It was a good crowd of some 25 people who turned out for another stimulating Salon at C1D Gallery,441 E First Street(Thanks to Enrique Chiu for hosting us). Co-sponsored by CID and LongBeachCulture.Org, the Salon got down to business with talk about the upcoming Strategic Plan for the Arts Council for Long Beach. There’s been one done earlier this decade along with a Citywide Cultural Plan done in the early nineties. So, a foundation already exists. Arts Council Board Member Henry Taboada staked out the big issues and reminded the audience that the process will be an open one. Community input is welcomed. More importantly, no one wants another plan that is going to sit on a shelf somewhere. A planning meeting is scheduled and as soon as information becomes available, we’ll post it here.
The Salon moved on to a spirited discussion of the Arts Exchange Project (you can find more information on this elsewhere on LongBeachCulture.Org). The good news is that no matter what happens with the Broadway and Long Beach Blvd. project, there is a real desire to see Arts be a vital element of the City’s planning. Mark your calendars. The Redevelopment Agency is planning a community meeting to discuss the future of that parcel of land, along with the Art Exchange proposal and others, on June 22 in the evening at the First Congregational Church. Details to follow.
We didn’t get an opportunity to address other issues raised on 3X5 cards but we promise to tackle some of them both here at LongBeachCulture.Org and in future Salons. And speaking of the next one: June 26. This one will be more “fun”. We promise a “Summertime Salon”. Details to follow:
- The city’s role and attitude towards the Arts
- What are the obstacles to Unity and Open Collaboration and how can we overcome them?
- The future of K-Jazz Public Radio
- More opportunities to show Art
- Art as business
- “I think as a community, we seem to feel as though we are inferior to other surrounding communities and communities of artists. Why is that?”
- The lack of community facilities that are capable of supporting and encouraging the digital arts while, at the same time, providing exposure to the traditional forms of expression.