Bau’s Blaug
The latest news from “the Big Cheese” – Executive Director Bau Graves.
Economic Stimulus
Congress is poised to pass the latest gigantic economic stimulus plan, and the Treasury has announced an even larger new bailout plan for the banking industry. The House version of the stimulus legislation included a very modest allocation for the arts — $50 million for the NEA, amounting to 6/100 of 1% of the total package – but it was stripped out of the Senate version after both Republicans and Democrats objected that support of the arts does not constitute economic stimulus.
Dear Congresspeople, allow me to present economic stimulus exemplar number one: the Old Town School of Folk Music. When Old Town School moved into the former library at Lincoln Square in 1998, this stretch of Lincoln Avenue was derelict. People worried if it was safe to come here. The School rebuilt an abandoned historic building, created new and sustainable jobs for several hundred creative workers, brought hundreds of people into the neighborhood every single day, offered an extremely broad range of free, public, family-friendly events, and jump-started the revitalization of Lincoln Square. Today, our neighborhood is thriving, filled with restaurants and retail, and allegedly it is one of the few areas in Chicago where property values are still climbing.
There are several banks in Lincoln Square, but you cannot convince me that the renaissance that this neighborhood has experienced is due to the opening of those bank branches. Old Town School was and is the most potent economic stimulus package in this part of town.
Artists’ jobs matter just as much as bricklayers or bankers. The “creative economy” in aggregate comprises more than 4% of the national workforce – more than either bricklayers or bankers. What is wrong with our government, that refuses to offer support to those with a positive track record of actually providing an economic stimulus, while offering more billions to those whose greed caused the current crisis in the first place?
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | February 12, 2009 | Comments (0)
This Is Our Time
January 20, 2009. Welcome to the new era. Today’s extraordinary events mark a paradigm shift that few of us could have believed possible. Many of us are still shaking our heads in disbelief.
But if the world is turning, it is surely turning in a direction that feels comfortably familiar to the Old Town School community. Our new leader calls on us to address the challenges of our time with a spirit of generosity, an acceptance of others, and a commitment to justice. He proposes a national consciousness guided by values of inclusion, not exclusivity; inquiry, not arrogance. Old Town School of Folk Music was a child of the great American folk music revival of the 1950s and ‘60s – a social movement rooted in precisely the values that again motivate our body politic.
The School was, and remains, an experiment in using music and art to forge something more – an open, caring and sharing community; an institution that embodies its beliefs. There was always plenty of room in our chorus for everybody. The earliest teachers represented the full spectrum of our community, including bluesmen, banjo pickers and Latin American songs. The performances today at the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial echo the meaning that has motivated Old Town School from the very beginning.
Now that the zeitgeist is awakening, we have an opportunity to show them what we’ve been practicing for 51 years. And unlike any other time in our history, the Old Town School experience is running in synchronicity with the American experience. Let’s show them what we can do. This is our time.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | January 20, 2009 | Comments (0)
Got on our Travelin’ Shoes
It’s a new year and Old Town School teachers are on the move. Through a pair of generous grants from the MacArthur Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, the School is participating in a series of international exchange programs in 2009. Our faculty are traveling abroad, meeting foreign musicians, teaching and performing for international audiences, and getting a firsthand look at how traditional music is sustained in other countries. They return to Chicago full of energy, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas that they can share with the Old Town School community. They also make connections with musicians who can be brought to the USA for future residencies. Ideally, these exchanges work in both directions, giving Chicago-based artists the chance to immerse themselves in another culture, while the community back home has the pleasure of an extended interaction with an exceptional fiddler, singer, dancer – fill in the blank – from halfway around the world.
In January, a delegation of five teachers from Old Town School will spend two weeks visiting folk music schools in Mexico. Gail Tyler, Anacron, Shana Harvey, Lanialoha Lee and Jason McInnes will culminate their trip attending the annual Encuentro de las Jarañeras in the colonial city of Tlacotalpan. In February, teacher Nathaniel Braddock and Community Partnerships Manager Nashma Carrera will attend the Dakhla Festival in Morocco as guests of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture. Colby Maddox, Mark Dvorak and Paul Tyler will travel to teach and perform in Helsinki, Finland this June. Bill Brickey and Jimmy Tomasello will spend the month of July as guest teachers at the College of Improvising Music in Moscow, Russia. There’ll be a blog space on the website for all these voyageurs to provide us with a running travelogue – stay posted. And guest teachers are coming to Chicago as well: we’ll have a master fiddler from Finland in residence for the month of September, and a duet of singer-instrumentalists from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in Britain as guest teachers-in-residence during October.
This is a lot of activity, but it is a harbinger of additional opportunities to come. As international exchange becomes a part of the fabric of our community, many more teachers will have the chance to journey abroad, and we’ll all have an opportunity to meet new friends from around the world.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | January 7, 2009 | Comments (1)
Give a Little — Get a Lot
One week ago, I sent an appeal to the Old Town School Community. It’s the end of the year, I said, and the School is facing financial challenges. When times are tough, who can we turn to, if not each other? If everybody who enjoys classes and concerts at Old Town School could kick in just $20, I reasoned, we’d generate more than enough cash to balance our budget and ensure the continuity of programs. Let’s put out the call and see who answers.
Well, you responded in a flood of generosity. The donations have been flowing in all week faster than we can process them. As of Monday, December 15, the desk staff has taken in $18,400 in contributions and new memberships, and there’s no sign of a slowdown. In addition, class registrations and ticket sales for the term beginning January 5 are robust.
While the rest of the country is falling apart, here is an institution that is, literally, self-sustaining. That’s a feat that General Motors and Wall Street banks have not mastered. Sure, Old Town School is a part of the national economy — money does change hands. But the strength of this institution is grounded in something more fundamental than a mere financial transaction: the face-to-face encounter of people sharing a passion. Everybody here — teachers, students, staff, performers — gives a little every day. But what we get in return can’t be measured by any kind of economic calculus.
We hear a lot about the spirit of giving at this time of the year. Old Town School of Folk Music nurtures a community that doesn’t restrict its expression to one special day, but offers it freely all day, every day, all year long. Everyone who enters here knows that is a special gift, indeed. And when the world is cold, it matters all the more. Together, we make it all possible. Thanks.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | December 15, 2008 | Comments (0)
Hard Times
The chilly winds that have been blowing through banks and brokerage houses are shaking the windows and rattling the walls at Old Town School. But so far the bright glow of community that warms these halls is keeping the financial blizzard outside. In other words – we’re suffering from the same challenges in raising money that face every nonprofit, but class registrations are robust and continue to keep the School in solid financial health.
What does this mean for 2009 and beyond? The Capital Campaign for our new facility across Lincoln Avenue continues with our dedicated and experienced team of staff, volunteers and consultants. Our architect is days away from completion of design development for a state-of-the-art(s), LEED-certified, music and dance facility, and we are now beginning the zoning/permitting process. Most of our fundraising efforts in the next year will be devoted to pursuing commitments from large institutional donors, with the expectation that we will be able to break ground in 2010. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this exciting new phase in the School’s evolution.
With some belt-tightening, Old Town School is proposing a balanced budget for 2009. Since fundraising for next year must necessarily be projected very conservatively, this means that every expenditure has been scrutinized very carefully. The School is delivering its product with a high level of efficiency – every donated dollar is stretched as far as it can go. Fortunately, the School continues to enjoy a very high percentage of earned income through class registrations, ticket sales, and our music stores – about 87% in 2009. This is eloquent testimony to the core idea that is the arts are for everybody, and to our talented faculty who prove that it is true every day. When times are hard, it’s a good time to pick up an instrument and sing together.
We’re now firing up our fall Membership Campaign. Old Town School Memberships support community access programs such as financial aid, outreach to public schools, and free weekly performances. We hope you’ll choose to extend your generosity in support of these important programs. Our role is to nurture a celebratory aspect of the human spirit that soars when it is needed the most – in trying times like these. Communal music making: it’s a renewable heat source that we keep burning seven days a week to keep those icy winds at bay. It works for bankers and brokers, too.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | November 17, 2008 | Comments (1)
What is a Schroeder Diffuser?
Plans for Old Town School’s new facility are continuing to evolve in interesting directions. The proposed building will feature a flex-use concert/dance hall, three spacious dance studios, and fourteen acoustically isolated music classrooms. It will incorporate environmentally-friendly “green” technology throughout, and will be wired to take advantage of 21st century electronic communications. And those are just the basics.
Extended planning meetings with every segment of the School community produced a wealth of insight into how our classrooms actually function. Those insights are being incorporated in dozens of design modifications that separate a good building from a great one. Things like: built-in computer terminals and sound cabinets in every classroom; ample in-room storage space for everything from hula hoops to djembes; walls laid out slightly off-parallel to eliminate reverberation; clerestory windows flooding dance studios with natural light; cubbies on the far side of the room so students can keep an eye on their stuff while they dance; and our very own Schroeder Diffuser.
A Schroeder Diffuser is a surface broken up into multiple, apparently-haphazard angled planes, employed by acousticians who need to “deaden” a room. You may have seen one in a recording studio or radio station. The wall essentially “soaks up” audio waves. Our architects at VOA Associates have designed an entire interior surface, from the ground to the roof, as one giant Schroeder Diffuser. The result should be a building safe for the random music-making that makes our School so welcoming but can often turn a normal conversation in the lobby into a shouting match. Imagine enjoying that jam session in the hall – and conducting business at the front desk, too! Coming soon to a School near you.
Floor plans and renderings of the building can be viewed in the admin suite or teachers’ lounge. Our window of opportunity for your great suggestions is still open. Thanks!
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | October 14, 2008 | Comments (2)
Water The Roots
Folk culture has never caught much of a break from the institutions that fund the arts in America. Last year, the grand total of all the grants awarded to folk and traditional arts amounted to 7/10 of 1% of the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts – which is itself among the very smallest governmental agencies. To put things in perspective, Old Town School spends about ten times more on folk music and dance than the NEA. There is no major national foundation that includes support of traditional culture as a part of its mission. The substance that drives our organization turns out to be marginal in the world of public arts funding.
This week, the School is hosting a meeting of 25 organizations from all over the United States to discuss how we might change that. Jointly sponsored by Old Town School and the Fund for Folk Culture, the first Water The Roots national convening includes concert presenters, festival organizers, directors of folk schools, ethnic service organizations and other arts professionals. For three days, September 25 – 27, we’ll discuss the formation of a network of folk arts organizations that could advocate for more attention from funders, raise its own funds independently, and develop vehicles for funneling money to working folk artists. Other disciplines (dance, jazz, avant-garde performance art) have created consortia that have delivered tangible benefits to aspiring artists – we aspire to do the same for the folk arts.
I’m proud to say that Old Town School is taking a leadership role in generating this dialogue. While our colleagues are here to talk about the state of our field, they’ll also have a few days to observe Old Town School of Folk Music in action. Please go out of your way to welcome our visitors and inspire them by the example we set here every day.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | September 22, 2008 | Comments (0)
Who Do You Love?
Okay, here’s a challenge for you. Old Town School of Folk Music is the inheritor of an amazing legacy of artistry. Several of us have joined in an effort to celebrate that heritage on our facilities’ walls. You’ll notice a large selection of archival photographs and posters going up this week, and there’ll be another round coming soon. We need your help with another project – the assembly of a Timeline of Music that can involve the whole School community. Students, teachers, staff, passers-by can all get into the act on this.
Who are the heroes whose work rings in your ears today? What are their most enduring achievements? We’ve designated the wall circling around the horseshoe of private studios in the basement as the place to assemble this participatory timeline. You are invited to create a small memorial to those events that you think are most important – and pin it right to the wall segment that places it in time. For example, Woody Guthrie’s birthday (July 14, 1912) should appear about four-fifths of the way across the “1900-1914”section of wall; the day Bob Dylan plugged in his Stratocaster at Newport (July 25, 1965) belongs just past halfway across the “1960-1969” section. Your contribution can be as simple as a name and date written on a piece of paper – or as elaborate as you want to get. If you have a deep knowledge of Delta blues or Irish music, be sure to inform us about those key dates; if your thing is rockabilly, punk, or salsa, we want to know about your greatest hits, too. In this way, we hope to build a rich portrait of the many musical currents that continue to flow through this institution and our lives. It should ultimately become the most flamboyant and informative bulletin board in town. Get into the act. If your favorite is not represented on our wall, get them up there! Have fun. Be creative.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | September 15, 2008 | Comments (0)
Revisiting our Strategic Plan
Some years ago, Old Town School’s staff and board of directors engaged in an extended strategic planning process. It is a good idea for institutions to periodically take a step back and evaluate the big picture – how well is the organization meeting its mission? What vision motivates its future direction? As we embark on the development of a new facility, I’ve had reason to look back over our past strategic plan, and I’m impressed by the careful thinking that went into it, and how well it stands up six years later.
The plan focuses on five “core growth areas” that set priorities for the School’s direction. In my view, they resonate completely with the institution we steward today, and with what we aspire to become. The five central areas of focus are:
· Education: The heart of the School
· Participant Diversity: The breadth and depth of cultures
· Old Town School Experience: A community of learners
· Youth Outreach: Music as a birthright
· National Leadership: A promise to the future
The School has consciously addressed each of these areas as it has evolved, with substantial positive results. But of course, there remains much that can be accomplished in each of our targeted priorities. It is not necessary for us to re-invent the School – we’re on the right track. What is needed now is a fresh look at each of our core growth areas and a careful analysis of what specific goals we can set for the coming years. And then let’s go out and get the job done.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | September 8, 2008 | Comments (0)
Go to 2040
The “Go to 2040” Arts and Culture Advisory Committee met this week to discuss how to measure cultural vitality in our community. A presenter from the Urban Institute pointed out that it is easy to count the number of theaters in a city or how many people visit museums, but the “informal arts” that take place in personal or small-scale community spaces are far more difficult to quantify. The Census Bureau doesn’t keep track of jam sessions. One result is that the folk arts often get left out of the discussions about how to allocate public resources. How do we quantify the spirit that infuses our field in a manner that will translate to bankers and bureaucrats?
Another interesting distinction was touched upon at the meeting. Thriving arts communities require healthy presenters – the theaters and clubs, galleries and festivals where artists can show their work; and they need plentiful arts education opportunities, where people can participate directly and an informed audience can develop. Old Town School fulfills both of these roles exceptionally well. But a vibrant cultural ecosystem also demands support for artistic creativity. There have to be systems that can encourage and reward artists to astonish us, and this is perhaps a greater challenge. I’ve always contended that there is as much room for creativity within the folk arts as there is in any other discipline, but traditional arts institutions have not historically played much of a role in stimulating new works. Is this an area in which Old Town School could set a new direction? Our recent commission of a new, evening-length performance piece by Artist In Residence Michael Miles (premiere performance in 2010) opens an intriguing new front. Surely the School already offers an enormous outlet for composers, songwriters and choreographers – but how much more could we do with an enhanced awareness of the importance that support for creativity has in ensuring Chicago’s cultural vitality?
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | September 3, 2008 | Comments (1)
