So Long Arts Support - 2

The Board of Directors of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival recently pulled the plug on its upcoming 2011 season and fired the Festival's founder Jessica Felix. Located in the Sonoma County wine country about 1.5 hours north of San Francisco, the 12-year old Festival had been a very popular series of concerts, featuring a range of popular artists like Charlie Musselwhite, Charlie Haden, Oscar Castro-Neves, Bobby Hutcherson and many others.

The decision has touched off a firestorm of controversy in the normally quiet town of Healdsburg (where I happen to live), raising questions about the Festival's financial management and artistic mission. On one hand, the Board cites a recent budget shortfall of $30,000 that had to be covered from their own pockets as the main reason for the restructuring. The Festival's programming, which featured mainstream, progressive jazz and many Brazilian artists, simply didn't generate sufficient ticket sales to cover its expenses. Even though Jessica Felix had nurtured the Festival into a respected and much anticipated annual event -- by musicians and fans alike-- the numbers simply didn't add up and the Board decided it was time for a change of direction.

On the other hand, many of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival's prominent musicians, donors and other friends have rallied behind Felix and proclaimed support for her to be reinstated. They note her vision in first establishing the Festival and her many contacts in the jazz world that have kept it alive over the years.

The Board sees signs of changing audience tastes and is considering adding blues acts and less adventurous jazz artists to make the Festival both attractive and financially viable once again. Jessica Felix and her supporters want to keep the artistic profile of the Festival intact and offer the public -- and artists -- more of what's made the event popular in the past. Stand by for news on what may be the end (or a new beginning) of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

So Long Arts Support - 1

The French system of government arts support can be an extraordinary lifeline for festivals and centers for production and presentation…that is until the funding stops. Such was the case for IMEM (the Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique / Bourge) in Bourges, France, about 2.5 hours south of Paris. Founded in 1970 by French experimental music composers Françoise Barrière and Christian Clozier, IMEM was originally known as GMEB (Groupe de Musique Expérimentale de Bourge). IMEM was one of the well-known Centers of Musical Creation in France. The organization encompassed music research, education, publishing, archiving and dissemination of electronic and electro-acoustic music. One of its major projects was the annual Bourges International Festival of Experimental Music, which attracted composers, musicians and listeners from around the world. The “Bourges Prize” was a highly competitive and desirable recognition for composers of contemporary experimental music: there was considerable financial reward as well as exposure at the prestigious Bourges Festival.

In 2009, signals were coming from the French Ministry of Culture indicating that IMEM, along with the Bourges Festival, would lose their annual funding and be closed down. A committee was formed and reached out to many of us in the international community who knew of the people and projects associated IMEB. They requested letters of support that would be directed to the Ministry of Culture, conveying the necessity of continuing IMEB and its projects for the good of electronic/electro-acoustic composers, performers and fans around the world. Over 2500 letters were received from 63 countries, but the Ministry did not change its mind. The support committee requested and received a second round of letters from the community, but the effort was not fruitful and the Bourges Festival was canceled as of 2010.

The long-term implications are not clear at the moment, but many people believe that this withdrawal of long-term government funding for established arts organizations and festivals is s sign of the future. Many of the remaining Centers of Musical Creation are working hard to solidify their presence in their local communities to avoid the next round of reductions, should they be announced by the government.

Americans in Paris

People don’t typically associate American culture with widespread acceptance by the French public. Most assume that French artists and consumers are not very interested in American art forms. However, there are some notable exceptions to this stereotype, especially in the case of American jazz. The French were first introduced to this new American art form in the early part of the 20th century, and jazz has gone on to become one of the most poplar musical genres in France.

In 1917, America was deeply involved in the First World War with many troops stationed in France. The U.S. Army asked a prominent African-American bandleader from the East Coast, named James Reese Europe, to form a jazz orchestra to travel overseas and help build morale. Mr. Europe assembled a group, including musicians from Harlem and Puerto Rico, and they arrived on French soil on New Year's Day, 1918.

The band, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, created a huge sensation among both American and French audiences. These concerts were among the very first instances of American jazz being performed in France. According to legend, Mr. Europe and his group played a concert in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris in October 1918. After the concert, the leader of a French military band asked to borrow the sheet music. He returned the next day, saying that he couldn't seem to get the same musical effects (slurring, bending notes, etc.). Europe attended a rehearsal of the French band and noted that, although the musicians executed the score superbly, the jazz effects were indeed missing. It turns out that the French musicians thought that the Americans had been using special, trick instruments to achieve their sound.

Today, jazz is very much alive in France. Both international and French jazz musicians reach their enthusiastic fans across the country via festivals, nightclub appearances, broadcasts and recordings.

French pop quiz

French pop culture from the 1960s has found a new home in the San Francisco Bay Area nightclub scene in recent years. The clothing, films and, of course, music of the era have attracted many local fans, including radio DJs at college stations like KALX and KUSF. Bardot-a-Go-Go is an occasionally scheduled event that features groovy French fashion, videos and pop music. Organized by local DJs and event promoters, Bardot-a-Go-Go is a swinging evening of fun and dancing that brings back figures like Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc, and Jane Birkin. Club-goers dress up in period outfits (or interpretations of 1960s pop fashion) and pack the venue of choice for a night of “joie de vivre” with friends and like-minded strangers. The film and video projections include scenes from classic and obscure French films of the era, with the iconic Brigitte Bardot prominently featured. Also shown are cult movies and early music videos, featuring French pop stars lip-syncing along with their latest hits. Throw in an old-fashioned psychedelic light show and the crowd is ready to twist the night away.

What is l'exception culturelle?

Examining the idea of French exceptionalism is important when studying arts administration, especially in regards to what is known as l'exception culturelle. Some historians, such as William Kidd and Sian Reynolds, editors of the book Contemporary French Cultural Studies, point out that France views its culture as an inheritance to be protected, nourished and promoted both within the country and around the world. There are two components of this view: on one hand, aspects of French cultural heritage - philosophy, literature, painting, sculpture, music, cuisine, fashion - are highly developed expressions of French identity. The refined, universally respected French cultural products within each field are emblematic of authenticity and influence. They are part of the French cultural legacy and should be studied, discussed and replicated within France and offered to all of humanity.
On the other hand, there is a defensive reaction to foreign cultural products: they are seen as invading, influencing or contaminating the French cultural landscape. Examples include domination of U.S. films, television and music in the international commercial sector. Add to this the ongoing discussions concerning what constitutes French cultural identity. There is an increasing openness to influence from other francophone countries, especially in African music and cinema, along with a willingness to reconsider what it means to be French. We can observe a confluence of these driving forces - promoting French culture at home and abroad, defending French culture from invaders like the U.S. commercial products, and evolving notions of French identity - in the formulation of l'exception culturelle.
The international negotiations in 1993 involving the World Trade Association (WTO) and the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) included European Union countries and the United States. France argued that cultural products and services were not the same as other commodities such as wheat or oil, and that there should be an exception for culture (initially cinema and television products) concerning tariffs and trade restrictions. Within the context of a number of powerful, economically engaged countries laying out agreements for free trade, France was arguing for an exception: they wanted trade restrictions for cultural products. The goal initially was to protect France's film and television industries from being overwhelmed by foreign (e.g. American) products. The French cinema industry was - and is - highly subsidized by the government, and the amount of French programming in theatres and television has been highly regulated via quotas to provide production opportunities for French media workers and adequate distribution of French products.
Ultimately France was successful in persuading other EU countries and the cultural exception was adopted-- it was left out of the GATT agreement, but EU countries were allowed to impose tariffs on foreign cultural products. Over time, the interpretation of l'exception culturelle has been transformed into one that stresses cultural diversity. By protecting any country's cultural production via quotas and trade restrictions, a greater variety of cultures will be protected and allowed to thrive in their home environment. By resisting the domination of one country's cultural products (for example the U.S. film industry) over all others, more and different forms of culture will be able to flourish.
Yet another interpretation of l'exception culturelle says that, unlike other products, cultural products should not be taxed and should be publicly supported via subsidies. The justification is that cultural products are part of a public exchange that contributes to the collective wealth, benefiting all citizens.
There are a number of criticisms directed at the idea of the l'exception culturelle: that French culture doesn't live (and won't survive) in a vacuum; that exposure to foreign cultural products can't damage or reduce French culture; or that globalization poses no threat to countries whose culture is not in decline.

Foreign Studies

When considering the educational pathways available for students wanting to be professional artists, arts administrators or other kinds of culture workers, it's useful to compare the differences between academic systems. The French education system is designed along different lines than the U.S., especially when it comes to preparing oneself for a career in the arts. For an artist or culture worker to survive in France, one must be prepared: gain acceptance to the best educational institution (a conservatory for artists or a university in the case of arts administrators), succeed academically and demonstrate one's skills publicly via exhibitions and internships, then use one's knowledge, skills and personal connections to garner support or outright employment from the public sector. The competition in France is strongest during the academic exam process (the outcome determines one's ability to enter into higher education and which system, conservatory or university, will become one's future academic environment) and in submissions for awards, publication and other forms of recognition. The “prize” if one successfully navigates the terrain, is either a government-sponsored job (with benefits) in a cultural organization, ongoing recognition as an artist via government commissions, inclusion in local or regional festivals, or a teaching position in the conservatory or university system. Note that in France these two academic systems are separate from one another: a student follows either the conservatory “arts training” program or university “research” track, and the choice very much influences which opportunities you may qualify for later in life. There are some rare instances of highly motivated students who attempt to pursue academic careers concurrently in both the conservatory and university systems - there are also some recent instances of conservatory/university partnerships - but these are the exception to the rule.

U.S. Art Abroad

When it comes to exporting our cultural products and values overseas, the U.S. has a mixed history of successes and failures. An example is the American Center in Paris, a privately funded and managed organization launched in 1931 that promoted American theater, music, dance and other art forms. Unlike the French government's international cultural mission, the U.S. has never supported a large-scale effort to make American culture available to people living elsewhere. Why? One reason is that America expects the private sector to support art making and distribution. Our film studios, record labels, etc. are corporate owners of commercial art - it is their responsibility to export U.S. cultural products and reap the profits that come with them.

The American Center was a popular and trendy spot in the '60s, '70s and '80s. The organization survived for some time using donations, but in the 1990s they made the mistake of relocating to a dramatic, Frank Gehry-designed building in Paris' seldom-visited Bercy district. At a cost of 41 million dollars, the new building depleted all of the American Center's reserves, leaving nothing for programming art events. The hoped for increases in private support never materialized, and the American Center shut down its operation in 1996 and sold the property.

Road Show

San Francisco's de Young Museum is currently presenting a major collection of Impressionist works on loan from a French museum. The exhibition, Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay, lists the Bank of America as a Presenting Partner. Of course, the Musée d'Orsay itself is also thanked for their loan of the works in this show. The Musée d'Orsay is a national museum under the authority of the French Ministry of Culture. Employees of the museum work for the government, and their operating budget is part of the overall national support system for the arts. The idea of an exhibition of major works from France coming to the U.S. is not necessarily new (the Mona Lisa visited Washington D.C. in the 1960s), but the presence of this exhibition actually operates on several levels. First, the French Ministry of Culture has recently demonstrated an enhanced commitment to bringing collections of French art to other countries. Part of the goal is to offer people a chance to appreciate works they might not otherwise have the opportunity see in person. The project also promotes “soft diplomacy,” the export of French tradition and values to other nations. There are opportunities around exhibitions such as this to celebrate French culture in general, with special lectures, dining events, and so forth. Like the U.S. State Department, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is always looking for ways to promote its values and influence. Traveling art shows are sometimes more than they might seem at first glance: they present masterpieces from the history of French art while furthering the goals of the French government's mission to broaden the reach and impact of French culture.

Old New Festival

The Avignon Festival in Avignon, France has been around since 1947. Primarily focused on theater productions, the festival also presents concerts, lectures, dance and multidisciplinary works. What's unusual about the Avignon Festival, other than the extremely high caliber of the productions and the attendance of over 100,000 people, is the variety of historically significant locations where the performances take place. Avignon becomes a summer “city-theatre,” with audiences enjoying outdoor productions in sites like the Cour d'Honneur of the Pope's Palace, whose construction dates to the 1340s. The Festival lists over 20 venues around Avignon, each with its own interesting history and atmosphere. Of course the live productions are accomplished with the latest, technically advanced lighting, sound systems and other stagecraft. The performances include everything from classics to brand new pieces. Opportunities to experience the performing arts in the context of carefully preserved historic sites with high tech infrastructure are made possible partly because of France's dedication to preserving, appreciating and using its cultural heritage, or “patrimoine.” A sizable chunk of the French government arts support budget -- at the federal, regional and local levels -- is directed at preserving ancient sites and making them accessible to the public. Putting on plays and concerts in old (very old) outdoor amphitheaters and courtyards is a way of both preserving the past and presenting contemporary works in a dramatic environment. It's also a way of presenting art as a part of the cultural continuum: our predecessors performed in this space many centuries ago, and we still perform our works here today. The past is alive in the present, and vice-versa.

New Old Festival

The Rivertown Revival in Petaluma, California, is a one-day celebration of the town's history as trading post along the Petaluma River. It's also a free event, although proceeds from an affiliated development campaign helped raise funds for the Friends of the Petaluma River and the Petaluma Arts Council. This seems like a great way to combine community support with local history, visitor participation (people are encouraged to wear vintage costumes of their own design) and just plain fun -- like an art boat competition and live music featuring local performers. People wandering along the river with parasols, top hats and handlebar moustaches…what could be better? Event organizers say they anticipated around 1500 visitors, but reports indicate that around 4000 showed up. Needless to say, discussions about next year's Rivertown Revival are already in the works. Petaluma is about an hour north of San Francisco, so many people probably came from out of the area. The fact that the organizers were able to successfully launch a new event with an old-timey vibe is also intriguing: people like costumes and banjoes, especially along a riverfront. Using the momentum to support the Petaluma Arts Council is icing on the cake, since local budgets for the arts have been on a steep downhill slope for years. Hats off to the Rivertown Revival folks -- they managed to combine history, participation, fun, and much needed budget support in one attractive package.

Blog-be-gone

This item on Culture Monster (the L.A. Times blog on the arts and culture) announces the expiration of The Arts Blog from the nearby Orange County Register, which had been running contributions from three well-regarded arts journalists since 2006. Does this signal the beginning of the end for blogs focused on the arts and culture?

It's easy to dismiss this development because of the location. People must be thinking, “Well, in Orange County nobody cares about the arts.” This is far from true. I happened to have grown up in the area and know from relatives and friends still living there that OC has a thriving arts community: theaters large and small, numerous concert venues, museums, you name it. So the explanation must be that the writers were no good, right? According to one of The Arts Blog's farewell notes , contributions by classical music critic Timothy Managan “made it one of the most widely read blogs about classical music in the world.” So why pull the plug?

Apparently the readership levels simply didn't justify continuing The Arts Blog. According to Rebecca Allen, the Register's deputy editor for features, the blog's demise was due to a lack of reader activity on the site. Allen wrote that the arts blog "hasn't gotten much traction online.” The three OC Register writers assigned to the arts will continue to produce columns and reviews for the paper's print and online editions.

Is a signal of things to come for blogs in general, not just those focused on arts and culture? Are readers already bored with the phenomenon - despite the quality of the writing and relevance of the content - and abandoning the blogosphere in search of the next new thing?

le quatorze juillet

Celebrating Bastille Day means acknowledging the overthrow of tyrannical monarchies by The People. The storming of the Bastille prison by French citizens on July 14, 1789 was - and continues to be -- a rallying point for the nation around democracy and the rights of the common man. What was the effect of le quatorze juillet on the French tradition of government arts support?

In his book “The Politics of Cultural Policy in France,” Kim Eling cites the year 1635, the year that Cardinal Richelieu, under Louis XIII, created the Académie Francaise as guardian of the “official” conception of art. Members of the Académie held their first “official” exhibition in 1667, and later these became “salons” where official art was displayed. In 1680, the Comédie-Française was established under Louis IV as an “official” theatre company with federal support, a status it has in some ways preserved to this day. After the French revolution, the roles of government patronage and censorship were actually strengthened. Academic artists were recognized and encouraged by public commissions, and the government became more involved in running individual cultural institutions. State support for the arts was established during this period, and the issues of control and appropriateness have not faded over time.

Today, the cultural sector in France is heavily dependent on a system of government programs and agencies operating at the federal, regional and local levels. Although the French revolution radically changed the form of government - from monarchy to democracy - the expectations and responsibilities regarding state arts sponsorship have in many ways remained intact. The levels of arts support may have dropped dramatically in recent years, but the idea of a state cultural support system itself seems permanently ingrained in the fabric of French society.

The art of denim

Here's a new and unusual approach to private companies supporting the arts: Levi's is co-sponsoring a “new series of community-based pop-up spaces that act as functional workshops, event spaces, and retail storefronts.” Called Workshops , the first one is a community print shop, located near Levi's original headquarters in San Francisco's Mission District. Operating over the next 8 weeks, this Workshop offers free classes (printmaking, letterpress, screenprinting, photocopying and typesetting), book signings and special events featuring Bay Area celebrities like locavore/organic food pioneer Alice Waters and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. Their list of Collaborators includes the San Francisco Giants, numerous local artists, galleries, publishers and other arts venues. The concept combines the trendy “pop-up” retail concept -- where stores like Target set up shop temporarily in an urban neighborhood - with community outreach, arts education and appreciation of traditional practices, all under the Levi's brand. As easy as it might be to react cynically to this novel concept, I have to say I'm intrigued by the idea of offering free public arts workshops under a corporate banner. And learning how to set type and make posters seems like a refreshing antidote to our obsessive digital age, even if people are encouraged to Connect via Facebook for the next demo of traditional screenprinting techniques.

Of course Levi's can use all of the media exposure and attendance around this program for publicity of their products (you can take a class on using your old denim jeans to make paper). Still, the idea of engaging the public this way strikes me as both laudable and productive. I'm reserving final judgment until I've had a chance to visit one of Levi's upcoming Workshops, but for now I'm enthusiastic. Maybe it's because I like typography, printing and free public workshops…and also denim jeans. What's next: free music recording and mixing workshops sponsored by Apple? Make your own iTune? Count me in (for now.)

Arts Support: location matters

A comparison of two community arts centers -- The Crucible in Oakland, California and La Friche La Belle de Mai in Marseille, France – reveals some interesting differences in the French and American approaches to arts support at the local level.

Located in an industrial neighborhood in West Oakland, The Crucible is a “non-profit collaboration of arts, industry and community.” They offer a range of educational programs in fire performance, welding, blacksmithing and so forth for adults, children and families. They also present an annual Fire Arts Festival, Fire Cabaret and other live events that attract large crowds to their mixture of music, lights and amazing fire dancing and sculpture. On their Donors Page you’ll find a list that includes a few government programs (NEA, Alameda County Arts Commission, City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program), but the vast majority are grants from corporate and private foundations such as the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc., the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the IBM Corporation and many others. Together with their individual memberships, gifts and donations, we can see how the Crucible relies heavily on the American tradition of private giving.

La Friche La Belle de Mai operates within a very different support structure. Located in a rehabilitated tobacco factory in central Marseille, La Friche houses a wide range of projects in the arts: from theater, dance, music, film and circus to computer research, stagecraft, literature and street art. Their facilities are inhabited by some 400 technicians, artists, producers and researchers, and their calendar features an amazing variety of festivals and art events of all sizes and types. The “partners” of La Friche include a few private companies that make or distribute theatrical equipment (scenery materials, lighting and sound gear), but the overwhelming majority of their support comes from government agencies such as le Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (federal), la DRAC Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur (regional), and la Ville de Marseille (local).

One-Way Kaiser

In his article “How Helpful Is Cultural Diplomacy?” in the Huffington Post on September 21, 2009, Michael Kaiser (President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) argues against sending more American artists overseas. Instead, he suggests, “…the State Department could support a program that allows other American arts organizations to teach abroad.” He goes on to say, “…Americans have a great deal to teach abroad. We can teach how we build sponsorship by corporations and especially individuals. We can teach how we use marketing to expand the reach of our arts organizations. We can teach the importance of long-term program planning for building new sources of support.”

Michael Kaiser is a strong advocate for the arts in this country, as his many writings and other efforts consistently attest. However, I think his one-way proposition about spreading American arts administration practices (“We teach; you learn.”) ignores half of the equation and actually damages the cause of U.S. cultural diplomacy rather than advancing it.

The State Department clearly lays out the mission for its Cultural Programs Division on its web site:

“The Cultural Programs Division supports a variety of cultural exchange programs that further our nation's foreign policy, foster America's artistic excellence and promote mutual understanding and respect for other cultures and traditions.”

Mutual understanding and respect come from a two-way dialog, not a one-way lesson. Yes, we have much to offer other countries with our expertise in arts marketing, management and fund-raising…but we also have at least as much to learn from other nations about widespread access to the arts, interest in and support for diverse cultures and artistic forms, and the positive aspects of government arts subsidies for society at large. We can talk convincingly about our knowledge and skills, but unless we also listen we haven’t engaged in diplomacy at all…we’re just lecturing other people on how they should think and act.

Instead, I propose a real international exchange of arts administration ideas, practical techniques, and lessons from specific programs and case studies. An International Exchange Program for Arts Administration could have some real benefits for all parties: presenting our effective strategies, learning about how and why foreign peers develop their tools for arts administration, finding areas of mutual interest and cooperation, and building a resource where future culture workers can examine the results of our labor and make their own contributions. In other words, a real forum for promoting “mutual understanding and respect” that fully supports the cultural diplomacy goals of the State Department’s Cultural Programs Division.

Welcome to Culture Confit!

My new blog was inspired (demanded?) by a course in Writing for New Media that I'm taking as part of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) eLearning MA program in Arts Administration.

The focus of Culture Confit (which translates nicely as "culture crystallized") will be the intersection of cultural policy and arts administration, especially in the U.S. and France. In addition to being the topic of my master's thesis for the SCAD program, this has been an interest of mine since 2003 when I developed and taught a course on the topic for the University of California Education Abroad Program. I'm interested in French cultural support -- how did it evolve, who's interests has it served, where is it going -- and compare it to the U.S. experience to ask questions about how and why different policies, institutions and practices develop.

How do cultural policies evolve and what guides their development? Who are the players in these systems and what are their roles? Is cultural support an expression of national character, and, if so, how does that influence access, accountability, diversity and our understanding of l'exception culturelle?

I first became interested in this topic in the late 1990's. Traveling to France on business for the UC Berkeley Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT), I was initially driven by the need to understand our foreign partners in order to write grants, negotiate contracts and formulate collaborative projects in research, teaching and public events, but soon I developed a general interest in the French cultural support system and began researching the subject with interviews, reading and site visits.

I believe there is much to be gained by understanding -- and sometimes implementing -- different approaches to arts support. My goal is to contribute to the dialog around these issues and inspire a broader view of what's possible for people involved in the arts: students, administrators, public agencies, private foundations, artists and art patrons.

I'm looking forward to sharing some ideas, links, pics and other info in the coming weeks and months...and especially hearing from folks out there!