Bau’s Blaug
The latest news from “the Big Cheese” – Executive Director Bau Graves.
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)
Welcome to Bau’s Blaug!
Welcome to Bau’s Blaug, a corner of our website where you can come to get the latest news from “the Big Cheese.” There is much going on at Old Town School, and it is my hope and intent to use this space to communicate with our extended community about what we’re doing, and why.
For example, you may have heard that the School is planning to create a new facility across the street. But you may not be aware that our dance programs have grown so fast over the last decade that Old Town is now the most comprehensive school of dance in Chicago – which is why we’re planning to build four big new dance studios. If you’ve ever taken a guitar lesson downstairs from the Irish step dance class, you know how badly we need acoustically-designed classrooms, but unless you’ve been a fly on the wall in the admin suite, you probably don’t know that the new building will feature technologically “smart” classrooms, capable to serving new audiences through fully interactive distance learning.
My plan is to knock out a couple paragraphs every week just to keep you posted on what’s being discussed, what ideas are in the air, and which direction(s) I see us headed. A running commentary on the state of the School, the School’s place in the community and the world, and our navigation of the great rivers of tradition and innovation. You’re invited to visit this blog often, and to join in the dialogue yourself.
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | September 2, 2008 | Comments (3)
