The Creativity Network is an informal network of artists of every discipline, arts educators, arts organizations and others who assemble once a month to meet, greet and dialogue about art and culture in Long Beach.
Since October of 2005, they have gathered at Utopia Restaurant in the East Village Arts District, to exchange business cards, flyers about upcoming events and air mutual concerns. While the goal of these Salons has always been to provide a venue for networking, recent sessions have given rise to a discussion of big issues and the need for action and solutions.
This comes as the Arts Council for Long Beach’s Strategic Planning Committee begins a review of past Cultural Master Plans, conducts an updated needs assessment and submits its recommendations. The Creativity Network distributed a modest two-question survey about arts and culture in Long Beach and was rewarded with a long list of replies which are attached. We post these replies and seek further input from the Greater Long Beach Creative Community. Use the comment feature to add your thoughts to this evolving document.
CREATIVITY NETWORK SURVEY
(Updated 4/3/06)
1. What would you list as the top three priority issues facing the Creative Community in Greater Long Beach?
• Lack of funding; continuity within the artist community; willingness to embrace new ideas.
• Building the arts to increase tourism.
• Inclusiveness in the Arts: Expanding the role of individual artists as well as embracing the diversity of Long Beach culturally, ethnically, sexual orientation, gender, etc
• Lack of a Cultural Master Plan
• Reviewing the role of the Arts Council for Long Beach: Should it serve as an umbrella for distributing Arts funding or as an Arts Leader and Advocate for the role the city plays in the arts?
• Strategic Marketing- Cross promotion of Arts events and marketing synergy; Media and communications & using the Citywide Arts Calendar to avoid conflicts in fundraising events; Opportunities for Arts Groups and individuals to co-sponsor events.
• Arts Education- The role of the Arts Council, CSULB and LBCC in Arts Development and Education & Arts in the Schools; LBUSD as the largest recipient of Arts Education. How can they help to communicate benefits to students and encourage support for the Arts and Culture? Youth Leadership Development and Arts- Mentorship programs.
• Knowing whether the City wants to support public art and having a professional administer the program.
• Over-development. Losing the individual businesses and galleries and turning into a corporate environment. This is what happened in Santa Monica. Little by little, the small businesses closed and were replaced by Starbucks, Armani, Coffee Bean. The individual businesses we have in our community enhance the feeling of a creative environment and are a much more supportive group towards local artists.
• Expanding venues for visual arts exhibitions.
• Learning from the successes, and failures, of other arts communities. A willingness to abandon the status quo in favor of a more successful model
2. What are the three most critical issues specifically facing you as an individual, artist or Creative organization?
• Funding
• Opportunities for public forums to share work
• Conflicted direction and objectives from the artistic community.
• Promotion of my art in the community
• An art educated audience to view it. More opportunities to educate everyone in the arts through workshops, museum tours and art events.
• Municipal cooperation
• Cooperation with other artists and orgs
• Educating the municipal leaders, org leaders, and individual artists about what is possible, and that there is a clear path toward creating an atmosphere of success in the city
So when IS the next gathering? Is it like TPSradio’s “Creative Gatherings” that were held (and audiotaped/played on TPSradio) a few years ago inside the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel? I haven’t seen this posted on LBEV.com Message Board or EastVillageArtsDistrict.org Who is the organizer? I talked to Utopia about a “Dining Out in LB Meetup”, but turns out the Art/dinner Meetup for April will take place at Gallery33East.com and CafePiccolo (see Foodcasting.com).
Would like to hold one @ UtopiaRestaurant.net while JOHN MONTICH’s beautiful work is exhibited, early May! (When is the next creative gathering there?)
It’s this Monday, April 10, 6:30-8:30pm.
We need greater funding from the City via the Arts Council to advertise and support the Arts that do not generate direct and visible tax revenues. Basically, the City needs to “take a risk” and give the same amount of visible support for the East Village and 4th Street Arts Corridors as it does to MOLAA, the Symphony, theaters and Grand Prix. This should be done through consistent and agressive poster advertising, Press-Telegram inserts and public events/education for at least two years. And any grants to local artists or institutions should be publicized aggressively as well. There should be a City-sponsored and well-publicized Arts event /presentation every weekend and for one-two evenings per week.
I also agree with all of the questionnaire comments except the one regarding tourism. Tourism should not be the motive. Make the Arts by themselves the motive, and the tourists will come. Again, you have to take a risk with art, since the profit potential is unknown. But it will pay off eventually, both on a financial and cultural level.
Artists, visit artslb.org to learn of some upcoming grants. Deadlines are late April and Mid May…