[Forum] Meeting Notes & List Discussions

[Jane Hudson]

So how do we approach the city to address these needs? What avenue to  
use? Planning Board?  City Council? The Mayor? I think one problem is  
that there have been so many attempts in the past 7-10 years or so,  
that people seem tired. I know even coordinating last year's Open  
Studios event was an enormous effort (all best wishes to Sharon and  
the committee for this year). So we need to be sure not to overwhelm  
our good intentions with too much expectation.
Jane
On Mar 6, 2007, at 6:00 PM, Karen Kane wrote:

> I was involved in First Fridays in downtown North Adams as Papyri  
> Books owner.  There were a number of issues leading to its  
> faltering.  It was definitely difficult to get the whole downtown  
> business community together, agreeing on things in general.  But it  
> was not difficult to get quite a number of them (us) to participate  
> in First Fridays in the summertime, and not difficult to get  
> musicians to participate in playing downtown.
>
> We had one great summer of First Fridays when we had some local  
> arts grant money for the project, and businesses began to get on  
> board.  What really killed it was that the small group of us who  
> were doing the organizing became exhausted with trying each month.   
> We were running our own businesses or had full time jobs to  
> perform, and the volunteer effort it took to keep it going just  
> became too much to do.  As it turned out, I guess I was the driving  
> force behind keeping the event going, so when I sold the business  
> to other folks it just didn't continue.  It would have helped to  
> have more resources from the city to support the effort, but the  
> politics of that becomes a bit complicated.  My experience with  
> First Fridays is in part what convinces me that an arts  
> coordinator / arts czar position would benefit such efforts.
>
>
> On Mar 6, 2007, at 2:17 PM, Kurt Kolok wrote:
>
>> The difference between First Fridays and Third Thursdays (as I've  
>> understood it from N. Adams business owners) Pittsfield has city  
>> resources (staff & money) allocated to supporting the Thursday  
>> events.  I believe First Fridays may have faltered in part because  
>> of a lack of cohesiveness within the downtown business community.   
>> Thoughts anyone?
>>
>>
>> Karen Kane wrote:
>>> First Fridays were / are a great idea.  They suffered from lack  
>>> of funding, people to work on them (takes a lot of work) . . .  
>>> etc.    But, as you say, they have the potential to connect  
>>> people, art, community.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mar 6, 2007, at 12:53 PM, Seth wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 3/6/07, Kurt Kolok <kurt at kolokgallery.com> wrote:
>>>> Pittsfield is making it happen:
>>>>
>>>> --June-Oct., the city of Pittsfield will be transformed by art  
>>>> every
>>>> third Thursday.  Storefronts will be displaying artwork,
>>>> events/performers will begin filling the streets, and artists,
>>>> businesses, city leaders, and museums will all be working hand- 
>>>> in-hand
>>>> to accomplish this.
>>>>
>>>> This is the sort of thing that brings awareness of local  
>>>> artists; I think it's not about just building your artist  
>>>> community, so much as it's about bringing together the rest of  
>>>> the community somewhere they can appreciate your art. I was  
>>>> going to suggest that First Fridays would be a great thing to  
>>>> expand on, but it seems to have fallen by the wayside last year.  
>>>> Nonetheless, the idea is still appealing, as it recurs more than  
>>>> an annual fall foliage parade. I think if you connect local  
>>>> stores with local performers with local artists, you end up with  
>>>> an event that brings the community closer together while viewing  
>>>> art, which can't help but benefit the local arts community. At  
>>>> least in theory. (Also, communism works.)
>>>>
>>>> --S.
>>>> _________________
>>>> Seth Brown
>>>> The Pun Also Rises:
>>>> www.RisingPun.com
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>
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