With art in hand, 20+ Artists/Supporters came out in support of unity for the arts by walking from Buckley Park to the Durango Public Library for the DAC Dialogue Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Miki Harder is seen leading the way.
When artists are called to gather, they show up.
Reminiscent of the 60s but with no protest, 20+ artists and supporters gathered in Buckley Park Tuesday to walk in unity to the DAC Dialogue held at the Durango Public Library. The press was present and documenting the walk: Ted Holteen, the new A&E Editor and Yodit Gidey, photographer both represented the Durango Herald and Kinsee Morlan, with KSUT captured video and audio of the event. They continued on to the meeting and soon you can access the coverage online at www.ksut.org and www.durangoherald.com. For those in attendance of the meeting that signed the email list, you will receive a copy of the notes taken and announcement of any follow up activity.
Artists Cynthia Miller and Jess Leggett show off their art and lead the walk on Main; Artist Amy Vaclav-Felker talks to Yodit Gidey from the Durango Herald while artists Cindy Coleman and Oakley Felker discuss the importance of the arts; Stew Mosberg leads the meeting with (L to R) former executive director Carson Jones, former board member/former interim exhibits director/exhibits committee member/jewelry artist Carol Martin and artist/writer Dr. Cynthia Miller seated nearby; Artist/scribe Jess Leggett sits among the artists and listens to their concerns.
Also reminiscent of a meeting held at the DAC four years ago around the needs of artists, this gathering had a different tone set by moderator Stew Mosberg. We were instructed to pretend that the DAC is a new organization and to share ideas of what artists would like to see implemented. This was not a venue for airing grievances and there would be no talk of DAC history. Speakers were asked to keep their statements short. And believe it or not, there was not finger pointing here.
Attendance expectations were exceeded. Extra chairs were brought in and people kept arriving throughout the meeting. Different counts were collected and the numbers hovered around 80 artists in attendance–professional and emerging artists of all ages and genres. It was great to see all of these creatives gathered, along with board members (all but one in attendance) seated on both sides of the room. The set up was a bit crowded as everyone sat on the perimeter of the room, which allowed for easy viewing of one another and putting everyone on equal footing. On the same side of the room as Stew was a white board with Jess Leggett serving as substitute scribe for Pat Senecal (who attended later after a quick visit to urgent care).
In seeking leadership from the organization, an artist asked the board to state the DAC mission. After a few turning of heads, board president Diane Panelli stated with little confidence, “The Durango Arts Center is [a nonprofit, community-based arts organization] dedicated to advancing the visual and cultural arts for the enrichment of the individual and the community.” [not stated]
Upon research, the mission is not posted on the DAC website, but starts with this statement (in bold green type) instead: The Durango Arts Center promotes the exploration, education, enrichment and enjoyment of the arts.
The meeting ensued with a sharing of ideas about organizational structure, gallery and entrance improvements, collaboration with other organizations, exhibition and educational programming. It was fair and comforting to express and be heard for a majority of the meeting. When questioned about fundraising and who is responsible for the task, the board balked a bit then went on to say it was a shared responsibility.
The financial issue still remains to be the white elephant in the room. Stew made a joke that the space in the middle of the room was created just for that purpose.
I personally made the request for transparency in the organization. It is imperative for the board of directors to follow the bylaws set when awarded their 501(c)3 status and make information available to the membership and community regarding the organizational structure, financial records, etc. I suggested this be a board task and be made available at the front desk for easy access and went on to state that it is the community’s responsibility to participate and do the research in order to decide the level of support the DAC needs.
Further discussion was made about organizational structure with the idea that the directorship is shared between two: financial and creative. This is the same structure suggested in Jules Masterjohn’s article “The Paint Brush Manifesto” that can be found online: http://www.durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/09-05-28/arting.htm. The board stated they have received a number of resumes, all but two are local. It was suggested by painter Bradley Kachnowicz, that artists have an opportunity to be part of the selection process through a “meet the candidates” forum and give feedback through a democratic vote.
Board member Maureen May expressed the importance of artist participation and asked artists to volunteer. A clipboard of membership forms and volunteer sign ups circulated the room. The board admitted to the fact that they were low on numbers but by their own admission did not know how many board members are necessary for them to function according to the bylaws.
View of the meeting room. Many more artists arrived after this photo was taken.
It will take a community to build, re-build, maintain and sustain a community arts center. But the question remains if the organization itself has enough leadership to take it out of the dysfunctional holding pattern it is in for a full on turnaround or if it will fold. Like many non-profit and community organizations, there is a natural cycle of growth, decline and dormancy. This organization has experienced this last stage for quite some time with lack of support behind the Melodrama, finding a new director, support of that director, loss of patrons, business sponsorships, staff and board members, attracting new board members and hiring qualified staff that will not further fragmentize the arts community. The question is if will it re-enter the phase of growth anytime soon.
Regardless, something will come of this. As artists, we are creative problem solvers who will find a way to creatively express ourselves then find a venue to share our work. If the DAC can’t pull it together, as Karyn Gabaldon stated near the end of the meeting “Artists are motivated and ready,” we will create what is needed. A bit of fear ensued by board member/treasurer Janice Weeks by saying, “Where will the artists go?”
It’s not a question of where, but of when. This meeting certainly was a start of a conversation, but only time and those artists willing to do the work will determine what will come next. I encourage you to stay tuned, connected and involved in the next chapter of the arts in Durango.
