Bloomington arts community members gather to share ideas

A team of six active community members called concerned citizens together Monday night to discuss developing or restructuring leadership for Bloomington’s arts community.

The meeting convened at maximum capacity in the John Waldron Arts Center auditorium, with 150 community members present to discuss the issue.

Lewis Ricci, executive director of the Indiana Arts Council, explained Bloomington’s need to merge public and private organizations such as the Bloomington Area Arts Council and Bloomington Entertainment & Arts District. This would allow for representation of working artists as well as the need for community art.

Several attendees of the event expressed their skepticism toward the BAAC because of the group’s recent nullification from the state and issues surrounding the recent sale of the John Waldron Arts Center.

However, members of the hosting group of six agreed that the meeting was a good first step. They took contact information for those willing to assist in the next step of the process.

“This is so wonderful and exciting, so many friendly and familiar faces,” Evelyn Powers said. Powers has worked extensively with local arts organizations, including the BAAC.

The time to reestablish a representative group is ripe with the Indiana Arts Commission now accepting proposals for regional arts partners in Monroe County. Organizations accepted into the IAC will be provided with block grants, administrative funds and the opportunity to compete for an operating support grant that averages around $10,000.

For this new organization, both representation of the artistic community and financial management skills will be necessary to handle the promotion of cultural tourism and fund management.

Ricci also explained the necessity of incorporating leaders from the Jacobs School of Music and the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts to encourage students to take a more active role in the local arts community.

Another issue the city faces is the amount of organizations, both public and nonprofit, with overlapping goals. Ideally, the new establishment will be able to organize these groups as well as condense resources, missions and funds, creating more streamlined access to assistance for artists.

Many artists requested that a new organization attempt to establish a cooperative studio, allowing artists to avoid massive overhead expenses for pricey equipment. A representative from Harmony School mentioned their ceramics and photography studios, which remain unused during nights and weekends; one possible goal of the new leadership would be to locate resources like these and facilitate their use as community tools.

Martha Moore, owner of Pictura gallery and BAAC board member, discussed the board’s potential to reestablish its prominence in the community.

“I’m a big believer of collaboration,” Moore said. “We are actively looking for how it is we can use the strengths that we have and the resources that we have to hear this.”

Powers said she believes that by reorganizing the BAAC board and adding some new faces, it could once again become the artistic leader the community needs.

“I would advocate perhaps giving the Bloomington Area Arts Council another chance,” Powers said. “They have been around for 35 years, and you can’t really condemn them for some misjudgments that were hurtful and devastating for many of us but it all worked out in the end.”