Create Austin Cultural Master Plan

8/3/2019 Create Austin Cultural Master Plan

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CULTURAL MASTER PLAN


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CreateAustincultural master plan

executive summary


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CREATEAUSTIN

Cultural Master PlanCULTURE MATTERS HERE

Play it, Film it, Draw it, Throw it, Game it, Shout it, Spin it,

Dance it, Act it, Paint it, Write it, Chart it , Dream it!

Cultural Master Plan

City o Austin

Economic Growth &

Redevelopment Services OiceCultural Arts Division

Consultant TeamThe Metropolitan Group

Lead Consultant Bill Bulick/Creative Planning Inc.

with Deborah Edward, Tara Kirkland/Greenlights or Non Proit Suc cess


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Austin City Council Lee Lefngwell Mayor

Mike Martinez Mayor Pro Tem, Place 2Chris Riley Place 1Randi Shade Place 3Laura Morrison Place 4Bill Spelman Place 5SherylCole Place 6

City Managers OiceMarc A. Ott City ManagerSueEdwards Assistant City ManagerRudyGarza Assistant City ManagerRobertGoode Assistant City ManagerBurt Lumbreras Assistant City ManagerMichael McDonald Assistant City ManagerAnthonySnipes Chie o Sta

Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services OiceRodneyGonzales Acting DirectorRosyJalif Assistant Director

Cultural Arts DivisionVincent E. Kitch Cultural Arts Program ManagerJanetSeibert Civic Arts Consultant / CreateAustin Project ManagerTajaBeekley AdministrativeSpecialist/CreateAustin CoordinatorLani Golstab Administrative SpecialistJessPantel GrantsCoordinatorBarbaraSparks ContractComplianceSeniorMeganCrigger ArtinPublicPlacesAdministratorJeanGraham ArtinPublicPlacesCoordinatorMeghanTurner ArtinPublicPlacesCoordinatorKatherineMacy ArtinPublicPlacesCoordinatorAlyson McGee ArtinPublicPlacesCoordinatorLise Ragbir ArtinPublicPlacesConservation Coordinator

Austin Arts CommissionGloria Mata Pennington ChairBruce Willenzik Vice ChairBrett BarnesSue GrazeKathleen HarmanIrene Roderick

Published 2009 by the Cultural Arts DivisionEconomic Growth and Redevelopment Services Ofce

City o AustinAustin City Hall301 W. 2nd Street, Suite 2030Austin, Texas 78701http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/redevelopment/cad/


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i h i h d c c, d w m this great city, I have seen Austin grow in art istic and cultural vibrancy.

We have many creative individuals who work in the perorming andvisual arts, live music and lm to thank or that. They are the reasonwhy Austin is so vibrant and why it is global ly recognized as a creativeand innovative place to live, work and play.

Arts and culture, in all its permutations, is the engine propellingour city towards creative vibrancy by enhancing residents quality olie and attracting tourists, businesses, and creative people to Austin.Music, lm, theater, dance, visual arts, digital media, slam poetry, andlandscape and architectural design permeate the community as estivals,movies, concerts, perormances, exhibitions, productions, games, andinteresting public spaces. They connect people to one another to createa abric that is uniquely Austin.

Creative industries and activities are not only essential keys toAustins quality o lie ; they are good or Austins economy. The creativecommunity is one o the major industria l sectors o our local economy,

accounting or well over $2.2 billion in annual economic activity, over44,000 permanent jobs, and over $48 million in City tax revenue. Ourvibrant creative industries are a critical component o our diversiedeconomy. Many o those in the creative sector are also small businesseswhose work supports other smal l businesses.

Austin is unique among places and cultures o the world, and throughour CreateAustin initiative, we are working to create avenues oprosperity or our arts, culture and creative industries. Investing in thearts and creative industries is a good investment in Austins uture orit builds a creative workorce; attracts visitors, businesses, and tourists;and sustains Austins character. Imagine Austin without the creativecommunity: it is a st ark, bland place.

Please join me in supporting this important sector as we move orward.I encourage you to read the CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan andidentiy your own way to get involved.

i h h H c-ch wh mWynn on the CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan. Our city has grown

by leaps and bounds in population numbers over the past decades. Austinis denitely growing up culturally. In the last ew years we have hadsome major cultural acilities opening amongst them have been theopening o the Mexican American Cultura l Center, the Long Center othe Perorming Art s, and the Blanton Museum o Art.

This is the time to implement a plan to carry out a cultural programto move us to the next 10 years. Our city will continue to grow andthe arts must also. How best can we meet the current and uture needso our citizens and our thousands o cultural and creative industryworkers? That was the question representatives rom our communitysought to answer. The work o the CreateAustin planning proceswas comprehensive, inclusive, collaborative, and thoughtul. TheCreateAustin Cultural Master Plan, with its numerous strategies is theanswer rom Austin citizens! And its not just about what the City oAustin government could do or the arts, but it was about what WE all

can do together.It is now time to galvanize the eorts to implement the Plansstrategies. Read the recommendations in this Plan and look or an areain which you can participate. There is work or everyone and wewelcome your support!

Dr. Teresa Lozano LongLong Foundation

Lee LeingwellMaorCit o Austin


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th g ghmulti-year endeavor which creates tremendous opportunity or sharing

and collaboration. For Austin, it included conducting a cultural assessmento understand our cultural ecosystems with their multiple componentidentiying strengths to build on, issues to explore, and challengeto tackle. The CreateAustin planning process then brought literallyhundreds o individuals together at the table, working hard to developthe necessary strategies needed to sustain Austins cultural riches.

Our process was extraordinar y in the way people rom all sectors o oucommunity business, education, philanthropy, tourism, as well as thenonprot arts and culture organizations and or prot creative industrie

came together to have the necessary serious conversations to create plan that would impact the entire community and propel Austin into thcoming years. Incredibly, new collaborations and activities related to themerging recommendations in the plan began to be implemented by thecommunity while planning was still underway!

The CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan is the product and culmination

o all the ne work that ha s been going on over the last two years. It giveus a road map to the uture o cultural development in our community. invite you to join us as we embark on the process o continuing to builda strong and vibrant cultural economy to make Austin a greater place tolive, work and play. It is incumbent on all o us to address the challengesand the potential identied in this ground-breaking plan and dedicatourselves to implementation.

Thank you to everyone who engaged in this process and those whocontinue or join in as we work together or the uture o arts, culture,and creativity in Austin!

i w g h Wkg ch h ldhCouncil or the CreateAustin cultural planning initiative and to continue

to work with ellow colleagues who care deeply about the uture oculture in our community as we move to implement the plan.

The CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan holds the dreams o thehundreds o people that spent countless hours thinking, reading,talking, negotiating, sharing all to better the uture o Austin. Wedreamed big and embraced the idea that this is not about what the Citygovernment can do or us, but it is about what we all can do collectively.We recognize that the community and the City each have their specicroles and responsibilities. I we can ull l even a ew o these dreams wewill have taken giant steps in sustain ing Austin as a national magnet orarts, cu lture and creativity.

It is incumbent upon all o us to tackle the challenges identied in thisplan, celebrate our strengths and play to them, and to dedicate ourselvesto the strategic implementation o these recommendations over the next10 years. In so doing we will invigorate Austins culture o creativity

through the year 2017.Thank you or the git o your time to everyone who participated andcontributed to the CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan and to thosewho continue to work to bring the plan to ruition. To those o youwanting to get involved and be a part o Austins continuing culturalrenaissance, we welcome you! Join us.

Vincent E. KitcCultural Arts Program ManagerCit o Austin

Cookie Ruiz, C.F.R.E.CreateAustinLeadersip Council Working Cair


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table o contents

8 I. Preace: Purpose, Values, and Vision

10 II. Eecutive Summary

16 III. Introductionc ca.

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24 IV. Plan Recommendationsowa.s idd c rdb.

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58 V. Recommendations Table

68 VI. Net Steps

70 VII. Appendicespa.

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Preace: Purpose, Values, and Vision


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II. ExECUTIVE SUMMARY

ARTS, CULTURE, AND CREATIVITY ARE

ESSENTIAL KEYS TO AUSTINS UNIQUE AND

DISTINCTIVE IDENTITY. CREATIVITY IS ALSO

THE ENGINE OF THE NEW ECONOMY. THE

CREATIVE SECTOR CONTRIBUTES DIRECTLY

AND INDIRECTLY TO COMMUNITY PROSPERITY

THROUGH GENERATING ECONOMIC ACTIVITY,

PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT, MAKING AUSTIN

ATTRACTIVE TO TODAYS MOBILE KNOWLEDGE

WORKERS, AND CONTRIBUTING TO AUSTINS

QUALITY OF LIFE.


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In Austin, Culture Matters


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Austins arts, culture, and, creative industries, and their activities andproducts, are key resources and incubators o creativity. Individualsworking in arts and creative industries create new cultural, intellectual,and economic opportunities and innovations. Additionally, jobs aregenerated or people who supply material s and service needs, and presentand distribute creative work.

The creative sector also denes Austins identity as a community rich

with cultural vita lity. This is one o the magnets that draws and retainstodays talented, well-educated knowledge workers to Austin. They lookor communities that will continue to stimulate their creative interestsand Austin provides that stimulation. Talented people arrive and newbusinesses and investments ollow.

Additionally, tourism centered around music and arts events, estivals,museum exhibitions, art galleries, and heritage is big business. In lookingor unique and authentic experiences, tourists are drawn to Austin.

Austins culture o creativity also contributes to its highly praisedquality o lie by building community spirit, social cohesion, andtolerance. It contributes to neighborhood revitalization, provides lie-long learning opportunities or adults o all ages and avocations, andoers positive experiences or youth. Cultural education providespathways or healthy development, engagement with society, improvedacademic perormance, and the critical and creative thinking skills

students need to compete in the global marketplace.In order to sustain the unique qualities that make Austin special,

attention is needed to support the inrastructure that can sustain Austinsculture o creativity.

All citizens are stakeholders in ensuring the prosperity and livabilityo Austin. Because Austins identity is so closely tied to arts and culture,it also means citizens are stakeholders in the success o creative andcultural initiatives. Civic leaders are particularly well poised to createpolicy initiatives and allocate unding to nurture community vitalityand creativity. Just like a garden needs planning, seeding, cultivating,and nutrients, Austins creative community needs ongoing strategicplanning, a strong inra structure, creative people to guide and advocateor it, and resources to help grow and sustain it.

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AUSTINS CREATIVE SECTOR


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ii. executive summary

ARCHITECTURE

ARTS EDUCATION

COMMUNITY ARTS

CRAfTS

CULINARY ARTS

DANCE

DESIGN AND GRAPHIC ARTS

GAMING AND DIGITAL MEDIA

fASHION DESIGN

fILM AND VIDEO

HERITAGE

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

LITERARY ARTS

MUSIC

PHOTOGRAPHY

PERfORMANCE ART

RECORDING

SLAM POETRY

THEATER

VISUAL ARTS

ARTS, CULTURE, AND CREATIVITY


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The work became a collaborative venture between the City o Austin

and the community. The 16-month cultural planning process broughtmore than ve hundred people to the table to participate in the variousactivities and touched thousands via the internet, al l aimed at developingbroad stewardship o Austins cultura l uture by identiy ing resources andissues and making recommendations. They saw Austins culture o creativityas the core o Austins identity, nding expression in myriad ways theincredible vitality and originality o live music; the presence o bothestablished and emerging arts and cultura l institutions; the growing lmand digital media industries; a downtown that is the cultural hub othe Central Texas region; the growing, robust East Austin arts scene;increasing national recognition or local ly produced perormance art andtheatre; many estivals; and much more. While still rallying to the callo Keep Austin Weird, there is a groundswell o interest in KeepingAustin Creative! ensur ing that the city continues to be a hothouseor new ideas, innovations, and enterprise.

The result o this process is this document: the CreateAustin CulturalMaster Plan. It provides community context, a detailed description ocurrent and past planning processes and participants, key observationsrom research and community input, over arching goals and supportingrecommendations organized into six topic chapters, and suggested rststeps towards implementation. The Plans Vision, Values, Goals, andRecommendations wil l equip uture leaders to innovate on these themesand develop tactical plans as opportunities and challenges arise.

CREATEAUSTIN ACTIVITIES

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The CreateAustinProcess


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1ESTABLISH A CREATEAUSTINLEADERSHIP TAS

FORCE TO ASSIST IN PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

2FORM A COMMUNITY-BASED CREATIVE ALLIANCTO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO INDIVIDUAL

AND ORGANIZATIONS

3CREATE A CITY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND

CULTURE TO LEVERAGE AVAILABLE RESOURCE

AND RAISE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARTS AND

CULTURE WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN


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Establis a CreateAustin Leadersip Task Force.1.

Wat? Establish a Task Force o CreateAustin participants and othercommunity stakeholders that will report regularly to City Counciland the community on Plan progress.

W?To assist implementation and provide mechanisms or continu-ing advocacy, problem solving, leadership, and action.

Form a communit-based Creative Alliance.2.

Wat? Create a community-based organization to provide essentialservices and networking opportunities to artists and creative individuals,

organizations, and businesses.

W? Advocacy, collaboration, marketing, proessional development,and capacity building is greatly needed. The City o Austin cannotprovide and sustain all aspects o cultural development.

Create a Cit Department o Arts and Culture3. .

Wat? Consolidating all arts, culture, music, and lm activities intoone department charged with creativity development will raise theimportance o these issues within the City organization and maketheir work more eective.

W? Activities and unds are spread across departments, creating alack o ocus, missed opportunities or leveraging City resources, anda lack o a unied vision and coordination.

Launc a ocused public will-building and public awareness campaign.4.

Wat? Conduct a public awareness campaign based on communityvalues research to reposition the creative sector with Austinleaders, and enhance audience development.

W? Austins creative culture is undervalued and not well positionedto showcase its impressive role in community vitality.

Forge partnersips between area universities and colleges and5.te creative communit.

Wat? Inventory existing partnerships to determine models andopportunities to maximize and expand cultural resources around cul-tural education and training and proessional development.

W? Area colleges and universities provide an incredible reservoiro training, talent, and acilities or the cultural sector and they, in

turn, benet rom opportunities to partner with the arts, culture,and creative industries.

Increase private sector support.6.

Wat? Create educational tools and networking opportunities, andexplore new mechanisms such as: undraising training (includinge-undraising), developing an incentive-based matching und, andworkplace giving.

W? Austin does not yet have a culture o private philanthropy,especially individual giving. A 2006 Urban Institute study rankedAustin below the top 50 major U.S. cities in nonprot arts contributionsper capita.

Increase business development and tecnical assistance services7.

Wat? Increase access to technical assistance resources and look orways to enhance service organizations programs to specic sectors.

W? Strengthening entities business management, marketing, undraising, individual proessional development, and other skills will helpto create a stronger, sustainable cultural ecosystem long term.

Encourage neigborood-based cultural development and activit.8.

Wat? Explore and support ground up development o cultural andheritage community/neighborhood districts and promote these as

part o the mix o cultural amenities and destinations.

W? Diverse, dynamic, attractive, and innovative arts and culture eventvitalize neighborhoods and strengthen Austins community abric.

Develop aordable and accessible cultural space o all tpes.9.

Wat? Inventory existing public and private spaces and work more closely with stakeholders to encourage aordable access to existing spaces.

W? Challenges or aordable spaces studios, live/work, perormance, exhibit, instruction, storage, oces, etc. limits expansion oarts opportunities and creates an exodus o Austins creative talent.

Develop a Creativit Teacing and Learning Project10.

Wat? Inventory cultural and creative education programs and servicesand design or systemic improvement, including integrated curriculum

and proessional development or teachers and creative individuals providing arts education opportunities.

W? There is unequal access to creative and cultural education programs across ages, arts disciplines, geography, and class.

ConclusionThe benets and impacts o cultural, and creative vitality are acknowledged worldwide. Cities are competing to create quality o lieopportunities or their residents, to attract tourism, talent, and investment. As Austin grows and seeks to prosper, it must now compareitsel to cities that dream big San Francisco, New York, Chicago, LosAngeles, Bilbao, Glasgow, Toronto, and others.

Austins artistic, cultural, and creative sector is a beautiul and ragile ecosystem made up o many interdependent elements. In order tosustain the unique qualities that make Austin special and success

ul, community-wide action continues to be marshaled to unite thecreative sector and the broader community to nurture Austins culture ocreativity. What is at stake? Nothing less than Austins unique identity, its uture prosperity and its quality o lie.

In Austin, culture does matter. The CreateAustin Cultural MasterPlan has brought together the voices o the cultural community inconcert with other civic and community leaders. Some o the best andbrightest minds o Austin have ignited to develop recommendationsthat will ensure the culture o creativity continues to invigorate theAustin community and, sustain Austin as a magnet or ar ts, cultureand creativity.

Principal Recommendationso the CreateAustinCultural Master Plan


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III. INTRODUCTION


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Community Contet


iii. introDuction

AAustin located deep in te eart o central Texas was cartered

in 1839 as te capital o te Republic o Texas and became te statecapital wen Texas was admitted to te Union in 1846 as te twent-eigt state. Originall te site o roaming indigenous cultures suc aste Llano and te Tonkawa, Austins population as been made up o avariet o immigrant groups. Explorers and earl settlers came nortrom Spain via Mexico, ollowed b Germans, Poles, Czecs, Swedes,Norwegians, and Iris traveling over land rom te East Coast o Amer-ica. Arican-Americans came ollowing te 1860s and, in more recenttimes, tere as been an immigration o Asians. Tis mosaic o diverseraces and cultures as given Austin its particular caracter.

Austin has been a ast growing city or more than a century. The pop-ulation has doubled every 20 years since 1890 and its beautiul, naturalenvironment and mild climate (300 days o sunshine per year) continuesto attract enterprising and creative people. With a current population o

approximately 720,000, Austin is now the ourth largest city in the stateand the teenth most populous in the nation (surpassing Boston and SanFrancisco). The Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)population is 1.4 million.

Austin is a diverse city with a population made up o 48.6 percent white,35.9 percent Hispanic, 8.3 percent Arican-American, 5.5 percent Asian-American, and 1.7 percent other or multiracial (based upon 2000 censuswith 2008 estimates). It is also a youthul city the youngest city o anyover 500,000 (average age is 28.5), in part, because o the presence o theUniversity o Texas, one o the largest universities in the nation (the thlargest as o 2006). Rapid demographic change is predicted to continue.1By 2006, the City reached a milestone o no ethnic group being a majority,with the Anglo population dipping below 50%. The Hispanic populationwill continue to grow rapidly and will equal the Anglo population within25 years. The Asian share o population is also skyrocketing and is nowaround 6.5%. The Arican-American population continues to decline andwill likely be below 5% in a ew decades. Austins cultural policy and sup-port must continue to refect and celebrate this critical acet o communityheritage and identity.

Austin is routinely ranked near the top o many best, livable, or mostsuccessul cities lists and has been highly touted by economist RichardFlorida or the presence o elements crucial to competing in the globaleconomy: talent, technology, and tolerance. Dr. Florida ranks Austin second,behind only San Francisco, as a top creative, innovative city, in part, orits ability to attract and retain the highly educated and productive 25-34

year old creative talent whose ideas, innovations, and enterprise uel theglobal economy.

The presence o so much talent has spurred the growth o a rich anddiverse cultural ecosystem made up o individual artists and creators, non-prot arts and culture organizations, or-prot creative industries includingmusic, lm, digital entertainment, galleries, and estivals and the venues,

unders, leadership, and audiences needed or cultural vitality to be sus-tained. The cultural sector in Austin constitutes one o the major industrialsectors o the local economy, accounting or well over $2.2 billion in annu-al economic activity, nearly 44,000 permanent jobs and over $48 million intax revenue to the City.2 (A detailed description o Austins creative sector,including economic impact studies, is provided in the Cultural AssessmentReport, Appendix B. accessible at www.ci.austin.tx.us/culturalplan/)

1 The Top Ten Big Demographic Trends in Aus

tin, Texas, City o Austin Demographer, www

ci.austin.tx.us/census/downloads/top_Ten

Trends3.doc

2 The Role o the Cultural Sector in the Lo

cal Economy: 2005 Update, prepared or th

City o Austin by TXP, Inc., Austin, Texas. www

ci.austin.tx.us/cultureplan/downloads/TXP_

Cultural_Sector.pd


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iii. introDuction

B Austins Culture o Creativity:Strengths, Challenges, and OpportunitiesEver cultural plan sould be grounded in te unique caracter o

its place, its people, and its istor. In Austin, man would sa tatte sense o place is a state o mind. Creativit and innovation areat te core o te Austin state o mind and nd expression in manwas te vitalit and originalit o live music, te spoken word andlm; numerous estivals tat celebrate music, lm, and perormance;te presence o robust cultural acilities and commercial gallerieswitin blocks o eac oter downtown; te rise o te digital mediaindustr; te increasing national recognition or locall produced per-ormance art; te number o original plas produced eac ear; terobust East Austin arts scene; brid cultural orms suc as greenarts and ealing/arts; and te clarion call to Keep Austin Weird!

Arts and culture contribute to Austins justly lauded quality o lie byproviding enriching activities and opportunities to understand and cel-ebrate the communitys growing diversity. Cultural education oers youth

pathways to healthy development and engagement with society, improvesacademic perormance, and inculcates the critical thinking skills needed byAustins next generation o creative workers. Cultural activity contributesto neighborhood and downtown revitalization and builds civic pride. Artsand culture help to dene Austins unique identity and brand.

During our planning process, leaders coined the phrase, culture o cre-ativity to describe Austins innovative and creative habitat, state o mindand way o being in the world. They began to envision CreateAustin as aPlan to build upon and ampliy this culture o creativity.

Most agree that Austins culture o creativity emerged over severaldecades o startling growth as a result o luck, imagination, and civicleadership. The regions mild climate, low cost o living, the presence othe University o Texas at Austin, and the citys reputation as a liberal andtolerant island in a conservative region has attracted successive waves ocreatives. They, in turn, put Austin on the map with their songs, lms,books and plays, art work, video games, and business innovations. TheCity o Austins role has included redeveloping the old Robert MuellerAirport into a New Urbanism community and assisting the Austin FilmSociety in creating lm and soundstage acilities. Many were involvedin the spectacularly successul branding o the live music industry. Morerecent accolades rom Richard Florida and other livability and economicdevelopment gurus touting Austins status to the world have added to thecitys reputation over the last decade.

But Austin cannot and should not rest on its laurels, nor take or granted thatits shooting star will continue without proactive nurturing. Just as the trueimpact o the creative sector and its critical role in attracting, stoking and retainingthe talent needed to position Austin in the global economy its creativeclimate is threatened. Austin is getting less aordable. Planning participants andothers lament that the creative sector is isolated rom the broader communityand various parts o the cultural sector are segmented into individual siloswith little communication, collaboration, and leadership to unite them. Austins

creatives, arts and culture organizations, and creative industries oten struggle tomaintain their ability to create and attract audiences and resources. The creativecommunity has ailed to adequately make the case or its value and impact.

Other concerns were voiced in the CreateAustin planning process:

Austin is widely known as the live music capital o the world, butother modes o creativity have not been as successully supported orbranded. The inrastructure promotion, employment opportunities,low interest loans, health care, and insurance that has been built byboth the private and public sector to support live music should be usedas a model to help other creators as well. However, many participantssaid that the live music scene is also threatened by the high costs ovenues and living.

Like other ast-growing, attractive cities, Austin should careully considerits habitat or creativity. Aordable spaces or studios, rehearsal

perormance, exhibit, oces, instruction, storage, and living are crucialand becoming scarce, particularly or individual creators and smallerorganizations. Other support systems, networking, and marketing alsoneed strengthening to assist and sustain creators, their talents and theirenterprises or the uture.

Austin continues to grow at an astounding pace and everywhere thereare signs o building including the loss o numerous historic buildingand landmarks. Will Austins culture o creativity nd ample expressionin new or renovated cultural spaces, public art, and excellent design thatrefect the citys authenticity and ambitions?

The creative sector aces issues o race mirrored in the broaderAustin community. There are institutions that ground a communityincluding cultural institutions that are lacking or some communitiesAs an example, many interviewees said that black lie is a secret to

the Anglo community and also to Arican-Americans who are notrom the community, because o a lack o visible cultural activity andplaces to gather.

Examples o cutting edge and eective cultural education can be oundinside and outside o the ormal school systems, but there is not yet a

systemic approach to documenting, supporting, and promoting bestpractices on a scale that could guarantee every student in Austin accessto the very best creative learning.

Children and amilies may be underserved by Austins culturalorganizations and programs.

There is growing recognition o the role o cultural amenitiesand activities in attracting talent, developing a creative workorcedening Austins unique identity, and generating signicant economic

activity. But more extensive business and management training, aswell as marketing and promotion are needed or broad-based growthin Austins creative economy.

Congestion and lack o transportation options are restricting access toAustins cultural venues and activity.

Austin does not yet have a culture o private philanthropy; the wealth isyounger, not multi-generational. A recent Urban Institute study rankedAustin No. 51 out o 50 major U.S. cities in nonprot arts contributionsper capita.3

Many in our interviews and ocus groups lamented that the communityhas had diculty developing major cultural institutions that can leadthe way in setting standards o excellence and positioning culture as acommunity priority. The historic lack o individual support and strugglesover cultural space development are actors. Austin does not have any

cultural organizations with yearly budgets over $5 million and only 22with budgets over $250K/year rare or a city o its size.

Austin is at the leading edge o understanding the breadth and depth o itswhole creative sector, but has yet to develop networks and mechanismsthat enable synergies across nonprot and or-prot sectors. There areew community, organization, corporate, or government leaders thatbridge across cultural sector boundaries and speak or the whole arts andcultural community.

What will it take to sustain and enhance Austins cultural sector as acontinuing resource or its economy, quality o lie, and weird, innovativespirit? This is the complex question that CreateAustin seeks to answer.


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iii. introDuction

CULTURAL PLANNING IN AUSTIN

Austin is a cit tat plans in order to respond to callenges and oppor-tunities. Man planning processes ave elped sape Austins trans-portation, ousing, neigboroods, and oter ke elements o a vibrantand successul communit.

The City o Austin has recognized the importance o the cultural sectorto its vitality, livability, and economic success by supporting the arts withCity unding and initiating cultural assessments and planning periodicallysince 1969. The Austin Comprehensive Arts Plan, adopted by City Councilin 1993, helped to ease then prevalent tensions within the arts communityand laid the groundwork or acilities projects such as the Joe and TeresaLong Perorming Arts Center, the George Washington Carver Museumand Cultural Center, Mexican-American Cultural Center, and the moveo the Austin Museum o Art to downtown, as well as modications in artsunding processes. The 20022003 Mayors Task Force on the Economy

and the evaluation and subsequent recommendations or the City CulturalContracts Program led to a transer o the economic development ele-ments o the cultural arts rom the City Parks and Recreation Department(PARD) and consolidation with the commercial music, lm, and digitalmedia initiatives and art and redevelopment initiatives under the City Eco-nomic Growth and Redevelopment Services Oce (EGRSO).

ThE CREATEAUSTIN CULTURAL PLANNING PROCESSTe CreateAustin cultural planning process began ormall in Septem-ber 2006 wit te appointment o a diverse, 70-member LeadersipCouncil to oversee te process. Te Cit elt te time was rigt or a re-examination o metods to support and sustain cultural activities tatsowcased Austins creative population and enterprises. In te earssince te prior planning process a number o successul commercialcultural initiatives like te SoCo (Sout Congress) corridor, te AustinFilm Studios, and oters ad evolved; undraising or major institutionswas moving orward; and te cit was continuing to experience signi-cant growt, wit accompaning callenges.

The City engaged the services o The Metropolitan Group with Bill Bulickas lead consultant and local rm Greenlights or NonProt Success toacilitate a comprehensive cultural planning process designed or maximumengagement with the community, including:

Extensive and ongoing review o background materials, including priorcultural plans and results o a major Cultural Assessment phase conductedby City sta and published in 2006.

Key interviews and ocus groups with more than 60 stakeholders andcommunity leaders.

Additional ocus groups with artists and creators, creative business owners,digital media experts, and others.

Four open community orums held in locations around Austin.

An Arts and Culture Round Table made up o over 70 arts and creativeindustries individuals.

A Public Forum to gain input on the DRAFT CreateAustin CulturalMaster Plan.

Creation and use o two web sites one administered by the City:www.ci.austin.tx.us/culturalplan/ and another community-based site:www.createaustin.org along with the CreateAustin e-newsletter tocommunicate about the planning process, post documents and research,invite input via surveying, and mediate dialogue.

Critical dialogue and consensus building with advisory groups:

The CreateAustin Leadership Council, a diverse group o 70 community leaders met regularly to review research and communityinput, shape, and ultimately, approve the Cultural Master Plan ortransmission to the City.

A Working Group o cultural proessionals met regularly to addressplanning process issues such as who to interview, where to holdcommunity meetings and how to maximize participation.

Task Forces composed o arts and cultural proessionals, civic leaderartists, and community members met to provide input on six criticasets o cultural issues and opportunities: support or individual creativitythe built environment, learning and creativity, communication andcollaborative ventures, nancial resources, and cultural inrastructure.

3 Cultural Vitality in Communities: Interpretationand Indicators;TheUrban Institute, 2006; Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., Florence Kabwasa

Green, Joaquin Herranz, Ph.D.

C Cultural PlanningHistory and Process


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iii. introDuction

D City & Community Rolesin Cultural DevelopmentCITy AND COMMUNITy ROLES IN PLANNING

Te Cit o Austin initiated cultural planning to dene and recommendCit o Austin roles and responsibilities wit respect to cultural devel-opment, plaing to its ke competencies and capabilities. In addition,te Cit o Austin, recognizing it takes te wole communit busi-ness, education, tourism, pilantrop, arts, culture, and creative in-dustries to create a vibrant cit, also included representatives romtese oter sectors in te CreateAustin planning process. Te goal wasto trigger and leverage broad engagement and ownersip o culturaldevelopment in te communit.

The process or CreateAustin was organized to develop a community-widespirit o collaboration, good communication, strong commitments to Aus-tins creative uture, and ownership o implementation recommendations.The message o the planning process was many important players in thepublic and private sector spheres joining together to prepare and ignite the

rocket uel or the next phase o cultural development.4

KEy CITy OF AUSTIN ROLES/STRENGThSTe Cit o Austin plas a ke role in cultural development, in associa-tion wit communit eorts:

The Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Oce (EGRSO)was created to manage the Citys economic development policies andto promote and acilitate sustainable growth in partnership with thecommunity, project developers, and the City o Austin organization. Thegoal is to enhance livability and economic viability in a manner thatpreserves the character o Austin and its environment. In addition tomanaging the Citys redevelopment eorts EGRSO also develops andimplements the Citys economic development policies and programs,including the Emerging Technology Program and strategies or Music,

Film, and Digital Media. The Small Business Development Program joined EGRSO in 2004. The Cultural Arts Division joined EGRSOin 2003.

The Cultural Arts Division (CAD) o EGRSO perorms the ollowingunctions:

The Cultural Funding Program provided almost $5 million indedicated hotel occupancy tax revenue in FY 07/08 in contractsor services o more than 200 nonprot arts organizations andindividual artists.

The Art in Public Places Program (AIPP) has invested more than$4 million rom the City since 1985 to commission and site art inpublic places throughout the city. AIPP also manages a registry olocal, state, and national public artists with images o their work andcontact inormation, and they provide technical assistant workshops

and public art education orums to artists and the community.Civic Arts sta conducts cultural assessment and surveys, cultural planning,marketing, and some economic development or nonprot arts.

CAD sta act as liaisons to the Arts Commission and MusicCommission, which are City o Austin Council-appointed boardsthat advise the City o Austin on matters pertaining to arts and themusic sector.

The Cultural Aairs Division o the Parks and Recreation Departmen(PARD) operates and programs numerous cultural acilities, including

the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural CenterDougherty Arts Center, the new Mexican-American Cultural CenteElisabet Ney Museum, O. Henry Museum, Beverly S. Sheeld, andZilker Hillside Theater. They also provide arts education instruction andoer cultural programs in 17 Recreation Centers and 3 Senior ActivityCenters. City expenditures or these services were approximately $3.3million or FY 2007.

Since 1985, our bond measures totaling more than $70 million havebeen reerred by the City o Austin and approved by voters to supportdevelopment or renovation o cultural acilities. The bond election o2006 is providing over $120 million to construct, renovate, improve, andor equip the Zachary Scott Theatre, Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin FilmStudios, Asian-American Resource Center, Arican-American Heritageand Cultural Facility, the Dougherty Arts Center, Elisabet Ney Museumthe Susanna Dickinson House, and the new Central Public Library.

The City o Austin negotiates development agreements that combinepublic and private goals or revitalization such as or large developmentslike the Mueller Redevelopment. The City has also developed long termleases with cultural entities such as the Austin Film Studios and the Joeand Teresa Long Center or the Perorming Arts. Block 21, the Cityowned block north o City Hall is also a development agreement thawill house the new home or Austin City Limits Studios. The developerso Block 21 and 22 also made contributions to the Art in Public PlaceProgram (AIPP).

The City o Austin has used a variety o tools and incentives to attracand retain business and talent, such as:

A long-term lease agreement and 2006 bond contribution agreemenwith the Austin Film Society or allowable use o City property and

building upgrading.A lm ordinance to reduce permitting and service ees and incentivesto attract and/or retain music, lm, and TV productions such as FridayNight Lights.

The Creative Industry Loan Program provides loan guarantees to bankthat encourage banks to lend to creative individuals, organizationand companies.

The City o Austin has also organized special initiatives like the AricanAmerican Quality o Lie Task Force, which recommended ways toincrease Arican-American artists access to unding and support, creationo an Arican-American Heritage and Cultural District, and enhancedmarketing o Arican-American cultural activity.

In scal year 2007, the City o Austin invested approximately $10 million

in cultural development in the areas outlined above. The CreateAustinCultural Master Plan will explore urther elaboration o these and otheroles or the City o Austin.


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iii. introDuction D. city & community roles in cultural Development

KEy COMMUNITy ROLES/STRENGThSMriad individuals and organizations in te creative sector, private sec-tor, and broader communit pla equall important roles in orwardingAustins cultural vitalit:

Foremost are the artists and creators themselves, and the presenters,producers, and managers who help bring their work to ruition and toaudiences.

Support rom the private sector individuals, oundations, corporations,and businesses creates unding and audiences.

Many building owners and landlords rent space to creative individualsand organizations; developers create cultural space, oten within larger,mixed-use developments.

Prot and nonprot organizations provide support services such asmarketing, data collection, training and management assistance.

Collaborations o arts organizations and artists, such as the AustinMuseum Partnership, Austin Circle o Theatres, and the joint marketingcollaboration o presenting groups strengthen the cultural art network

and provide synergies which save money and enhance eectiveness.

Media o all types communicate about cultural activity.

Partnering organizations integrate cultural activity into their mission,such as schools, youth development organizations, chambers o commerce,neighborhood associations, community development corporations,business associations, tourism promotion agencies, transportationagencies, and economic development entities.

Many o these key stakeholders have come orward during theCreateAustin process with their ideas about how they could help tourther Austins culture o creativity.

4 Quote rom a CreateAustin participant


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iii. introDuction

Description o the CreateAustinCultural Master Plan Document

CreateAustin was branded intentionall wit a fexible prase, Pla

it, Film it, Draw it, Sout it, Drat it, Spin it, Dance it! to refect te manwas tat Austinites are and can be creative. One clear lesson in teemergence and growt o te digital media industr is tat it dependedon te confuence o several dierent tpes o creativit visual arts,programming, music, product design as well as leadersip andgovernment support. The CreateAustin planning process itself reectsanother kind of coming together of perspectives, innovation and lead-ership civic creativity.

Hundreds o people brought their ideas and experience to CreateAustinmeetings, task orces, and website along with a genuine thirst to developongoing systems or communication, networking, collaboration and im-plementation. What would happen to a city i it gathered its most creativethinkers, listened to them, and developed ongoing means or tapping theirtalent, energy, and passionate commitment to community?

One interviewees comment was emblematic o many and sums up theprescription or Austins continued ability to attract and retain talent andurther develop its creative economy:

Describe Austin and youve described a habitat or creativity progressive, tolerant, supportive, curious, open to the new.

ThE CREATEAUSTIN CULTURAL MASTER PLAN DOCUMENTTe CreateAustin document is composed o a preace wit purpose, values, and vision; executive summar; introduction; recommenda-tions; next steps and appendices.

The Preace describes the purpose o CreateAustin and lists the Values

and Vision (what Austin would look like in the year 2017 with all therecommendations implemented ) o the Leadership Council.

The Executive Summary presents the basic thesis o the Plan and itsprincipal recommendations.

The Introduction provides community background and context,describes Austins culture o creativity and its strengths, threats andopportunities, states how and why planning occurred and describes thekey roles and strengths o both the City o Austin and the Community.

The Plan Recommendations section is the core o the document, andis based on recommendations that came rom members o the Austincommunity in their work on the six Task Forces over a six-week timeperiod. Their nal reports were presented to the Leadership Councilat its August 1, 2007 meeting. Each one o the six sections includes

a brie introduction, key observations rom qualitative research andcommunity engagement, a goal statement, and recommendations withimplementation elements.

The Next Steps chapter outlines the initial steps in communicatingthe CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan to the community, engagingadditional leadership, and maintaining momentum towards action onrecommendations.

The Appendices provide lists o CreateAustin Cultural Master Planparticipants, summaries and links to the cultural assessment materialsand background inormation about the consultant team.

The CreateAustin Cultural Plan presents a big picture overview ocultural resources, issues, opportunities and strategies or the Austin

community it is a master plan. Recommendations are ramed asproposed strategic priorities to guide more detailed ollow up planningor tactical implementation that can provide a clear road map or growthand change. In some cases the CreateAustin Cultural Master Planrecommendations are concrete and specic, in other cases more planningand assessment is called or because more time and broader input areneeded. First steps are suggested or recommendations where possibleTactical level planning is let or the individuals and organizationstaking these rst steps starting with suggested implementers namedunder each recommendation who can draw rom their diverseperspectives, increase buy in and respond to changing circumstancein Austin to build a realistic plan to carry out the recommendationsthat refects Austins unique strengths and circumstances. In that sensethe CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan should be thought o as a

living document providing a ramework o Vision, Values, Goals, and

Recommendations that will equip uture leaders to innovate on thesethemes and address new challenges and opportunities as they arise

Lead and partner entities to implement the recommendations aresuggested, based on input rom planning participants and research as topossible roles and responsibilities. While it was not possible to conrmall commitments, we hope they will accept this invitation to joinCreateAustin implementation in a spirit o collaboration and help todene appropriate roles, as well as other potential implementers.

e


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IV. PLAN ReCOMMeNDATIONS


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iv. plan recommenDations

Tis core section o te CreateAustin Cultural Master Plan presents

Recommendations organized into six topical capters tat refect teissues and strategies tat emerged rom a ear o stakeolder andcommunit engagement and researc. Eac section includes a sortintroduction, ke observations rom researc and communit dialogue,a goal statement, and numbered recommendations. Cross reerencesare made among sections or recommendations tat appl to moretan one section and were te location o te ull detailed treatmentis indicated. Te six topical capters refect te breadt o te Cre-ateAustin inquir.

Support or Individual Creativit

Built Environment

Creativit and Learning

Communications and Collaborative Ventures

Financial Resources

Cultural Inrastructure

Eac CreateAustin Recommendation is ollowed b a matrix o suggested implementation actors tat includes te ollowing elements:

Lead and Partner Implementers: these are suggested, based on input romplanning participants and research as to possible roles and responsibilities

TimelineNear Term = 6 - 12 monts

Medium Term = 1 - 3 ears

Long Term = 4 - 10 ears

First Steps: to begin working on the Recommendations.

Models: where possible and appropriate, examples o model programs romother communities are reerenced.

Resources: types and sources o resources, including nancial, in-kind, andvolunteer time are suggested.

Outcomes: are dened as results and community impacts o intended actions

Benets/rationale: those that accrue to the cultural sector and the communit

Te recommendations sections are rooted in te work o six TaskForces tat met over a six-week period, rom mid-Ma troug lateJune 2007, at least our to six times eac to brainstorm recommendedstrategies and suggestions or implementation. As te basis or teirwork, Task Force members studied te CreateAustin Summar Findings document prepared b te consultant team, reviewed oter background materials prepared b Cit o Austin sta and te consultanteam, conducted teir own researc and discussed and debated teirideas in Internet cat groups and at teir meetings.

Members o te Task Forces did excellent, tougtul work. Teirull reports (more tan 120 pages) serve as a record o te good tinking tat occurred during tis pase. Teir input as been resaped

and edited, to consolidate recommendations and text, to indicate crossreerences among topics, to accommodate oter planning input, andto refect priorities and input o te Leadersip Council. In some caseslanguage conveing te broad sense o creativit and creative enterprise intended or tis planning as been substituted or arts o

arts and culture.

OverviewA


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SuPPORT fOR INDIVIDuALCReATIVITy ReCOMMeNDATIONS

B.


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Individual creators musicians, designers, actors, writers, program-

mers, lmmakers, painters, dancers, and artistic directors, weterte are sel-emploed or work witin cultural organizations or busi-ness are te oundation o Austins culture o creativit. Attracting,retaining, and sustaining tese ke individuals, developing suitablecreative abitat, including workspace, venues, markets and supportsstems to maximize excellence, innovation, relevance and impact iste substance o tis Plan. Cultural organizations tat emplo tem,commission teir works, provide venues, and draw audiences pla acrucial role in Austins creative ecolog. Interviews and researc ield-ed te ollowing ke observations.

Ke Observations:Austin has historically drawn large numbers o creative individuals. Thecreative sector workorce is one o the major sectors o the local economywith almost 44,000 permanent jobs.5 This has ueled a strong experimental

drive in the Citys creative scene, leading to an unusually large output olocally generated creative work new plays, lms, contemporary dance,songs, books, computer games, art, etc. or a city o Austins size.

A recent study released by the Urban Institute and quoted in an American-Statesman article, listed Austin as the # 2 major U.S. city in the number ononprot community celebrations, estivals, airs, and parades per thousandpopulation.6 In the study, Austin ranked # 11 in artists jobs per capita and# 13 in both nonprot arts organizations per thousand population and artsestablishments (nonprot and commercial) per thousand population.

Austins cultural sector includes leading edge discipline hybrids: a greenart community (www.austingreenart.org) and examples o arts and healingstrategies (Dell Childrens Hospital incorporates public art, dance andphysical therapy, and cultural programs). These eorts connect the arts andcreativity to sustainability and livability rameworks.

There are several support programs oered through the City o Austin,such as the Cultural Contracts Program, Art in Public Places Program,Civic Arts, Creative Industries, and Small Business Development Program.

The Citys Economic Development Policy already includes culturaldevelopment and amenities as desirable criteria in ranking new orexpanding businesses or perormance-based incentives that was a keyrecommendation o the 02/03 Mayors Task Force on the Economy /Cultural Vitality Subcommittee. That subcommittee also recommendedstrengthening technical assistance and business management programs anddevelopment o a shared cultural incubator space.7

Creatives are traditionally divided by their specic discipline, i.e., theatre,visual arts, dance, music, etc., which, unortunately, results in some servicesthat would benet all creatives being made available only to certaingroups or duplicated by dierent organizations that arent aware o oneanothers eorts.

Leadership or the arts, culture, and creative sectors is similarly splintered.There are strong visible leaders or music or lm, or example, but ewindividuals or organizations recognized or eective as leaders or the wholecreative sector.

Many CreateAustin participants stated that it is increasingly dicult orcreative individuals to nd aordable and accessible housing, workspace,venues and services (health care and insurance), especially in the central city.Many said the challenges are particularly great or mid-career artists, whomay leave to be replaced by a new crop o artists every 10 years. EvenAustins live music scene is threatened by the increasing costs o living andworking, as well as unresolved noise and saety issues which put the industry atloggerheads with strategies to increase the number o downtown residents.

Not all creatives are sensitive to the business side o what they do, whatsimportant or necessary in terms o budgeting projects, securing unding

or selling work, or securing space. Inormation about business, technicaassistance, and proessional development opportunities made available bylocal service organizations is not always reaching the creative individualand so the eectiveness o this approach is hard to gauge.

In the past, organizations have been established to address some o thegaps in the system (i.e., Texas Accountants and Lawyers or the Arts), buor various reasons (burnout, lack o unding, people moving on) some othese groups scale back their services or dissolve, although those servicesare still needed. That leads to organizations having to reinvent the wheelevery ew years.

The Austin economys boom-and-bust cycle o recent decades has likelyhad a detrimental eect on the creative community. In boom times, thearts have not always been able to capitalize on the prosperity that othersectors do. Some buildings with potential or cultural uses (the Downtown

Warehouse District, South Central Austin, and East Austin) have beenused or commercial projects. In bust times, major projects suer delays orare abandoned or lack o nancial support (the Long Center and AustinMuseum o Art Downtown).

A 2006 City o Austin Cultural Assessment Survey ound that the mospressing issues acing the cultural development o Austin are: 1) the lacko adequate unding; 2) lack o aordable acilities; 3) the increasing coso living in Austin; 4) restrictive policies; 5) lack o media outlets andinadequate promotion.

Goal StatementEnance te environment in Austin so tat individual creators in allelds music, lm, teatre, dance, te visual arts, arcitecture,design, digital media, te culinar arts, asion, and oter creative

disciplines can live and work aordabl, create teir best work,and contribute to te Austin communit.

RECOMMENDATION 1:Create a new, large-scale, grass roots membersip and advocac organization te Creative Alliance or artists, creative individualsand teir supporters. Task orce members likened it to an AARP ocreativit in Austin.

The organization would be a central clearinghouse o inormation aboutproessional development and business management training opportunities, studio space and venues, resources, nancial planning, and marketingopportunities. It would broker services such as health care and insurancespur networking, and be a vehicle or advocacy. A website would be created as an interactive inormation resource or artists and creators. It could

also be an online resource or marketing cultural products and activities toresidents and visitors.

This come one, come all entity could also provide a vehicle or theuniversal arts undraising recommended below (See Financial Resourcesrecommendations). It would not, initially build the costly inrastructurerequired or proactive, concerted solicitations, but would welcome revenuerom memberships, donations at all levels, sale o services, and commissionsor sales o art. A later step could be development o workplace giving.

Another eventual role or this new entity would be cultural space development. Providence, Rhode Island is a notable example o a city in whichartists and creators, themselves, came together to develop aordable studioand live/work spaces with assistance rom the city (see Built Environment Recommendation 4).

Support or IndividualCreativity RecommendationsB


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iv. plan recommenDations b. support or inDiviDual creativity recommenDations

It was noted that the Austin Circle o Theaters has been enhancing itsservice organization unctions and capabilities and might urther evolve to

meet the goals o this recommendation. ACoT was developed initially as analliance o organizations and the models it cites the Greater PhiladelphiaCultural Alliance and the Cultural Alliance o Greater Washington arealso alliances o organizations. The intent to create a grassroots organizationo individuals coming together to network and advocate or culture is theexciting core o this recommendation and should be oremost as optionsare considered.

Lead Implementers: CreateAustin stakeholders, cultural service organi-zations, unions.

Partners: Austin Circle o Theaters, arts service organizations, creativeorganizations and individuals, unions (equity actors, stagehands, musicians),City o Austin Cultural Arts Division, Austin Arts Commission andMusic Commission, Greenlights or Nonprot Success, Center orCommunity-Based and Nonprot Organization at Austin Community

College, City o Austin Risk Management, social service organizations,and other low-cost clinics and area hospitals.

Timeline: Near Term and Ongoing.

First Steps: Members o the Individual Creativity Task Force are preparedto develop a straw charter to dene the structure o an all-inclusiveAustin creatives membership organization, then invite other CreateAustinparticipants and interested parties to (1) gather inormation on all servicescurrently available to creatives in the city; (2) develop ideas or servicesnot currently available to creatives in the city; (3) urther research theAustin Circle o Theaters and other models to explore lessons learned;(4) rene a structure or the organization; and (5) create a three year planor launching and sustaining the organization.

Models:

Health Alliance or Austin Musicianswww.healthallianceoraustinmusicians.org

Austin Circle o Theaters, www.acotonline.org/Pages/Home.html

Minnesota Artists, www.mnartists.org

Artist Trust o Washington, www.artisttrust.org

Center or Cultural Innovation, www.cciarts.org

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, www.cultural-alliance.org/index.html

Fractured Atlas, a national non-prot organization that provides servicesand support to artists and arts organizations, www.racturedatlas.org

Resources: Initially, meeting space and time; eventually, oce space or theorganization; paid sta to direct the organization, gather inormation or

the website, and serve as webmaster; provide computers and other oceresources. Funding would be a mix o membership dues, donations, saleso services and artworks, and support rom the City o Austin CulturalContracts.

Outcomes: A strong, diverse membership base; a sustainable businessplan; a detailed inventory o whos working in the region, and a menuo services like insurance, technical assistance, bulk-purchasing etc. torespond to creatives request or assistance; database providing a censuson local creatives, with detailed demographics on cultural background,economic impact, etc. Creatives would have a higher standard o living,more access to management resources and support services (insuranceand health care), and build collaborations which result in more activeaudiences and participation in their art orms.

Benets/rationale: More creatives coming together oers greater leverageor aordable health care coverage and liability insurance than any

individual discipline or creative sector could provide. Establishes aquantitative sense within the community o just how many creativescall Austin home. Fosters an environment or more interaction andcross-genre collaboration (painters and lmmakers, dancers and gamerplaywrights and musicians, et al.). Fosters a support network or those inmid-career and late-career. Centralized inormation makes it easier orcreatives to access services and consumers to nd out more about whatavailable. This denitely includes or-prot creatives, who oten practicetheir art outside o their day jobs just like traditional creatives, who areunaware o resources available to them.

RECOMMENDATION 2:Extend Austins creative brand and opportunities tat ave been developed or live music and lm, to all creative endeavors, including particpation in Cit-sponsored perormance programs at te airport and Cit

hall and in public events sponsored b oter entities suc as armersmarkets, corporations, and curces. (See related Cultural InrastructureRecommendation 1.)

The live music capital o the world could increasingly become the livearts capital o the world i other creative orms were also showcased at CityHall, the airport, and other City-sponsored civic events. This would, in turnspur other sponsors to eature a broader range o art orms.

Lead Implementer: City o Austin.

Partners: Creative Alliance, Austin Convention and Visitors BureauDowntown Austin Alliance, other civic organizations, creative individualand organizations, arts service organizations, neighborhoods, corporationchurches, armers markets, and chambers o commerce.

Timeline: Near Term and Ongoing.Model: Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Campaign or Culture, www

philaculture.org/campaign/campaign.htm

First Steps: Inventory existing opportunities; compile examples oalternative perorming arts disciplines that would work; enact City policyto have sta to book them; compile a roster o specic artists; infuenceother entities such as the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau andDowntown Austin Alliance to expand their oerings.

Resources needed: Ongoing publicity and coordination, roster o artistunding to hire them.

Outcomes: Enhanced visibility o arts enterprises locally and beyondexpanded range o creative presentations in public places; increasedaudiences and memberships or arts enterprises.

Benets/rationale: urther recognition or Austins broad range o creativeexpression. This can create opportunities or artists and contributes toAustins livability and reputation or being welcoming to creatives.


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iv. plan recommenDations b. support or inDiviDual creativity recommenDations

RECOMMENDATION 3:Increase and ocus business development and tecnical assistanceservices or or-prot creative businesses, nonprot cultural organi-zations, and individual creators to enance management capacit andgrow jobs, wealt, and te economic impact o promising sub-sectorso te creative econom. Improving management eectiveness, mar-keting, and undraising will enance revenues.

The City o Austins Small Business Development Program, Creative Ser-vices and Neighborhood Housing and Community Development pro-grams best understand or-prot entities. Better understanding o nonpro-its and individual, sole proprietor creatives by these City programs andbetter coordination between these City programs and nonprot manage-ment assistance organizations will enhance availability and ocus or tech-nical assistance and business development services to both or-prot andnonprot entities.

Lead Implementers: Nonprot service organizations and managementassistance organizations, City o Austin, Creative Alliance.

Partners: City o Austin Economic Growth and Redevelopment ServicesOce (EGRSO) Small Business Development Program and CreativeIndustries Loan Program, Neighborhood Housing and CommunityDevelopment, nonprot management assistance providers such asGreenlights or Nonprot Success, and ACC Center or Community-Based & Nonprot Organizations.


First steps: Inventory, document, catalog, and publicize existing servicesand opportunities; conduct an analysis o gaps between existing servicesand artist/arts organization and cultural business needs.

Models:

Small Business Development Program, City o Austin, www.ci.austin.tx.us/sbdp/aboutsbdp.htm

Chicago Artists Resource, www.chicagoartistsresource.org

Springboard or the Arts, Minnesota: connecting artists and resources,www.springboardorthearts.org/AboutUs/AboutUs.asp

Resources: Ongoing publicity, market analysis.

Outcomes: Better utilization o existing resources, improved management,marketing and undraising, and continued employment growth in thecreative sector as measured in the City o Austins periodic economicimpact studies.

Benets/rationale: Culture and enterprise fourish in communities thatcan assist individual artists, organizations, and cultural businesses in

maximizing their eectiveness.

RECOMMENDATION 4:Encourage te development o aordable and accessible cultural spaceo all tpes studios, live/workspaces or perormance, exibit, instruction, storage, reearsal, oces, incubator spaces. Tis overarcing issue and critical need suraced in nearl ever task orce, and isaddressed in detail in te Built Environment Recommendations section(See Built Environment, Recommendations 2, 3, 4 or details.)

5 The Role o the Cultural Sector in the Lo

cal Economy: 2005 Update, prepared or th

City o Austin by TXP, Inc., Austin, Texas. www

ci.austin.tx.us/culturalplan/downloads/TXP

Cultural_Sector.pd

6 Cultural Vitality in Communities: Interpretatio

and Indicators; The Urban Institute, 2006; Ma

ria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., Florene Kabwasa

Green, Joaquin Herranz, Ph.D.

7 Mayors Task Force on the Economy: Cultura

Vitality and Creative Economy Subcommittee

2002-2003. www.ci.austin.tx.us/culturalplan

downloads/mayor_taskorce_econ.pd


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Te built environment is a tangible, concrete refection o Austins cul-

ture o creativit. Can it be a well-designed, imaginative, good abi-tat or bot creativit and commerce, user riendl to residents andvisitors, and refective o Austins unique and autentic identit? Teseare questions cit and communit leaders sould be asking as Aus-tin continues its rapid growt and various planning eorts oer botte opportunit or pro-active visioning and mecanisms to put polic,guidelines and incentives in place to realize tem. It sould be a toppriorit to integrate tis CreateAustin Plan wit te new DowntownPlan, te Downtown Arts Development Stud, neigborood planningand oter planning eorts.

Participants in CreateAustin have ocused on cultural spaces and districts,public art, and, to a lesser extent, design review. Most pressing is develop-ment o aordable, accessible cultural spaces to meet the needs o artists,cultural organizations, and creative sector businesses or workspace, peror-

mance, exhibit, education programs, oce, storage, and housing. Qualita-tive research, community engagement, and the task orce process all em-phasized this issue. Put simply, cultural space is critical to sustaining thepresence o creative individuals, organizations, and businesses as a resourceor Austins economy, vitality, and livability.

Ke Observations:Austin has a wide range o community acilities, museums, plazas, parks,and churches available or cultural uses.

The City operates cultural acilities and programs through the Parks andRecreation Department and Libraries, oering accessible activities orresidents across the city.

The City o Austin and its citizens have a history o support or culturalacilities bonds, including most recently, a $31.5 million measure in 2006 to

support construction, renovation, improvements, and equipping o culturalacilities, including Zachary Scott Theatre, Arican-American Heritage andCultural Facility, Asian-American Resource Center, Austin Film Studios,Mexican-American Cultural Center, Mexic-Arte Museum, and theDougherty Arts Center.

There are easily identiable neighborhoods with robust cultural activitythat contributes to Austins vibrant identity (Northwest Austin, SouthAustin, and East Austin, among others). These assets could be amplied soas to contribute more to Austins livability and attractiveness to visitors.

In 1985, Austin was the rst municipality in Texas to include works oart in construction projects, when it established the Art in Public Places(AIPP) ordinance. Many ne works have been commissioned, but are notalways known to residents or visitors. There is interest in creating incentivesor private developers to include public art in their projects.

The public art collection is aging; some works are more than 20 yearsold, and ace degradation rom natural and man-made orces. Funds tomaintain or repair public art are reerred to the Department where thepublic art work resides and is oten not available.

There is a perceived lack o aordable, accessible, and/or appropriatelyequipped cultural spaces as stated repeatedly in Plan interviews andmeetings. This is particularly the case or smaller organizations andindividual artists, who generally lack the capital, support, and knowledgeto develop their own spaces.

There is limited access to existing public spaces such as schools, libraries, museums,and recreation centers (with evening hours not consistently available).

While the Arican-American community has contributed signicantly toAustins history and creative legacy, there is little representation o it in

the public discourse. It is imperative to preserve and celebrate the culturaheritage legacy o downtown and central east Austin. The Arican-AmericanQuality o Lie initiative oered key strategies such as improved technicaassistance, capacity building, outreach, marketing, and the development oan Arican-American Cultural Arts District with an Arican-AmericanCultural Center anchoring it in East Austin.

Until 1990, Austin was ranked as one o the most aordable cities to liveThe rapid increase in Austins population and employment since then hasalso increased the cost o housing, while area median incomes have not keppace with home sales and rents. The median sales price or a home morethan doubled rom $74,400 in 1990 to $170,300 in 2006 and $183,000 inMay 2007, while the median amily income increased rom $42,000 to $582008. Renters also ace signicant housing challenges; 44 percent o Austinrenters could not aord the air market rent or a two-bedroom apartmentbased on national standards9. The loss o aordable housing erodes Austinseconomic growth and quality o lie as people earning less than medianincomes move to the suburbs, acing longer commutes and, potentially, loso cultural and community linkages. The City o Austin has dedicated localand ederal resources to create and retain aordable housing, but cannotkeep pace with demand.

Inrastructure support such as parking, sidewalks, lighting, and transportationis needed or existing arts/culture venues.

Increasing trac congestion and lack o transportation alternatives willincreasingly impact access to and use o cultural venues an issue that wasoten brought up in community and Leadership Council meetings.

More than $3 billion has been invested in the downtown in the last decadeand the pace o development is likely to continue. Can the arts and culture

via public art, cultural space, cultural businesses, and activities b

successully integrated into this development in a way that refects andcontributes to Austins unique identity and vitality?

Goal StatementInvigorate and support te creative and cultural sectors b assuringtat te built environment and inrastructure in Austin are adequateand sustainable over te next 10 ears to serve te needs o individualcreators, nonprot cultural organizations, and creative businessesAustin sould reac or te igest standards o design and accessibilit in creating its arcitecture and public spaces o te uture.

RECOMMENDATION 1:Create an inventor o available cultural spaces and an interactivewebsite to promote access to te inormation and enable matcmaking. Include private and public (cit, count, and state) properties wit

in Austin, and create mecanisms to keep te list up to date. Includelinks to oter cultural web sites to enance awareness o te culturaspaces inventor.

Lead Implementers: CreateAustin stakeholders, City o Austin.

Partners: Cultural organizations, creative sector or-prot and nonproentities, Building Owners and Managers Association, DowntownAustin Alliance, local Austin Web service companies, local educationalinstitutions, Creative Alliance.

Timeline: Near Term.

Built EnvironmentRecommendationsC


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iv. plan recommenDations c. built environment recommenDations

First Steps:

The City o Austin CAD has committed to working on a acilitiesinventory as part o this cultural planning process. It should be notedthat ACoT is building a data base that may be able to accommodate aacilities inventory and ACoT interested in providing such services tothe cultural community. Dependable, ongoing unding would be neededto keep it up to date.

The Parks and Recreation Departments Cultural Aairs Divisionoperates numerous cultural acilities and has oered to more aggressivelypromote community awareness and use o these spaces.

The rst steps in implementing this recommendation are to take stocko existing plans and mechanisms or inventorying acilities and reachconsensus on the best approach and develop the resources to makeit viable. Such an inventory could include use policies and should beactively publicized as a resource or the creative community.

Models:

Chicago Artists Resource, www.chicagoartistsresource.org

Toronto Cultural Facilities Analysis: a Map o Torontos Cultural Facilities.www.era.on.ca/graphics/articles/pd/article_28.pd

Massachusetts Cultural Council ArtistLink, www.artistlink.org

Resources: Public and private sector unding; in-kind donations (Webservices, computer equipment, computer maintenance services).

Outcomes:

Increased use o existing acilities or cultural activities.

Comprehensive tracking o Austins cultural space inventory and needs.

Benets/rationale:Existing built-environment resources would be better utilized.

Priorities or uture space planning or the community could be assessedbased on statistics.

RECOMMENDATION 2:Work wit te Cit, scool districts, universit and private sector toencourage more low cost access to space or organization or creativeindustr business oces, and space or reearsal, studios, exibits,and perormances.

Lead Implementers: Creative Alliance.

Partners: Private developers and building owners, local educational

institutions, City o Austin, libraries, umbrella creative organizations,Austin Circle o Theaters, Building Owners and Managers Association,Downtown Austin Alliance, Austin Museum Partnership.


First steps: Inventory available spaces; work with lead implementers toadapt use policies; publicize availability to creative community.

Model: Rec-Creative Spaces Directory: the Denver Oce oCultural Aairs (DOCA) and Denver Parks and Recreationcreated a directory that identies aordable, neighborhood-basedspace or creative activity in Denvers 29 recreation centers,www.denvergov.org/HomePage/RecCrea t iveSpace sDirec tory/tabid/426628/Deault.aspx

Resources: Sta and acilities.

Outcomes:

Better use o available space to meet creative community and public needs

The ollowing two recommendations, Recommendations 3 and 4, areclosely related.

RECOMMENDATION 3:Develop policies and incentives, suc as densit bonus; access to istoric, energ, low income and/or New Market Tax Credits (i available)tax and ee abatements; and low-cost nancing to encourage te pri vate sector to develop and/or make available low-cost space in newconstruction or current existing acilities to creative individuals andorganizations or reearsals, studios, perormance, or exibit spacesand oces.

Other cities and states, particularly those in hot real estate markets, where

the lack o aordable cultural space is also a concern, have developed policies or the allocation o available incentives to develop space to close thegap between the costs and returns, to keep rents or purchase prices belowmarket. These subsidies have been applied to specic properties or districtsin numerous locales, including Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, ProvidenceWashington, D.C.; Seattle; Minneapolis; Kentucky; Maryland; and RhodeIsland. The Texas 380 Agreement gave municipalities the power to oer taxand nancing incentives in exchange or public amenities.

Lead Implementers: City o Austin, private developers, culturaorganizations and businesses, individual creatives.

Partners: Cultural organizations, community development corporations(such as PeopleFund, East Austin Economic Development Corporationand others), cultural umbrella organizations (such as the Creative AllianceAustin Circle o Theaters, Austin Music Foundation, and Austin Visual Arts

Association), State o Texas economic and community development oceTimeline: Medium Term and Ongoing.

First Steps:

There are a number o steps the City could take to address the needs andopportunities o Built Environment, Recommendations 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Assemble a working team o Economic Growth and RedevelopmenServices Oce (EGRSO), Neighborhood Housing and CommunityDevelopment, Neighborhood Planning and Zoning, Cultural ArtsDivision, and other relevant oces sta to inventory available tools andincentives and create a cultural space development handbook. The intentis to build awareness o opportunities so that ideas, energy, leadership, andcapital emerges rom the community or smaller projects as well as largeones or which the City may play a more direct role.

Adapt existing policies to ramp up incentives and speciy cultural spacedevelopment and/or rehabilitation as a goal. As stated above, the CitysEconomic Development Policy already includes cultural development andamenities as desirable criteria in ranking new or expanding businesses oraccess to relaxation o tax liabilities as an incentive. Contributions to theBusiness Retention and Enhancement Fund, negotiated in developmenagreements could be dedicated to cultural space projects.

Appoint a City ombudsman or cultural space development, as it hasalready to acilitate City support or live music and lm.

Austin should consider bringing in a nonprot cultural space developerwith long-term experience in putting together viable cultural space projectthat use available tools and incentives as well as private sector support.


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iv. plan recommenDations c. built environment recommenDations

Assemble a working team o Economic Growth and RedevelopmenServices Oce (EGRSO), Neighborhood Housing and Community

Development, Neighborhood Planning and Zoning, Cultural ArtsDivision and other relevant oces sta to inventory available tools andincentives and create a cultural space development handbook. The intentis to build awareness o opportunities so that ideas, energy, leadership andcapital emerges rom the community or smaller projects as well aslarge ones or which the City may play a more direct role.

Adapt existing policies to ramp up incentives and speciy cultural spacedevelopment and/or rehabilitation as a goal. As stated above, the CitysEconomic Development Policy already includes cultural development andamenities as desirable criteria in ranking new or expanding businesses oaccess to relaxation o tax liabilities as an incentive. Contributions to theBusiness Retention and Enhancement Fund, negotiated in developmenagreements could be dedicated to cultural space projects.

Appoint a City ombudsman or cultural space development, as it has to

acilitate City support or live music and lm.

Austin should consider bringing in a nonprot cultural space developerwith long-term experience in putting together viable cultural space projectthat use available tools and incentives as well as private sector support.

Develop a toolkit/catalogue/handbook or cultural organizations anddevelopers explaining tools and mechanisms or aordable culturaspace development.

Models:

Denvers Mayors Task Force on Creative Spaces, www.denvergov.org/redirect_404/tabid/367615/tabid/385851/Deault.aspx, Denver SpaceMatters report, www.denvergov.org/Portals/220/documents/SpaceMatters_Report rom MTFCS.pd

Massachusetts Cultural Council ArtistLink, www.artistlink.org, includes ahuge database and inormation about cultural space projects and districtall over North America. The site includes a space development tool kit.

Artscape Projects in Toronto, torontoartscape.on.ca, developed a guideSQUARE FEET: The Artists Guide to Renting and Buying WorkSpace, a resource manual or arti

Create Austin Cultural Master Plan

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