REPORT TOEVANSTON CITY COUNCIL

March 18, 2013

Purpose of evanstARTs

Create a community engagement

process to generate avision and roadmap for the

arts for the Evanston

community

Key Questions

What do residents want from the arts and how do they view participation in the arts in Evanston today?

What are Evanston’s aspirations for making the arts more vibrant, accessible, and integral to the experiences of residents, visitors, and people of the region?

What can the arts contribute to Evanston’s future?

The PublicEngagement Process

Over 750 people responded through :

public listening sessions

focus groups

stakeholder interviews

online survey

Where Respondents Live

Representation from every Ward in Evanston.

In what Ward do you currently live?

1st 2nd

3rd 4th

5th 6th

7th 8th

9th Don't know

Don’t Know 16.1%

1ST6.5%

2ND6.1%

3RD15.7%

4TH10.5%

5TH4.3% 6TH

12.3%

7TH11.4%

8TH6.3%

9TH10.8%

WHAT WE LEARNED

     

 

 

“The arts are already an important component of Evanston’s economy…

The pieces need to be organized and addressed, and promoted

comprehensively to benefit the entire city.”

Evanston has many strengths in the arts

Evanston is home to:

–More than 85 arts/cultural organizations

–10 times more artists and residents employed in arts-related work than the national average

–A sizeable visual arts community and noteworthy array of theatres: NEXT, Piven, Mudlark, Piccolo, Fleetwood- Jourdain

–Museums: Block at NU, Evanston Art Center, Evanston History Center, Mitchell Museum

–Rich in musical genres: classical, choral, contemporary, jazz and pop musicians, ;vanston Symphony and Light Opera Works –Training organizations flourish including the Music Institute of Chicago and Actor’s Gymnasium

Evanston has a tradition of nurturingarts development:

–Evanston parents and schools have supported YEA for more than 25 years

–Selected by Arts Alliance Illinois as 1 of 4 cities statewide to implement Arts at the Core in elementary schools

–Rich craft traditions in jewelry, quilts, ceramics thrive in home studios and garages, Praise dance ensembles, gospel choirs, ethnic dance troupes and other informal arts ensembles

–An incubator for small dance companies along the Dempster/Dodge commercial corridor, fostered by the Evanston Dance Center

Evanston’s Arts Contribute to the City’s Economy

A sample of only 47 of Evanston's 85 arts nonprofits in Evanston indicates the arts:

• Contribute nearly $20 million in household income to residents

• Support 683 FTE jobs• Deliver $2.64 million in state and

local government revenue

Despite Economic Contributions

Evanston Arts organizations are struggling to maintain operations:

• More than 14 of 85 have budgets under $100,000

• Many artists and arts leaders work unpaid

• Funds to build capacity in key areas, such as development, promotion and marketing, are very limited

Evanston Arts Also Have Many Needs

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10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0% 55.4%

44.6%49.2%

38.0%35.5%45.5%47.5%

33.5%38.4%

24.0%

Evanston’s Art Needs

• Facilities

• Funding

• Collaboration with Business

• Branding, marketing and promotion

• Zoning and Permitting

• Arts Education and Arts Training

• Artist Housing

• Technical Support and capacity building assistance to artists & arts groups

Facilities

Downtown Cultural District

Fervent calls for an attractive, flexible cultural facility in central downtown

93% of survey respondents would support through attendance

Anchor for other arts orgs, tourism, related commercial activity

Space in Neighborhoods

Artist housing and studios

Resources for training, classes, production

Neighborhood venues to draw audiences to outlying business districts

Funding

• Budgets are small• Local donor

funding limited, lack cultivation

• ECF gives vital capacity- building support, unable to fund full volume of requests

• Evanston has limited foundation/corporate funders

• Larger than average % of artists– many working unpaid

• Lower than average % of city funding—erosion of already minimal budgets

• Greater financial stability essential to growth

“…IT’S TIME TO END THE TALK AND TAKE ACTION.”

   

   

Vision into Action: A Roadmap for Progress

“Get the right people, right positions and structure to advance the arts.”

CENTRAL PLAN

Linked to CITY PLAN

Inspired Leadership

&Coordinated

Infrastructure

Public Private

Partnership, Matched by Resources

Coherent Brand, actively

promoted

Arts Education Opportunities for all ages

A V I S I O N F O R E V A N S T O N A R T S

Evanston is invested in fostering a dynamic, accessible and culturally-rich arts

community. Creativity flourishes in a welcoming, collaborative environment that encourages lifelong participation in the arts

by residents and visitors alike

Visual Arts

Theater

Business

Media Arts

Funders

State and Local

government

Civil SocityNotthwestern University

District 65/ETHS

Music

Dance

Patrons and Donors

Volunteers

The Arts Ecosystem

Priority # 1: City Action

Create a NEW cabinet level position to focus on arts sector and economic development

Community sentiment favors City in supportive role, helping to convene community leaders and stakeholders, and collaborating with them in forging civic leadership that advances next phases of planning and development

Role calls for a skilled, knowledgeable and charismatic leader, capable of galvanizing public and private sectors into an effective coalition to advance arts development

Position must build relationships and internal alignment to effectively coordinate pro-arts efforts with other City departments

Priority # 2: Community Action

Work in partnership with community organizations and stakeholders to drive research, planning and implementation of the cultural vision

In consultation with arts, business and civic leaders, appoint a committee of high-level public/private representatives to drive the next phase of research and planning

Seek initial funding from multiple sources to create first 2-3 years of budgets for planning and new initiatives

Ensure appropriate levels of services and facilities to support arts development, in consultation with the new City position

Spearhead planning, ecosystem development, advancing new arts economic initiatives with City

Priority # 3: Joint Action

Create a comprehensive plan for cultural development that is aligned with and integrated into Evanston’s goals

Conduct more extensive research on national models of civic arts management, arts district structures and related funding mechanisms for the scale and size of Evanston, a precursor to planning

Conduct a gap analysis on regional arts activity to identify a potential niche or unique services Evanston can provide

Determine first steps to connect arts ecosystem to the new comprehensive plan and its implementation

Top-Line Recommendations

1. Explore Creative Use of Space

2. Accelerate Efforts to Identify and Grow Financial Resources & Support

3. Build a Coherent Identity as an Arts City

4. Nurture Artists’ Practice

5. Strengthen Partnership with a Key Collaborator: Northwestern University

6. Reposition Arts as Integral to K-12 Education

7. Establish a Seamless Arc of Arts Experiences Over a Lifetime

* Note: Specific initiatives linked to each recommendation are detailed in the full report.

Indicators of Progress

• Move forward with capital planning

• Review existing permitting, parking and zoning policies

• Update data on cultural assets–map the locations of arts organizations and

performance/exhibition sites. – conduct a voluntary artist “census” to create a more

reliable data base and profile of working artists

• Establish a centralized “awareness generator” for the arts in a prominent downtown location.

Immediate Next StepsAdopt the vision and incorporate into the City’s central

plan

Allocate funding to support next phase development including:

– Convening of follow-up meetings of leaders of the five arts initiatives: Cultural Facility-- Noyes, Art Center, Evanston Arts Education Coalition and evanstARTs-- to find alignment on top priorities for a unified planning process, and

– Appointment of public/private committee (new or existing group) to move research, planning and action on recommendations forward

– Research on funding mechanisms and models for cultural management infrastructure, cultural district

Residents Advocate for Action

“The most important ingredient is a conviction, passed on from generation to generation and seriously encouraged by school and public example, that the

arts are as important as more easily quantifiable aspects of life.”