer a season featuring nationally recognized performing artists.
• The Prescott Jazz Summit receives national recognition, drawing professionals and emerging artists from all over the world.
• A professional symphony with a paid artistic and managing director has a home in Prescott.
• A professional dance company has made its home in Prescott.
• PAAHC presents yearly awards to businesses that have shown outstanding support for the arts; and to foster cooperation between Arts groups, PAAHC gives a yearly award honoring Arts groups that work most collaboratively or show the most support to other Arts organizations.
• Regularly scheduled gallery art walks, such as Fourth Friday Art Walk, continue to draw both locals and out-of-towners to Prescott galleries.
• The Art Walk works in conjunction with local businesses and the Prescott Downtown Partnership for mutual benefit.
• “Art in America” magazine has listings representing Prescott art galleries.
• The Fall Arts Festival is an annual event.
• The Daily Courier’s Friday supplement, “The Scene,” has been expanded to include more coverage of the Arts, including fine arts critics’ columns.  A daily calendar lists arts events happening that day.
• An interactive Arts kiosk in the Courthouse Plaza provides up-to-date listings of Prescott events.
• The City makes use of existing and up-to-date technologies to inform people about the opportunities and events happening in Prescott.
• The Chamber of Commerce and City of Prescott websites include links to the PAAHC website, increasing visitors’ access to up-to-date events’ information.
• The city has its own web-based television station, and a significant portion of the programming is arts-based.
• Arts programs geared toward Prescott’s youth are offered regularly in a variety of venues.
• A number of alcohol-free venues directed toward families and youth provide ample opportunities for teens and young 20-somethings—these might include dances, battles of the bands, cosmic bowling, supervised bonfire gatherings, slam poetry competitions, stand-up comedy, improv, et. al.
• To further support youth and emerging artists, a low-cost performance venue provides space for play rehearsals; original, student-directed shows; poetry slams; band practices; spoken word performances, and such the like. The space is available to anyone and free to folks 14-25, with the condition of no drugs or alcohol.  Deliberate scheduling assures that the space is shared and that times are always available for first-time users.
• Open-mike gatherings offer opportunities for anyone to participate in music, poetry, drama, short story readings, comedy, and other spoken word performances.

In Conclusion
To survive and thrive, the City of Prescott must make the Arts a priority. Prescott is not a city on a river or a major crossroads. That is not the reason for its existence. It is here because people want to be here. The person who retired from a think tank, the nationally recognized author, the Grammy-nominated musician, the successful entrepreneur—they move here because of Prescott’s inherent beauty and emerging creative culture. The Arts & Cultural Affairs Working Group believes that no other vision for Prescott’s future is as viable or offers as much for Prescott’s future as the one we delineate herein. Therefore:

We Recommend:
• that the City develops a funding model similar to those in effect in other cities. The city of Palm Desert, California—and more locally, the cities of Flagstaff and Tempe, AZ—provide excellent models regarding funding the Arts. Adequate funding may be provided in several ways. Many models have been used. Here are two possibilities:
o All new development projects may be given a choice between 1) an assessment fee of 1% of permitting fees, allocated to a fund for Arts projects, or 2) the contribution of public art valued at a similar level.
o Prescott’s bed and booze tax allocates a specific percentage of fees to the Arts.
• that affordable locations for Artists within the downtown area be developed.
• that use of existing buildings for artistic events including live theatre and display of work by local artists needs to become a reality, and that, when possible, the city makes vacant buildings available to local artists for a nominal fee.
• the development of a professional theatre company with its own theatre building, to include outdoor gathering areas and a viewing space for visual Arts.
• that a program for the development of “Home Grown Art” should be established in which local artists are encouraged to show their work locally as well as attract “outside” artists to Prescott.
• that the items listed above in “Our Vision for Prescott” be implemented.