Brain Droppings

Will we be paying for future Cityfolk Festivals?

By Ron Rollins | Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 02:54 PM

This weekend, lots of you will head downtown forthis year’s Cityfolk Festival, expanding your musical horizons with bands such as Son del Caribe, Afromotive and Feufollet — a diverse, eclectic lineup perfectly in keeping with the festival’s open-minded tradition.

But keep this in mind, too: Just because there has been a Cityfolk Festival for many years, doesn’t mean there will always one.

And if there is, there’s no guarantee that it’ll be free.

The times, they are a-hardenin’. And as noted in this space in recent weeks, that fact is hitting local arts groups so hard that even an event like the Cityfolk Festival — a summertime institution enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people — is not immune from the pressure.

“The timing, for us, couldn’t have been worse,” Cityfolk’s executive director, John Harris, said of the nation’s economic meltdown. “It was already the case that several of our biggest corporate sponsorships were up after the 2008 festival. We weren’t concerned, because we had several other big corporations who were ready to fill their places. And then it all hit the fan….”

About 60 percent of the $375,000 it takes to put on the three-day festival that runs this weekend, July 3-5 along the Riverscape area in downtown Dayton, comes from corporate sponsorship, Harris said, and “we lost over half of that.” Companies had to renege on pledges made in better times.

Cityfolk started scrambling. They got the money together by finding new sponsors, or getting the ones they had left to give more. NewPage was one that raised its donation; other sponsors can be found at cityfolk.org.

“It’s not all gloom and doom,” Harris said. “We have some really great corporate supporters.

“But while there are some really great corporate citizens in Dayton, the world has changed. Many corporations don’t necessarily have the allegiance to Dayton that they used to, and this is how it manifests itself. Many companies don’t feel obligated, or that it’s in their best interest, to be really strong members of the community like many were.

“And here, I’m talking about big companies. Our success has been with reaching out to small and medium-size companies, but it obviously takes a lot of time to get lots of $5,000 contributions instead of one big $50,000 contribution.”

And since he, like most arts-group CEOs, already spends more than 80 percent of his time fundraising — “That was true in the best of times,” he says — the problem emerges.

So, what does the money go for? Mostly for artists’ fees and infrastructure — the staging, tents, lighting and such that undergird the festival. The city of Dayton and Five Rivers MetroParks, as partners, provide the park, security, electricity and such for free.

Since the festival is a fundraiser for Cityfolk’s year-round programs of Celtic, jazz, bluegrass and world music — shows it organizes with a staff of five and an operating budget of about $1 million — that’s a big help. Harris said that for the most part, people shouldn’t have noticed any big differences in this year’s festival due to the economy, since the scrambling mostly worked. “We’ve managed our finances well enough that we’re on pretty solid ground,” Harris said, “and we’ll be able to withstand this once. But not twice.”

Meaning what, exactly?

“Going into next year, we have basically three options — quickly find a new, major sponsor; charge admission; or cancel the festival.

“We have some work to do make it come back. It’s our goal and ultimate desire, but it’s not a gimme like it has been. We’re going to have to work to make it happen.”

As fans know, the festival has been free all the way back to its 1996 beginnings as the National Folk Festival. Many will also recall that tight finances forced the festival to skip a year in 2002. Harris admits that the logistics of charging admission for the sprawling, multi-stage event are daunting, and would be tough to work out.

But something has to change if the festival is going to survive. “If people believe in what we’re doing, we’d love it if they’d write us a check,” Harris said, laughing but not joking.

“Just because it’s free to the public doesn’t mean it’s free.”

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Will Michael Jackson come back to us now?

By Ron Rollins | Friday, June 26, 2009, 09:04 AM

When I heard the news about Michael Jackson, I was sitting in a bar in Gettysburg, Pa., having a quiet beer after a long fun day of tromping around the battlefield with my dad.

I know that doesn’t mean that much to you, but it means a great deal to me — because I realized as soon as I heard the news that I would always, always remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard that Michael Jackson died.

Which put him immediately into a small company of entertainers whose deaths had imprinted themselves permanently upon my mind: John Belushi, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Keith Moon, Elvis Presley, George Harrison… I know where I was when I heard of their passing, because they were bigger than their art, and part of my consciousness.

Michael Jackson forced himself into that category, like it or not. We are nearly the same age, and he has been around my entire life — either contributing hugely to popular culture, or, as in the mid-1980s, driving it in a singlehanded way that few performers ever get to do, in any era.

Do you remember those days? Can you, through the foul fog of the caricature of a real human that Jackson became? When “Thriller” came out, the whole world danced. When Jackon moonwalked, the planet caught its breath. My wife and I, and our friends, made appointments to watch the 20-minute video on MTV. The man was so large that it’s a bit incomprehensible today — one wonders if he may turn out to be the last global megastar we will see, of the brightness he achieved. Jackson was a force that floated endlessly in our atmosphere, a thing that was always there.

Which made it even more weird and horrible when he went awry. More sad, when he became so unbelievably strange and even dangerous. You could come up with reasons — a rotten, non-existant childhood; the pressures of fame — but none of that made it feel any better. We all realized: This person we had adored was now someone we either loathed, or pitied.

When the criminal charges came, we simply wrote him off. We found it odd the he could still fill the occasional Brazilian stadium, and wondered if he might ever come back in a way we cared about. But for the most part, we felt mystified and betrayed, and we put his music away. It didn’t feel good any more, regardless of how it once sounded.

So now he’s dead (ignoring for the moment that the tabloids will never let him rest, a la Elvis). Let the orchestra of reconsideration and recrimination begin. Use this time, with this particular life and squandered talent, to ask: What lasts? What, after all the mess, really matters

Flash back to that bar in Gettysburg: At the very moment at which somebody told me about Jackson, the song playing in the place was the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour,” whose playing once put money into Jackson’s bank account, and whose title might remind one of his own twisted, miraculous life.

The Beatles went through some weird stuff, too — granted, nothing like Jackson — but also tested fans’ loyalty during their strange breaking-up-hating-each-other-going-solo years. They aren’t the only pop stars who’ve put their fans at arm’s length, only to later hope for them back.

Michael Jackson’s greatest gift, his best music, had been lost to us for years, buried beneath his psychotic horrorshow antics. If there is anything good to be said of his untimely passing, it may be this: Now we can consider putting some of that stuff behind us, and begin to allow the rehabilitation of his career to begin.

The man was gifted; the man was awful. The man was everything to us for a time; and then suddenly nothing more than a punchline. Now that he’s dead, maybe he can actually be welcomed back into our lives in a way that didn’t seem possible before. We’ll see.

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DAI still trying to get through tough times

By Ron Rollins | Friday, June 19, 2009, 03:53 PM

The finely attired folks who pulled up to the valet parking for this year’s Art Ball last weekend got to see the Dayton Art Institute at its seeming best: all polished and prettied up, white-tableclothed and candled, full of lovely ladies in long gowns and their tuxedoed escorts sipping champagne within sight, if not easy reach, of the Rothko, the Degas and the de Kooning. Sigh.

From the prom-like party the museum threw, one might’ve gotten the impression that the institution is moving through its 90th year in rosy good health.

Alas, it’s not.

Just a few days later, DAI director/CEO Jan Driesbach visited the Daily News’ editors along with her board president, Michael Greitzer, and board member Rob Connelly to talk about the museum’s current state, and its future.

Connelly led the board’s drafting of a new strategic plan, a roadmap for the DAI as it journeys into an uncertain future. “This will help us understand, ‘What are we about?’” he said. “Not just decide what to do in the future, but also what to stop doing?” Good questions, as the recession continues its relentless assault on the financial wellbeing of arts organizations and non-profits. It’s hard to find one that isn’t cutting back in order to survive.

Driesbach arrived in Jaunary 2008, right before the most serious stuff hit the financial fan — but at an odd time in the museum’s history even apart from that. Alex Nyerges, her predecessor, had been here 14 years and had built the museum’s membership and profile with a series of “blockbuster” exhibitions that had everybody talking, but which cost a lot. Finding a replacement for him took longer than expected, which meant a caretaking interim-directorship under Brad Tillson that ended up lasting more than a year.

Driesbach arrived to find a board that had decided it didn’t want any more big, expensive shows, but which wanted the museum to remain very much at the center of the community’s consciousness. Add the recession to all that, and you’ve got quite a challenge. “We had to rethink who we are,” Greitzer said, and how to remain relevant.

Generally, they plan to keep cutting costs, reduce programming that doesn’t fit the main mission and concentrate on smaller exhibitions that are high-impact or appeal to particular niches or previously underserved communities. Driesbach anticipates a slate of “shows of a more modest nature” that can be underwritten with “more, smaller corporate requests” rather than the big-bucks sponsorship of the past, such as the $800,000 NCR gave to help bring the Egyptian show in 2005.

The DAI is reviewing its art-class offerings, may produce fewer afternoon musicales, and will try to add diversity to its board. The staff is seeking ways to reduce energy costs for the building. It’s hoping to broaden partnerships — working with the Dayton Opera on some musical programs, and with the University of Dayton on more sophisticated e-marketing.

Driesbach, Greitzer and Connelly all imagine a DAI that will someday be “a lively, active place” that “plays a big role in peoples’ social engagement.” They like the idea of the museum, as Greitzer put it, “playing a part in economic development and recruitment here — it would be awesome to let companies have their meetings at the museum, and let people realize it really belongs to the community.”

Anything that causes the DAI to become busier and more closely enmeshed into the life and work of the city and its suburbs is a good thing. And it’s entirely possible that making the place less formal, less grandiose, less imposing — less big, if you will — may accomplish that in ways that haven’t lasted before.

Over 90 years, the place has gone through plenty of personality changes. The current leadership hopes to make more of us happy by dialing back rather than ratcheting up; we’re loyal, so we’ll stick around to see how it turns out.

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Does Dayton love the Wrights too much?

By Ron Rollins | Thursday, June 18, 2009, 11:25 AM

You’ve probably seen the stories online today and in the DDN about this being the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ historic homecoming celebration, when they came back after a victorious business trip to France.

Pretty interesting, if you’re into history, aviation stuff or Dayton’s past.

But what if you’re not? Does Dayton love the Wright Brothers too much?

No, no, no, don’t scream at me just yet. Remember that I’m on the board at Dayton History, spent as much time as I could at Inventing Flight events, have edited three books of Dayton history and was in charge of the DDN’s coverage of the 2003 celebrations. I’m a big Orville and Wilbur fan.

But I’ve wondered sometimes if the city’s image of itself is too firmly rooted in the accomplishments of the brilliant brothers … and thus, also too firmly rooted in the past?

Do we spend too much time looking back, rather than looking forward? Do we have a hard time imagining the city and community we think we should be, because we’re stuck in a history which, which fascinating, is just that — history?

Now, of course, aviation and its spin-off industries are still a very big deal here, and we should be happy about that. But I’m just asking… In terms of the face we present to the rest of the world, do we rely too much on the Wrights, at the expense of being able to reimagine and re-present ourselves in a fast-changing world?

As I said, I’m just asking. What do you think?

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Keeping the dream alive in Piqua

By Ron Rollins | Saturday, June 13, 2009, 08:44 AM

Anna Baumeister took her new job, one might think, at the worst possible time. It says something about her that she doesn’t see it that way.

“Sure, it’s a very tough time,” she says, in a soft accect that betrays a Kentucky upbringing of which she’s quite proud. “But I think we’re doing really well. It’s just great to have a creative team all working together, getting the ideas flowing — it’s exciting.”

The problem, though, is figuring out how to pay for all the great ideas.

Baumeister is the executive director of the Piqua Arts Council, a small and hard-working community organization whose mission is simple: Enhance and promote the arts in any way that makes the Miami County city a better place to live. She took the 20-hour-a-week job in February, right in the thick of an economic meltdown that has humbled mighty corporations and major arts groups alike.

Last week in this space, we looked at how the recession was affecting one of the largest arts organizations in the Miami Valley, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. With a budget of nearly $4.8 million and a round of recent cuts, it still must raise $600,000 in new donations next year to balance its books.

It made sense to also take a look this week at how arts groups at the other end of the size spectrum are faring, and I chose the Piqua Arts Council at random. There are grassroots groups like it all over, comprised of active boards and dues-paying members.

The arts council is 18 years old and has been building slowly, so that today it presents a mixture of programs including in-school events, music performances and art shows in local parks, festivals, workshops and such (visit www.piquaartscouncil.com). They’re good programs, if only because if the Piqua Arts Council doesn’t do them, nobody will.

Baumeister and her board president, Mary Frances Rodriguez, keep that well in mind.

“There’s no other organization that promotes the arts in Piqua the way we do,” Rodriguez said. “I have a real passion for bringing the arts to Piqua, and I think we need it probably more than many towns. We are rural, and we’re somewhat (economically) depressed — and to bring some arts and cultural things into the schools and the kids is really exciting. If we can get children to a Dayton Philharmonic concert, that’s something they wouldn’t get to experience otherwise.

“It’s been said that communities thrive where the arts are alive, and that’s absolutely true.”

“Mary Frances always has us pushing this idea that the arts for everyone,” Baumeister says, “and that’s so true.” Especially if they get a little help from groups like this one.

They get a lot done on a $58,900 budget, and Baumeister does a lot more than her 20 paid hours, from a passion for the work. And fundraising is a constant concern.

They’re trying for Ohio Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts grants they’ve never sought before, but found they were ineligible for federal stimulus money recently made available for arts job retention because they hadn’t been funded before — a bureaucratic Catch-22 they could’ve done without.

“We’re not the only ones knocking at the door for money,” Baumeister said. “There’s an eagerness to help, but everybody’s in the same situation.”

So they’re juggling — trying to do events that will boost awareness and enthusiasm, in the hopes that will lead to more paid membership and more local financial support. At the same time, they’ve “taken a look at all our assets — what projects we absolutely want to complete because our community will benefit from them. We’re deciding how we would go from rock bottom, and start from there.” Interestingly, her words came very close to the “mission-critical” language the leaders at the Dayton Philharmonic recently used to describe where they go from here, too.

Baumeister and Rodriguez remain upbeat. They think they’ve managed the budget to get through this year in decent shape, but always worry. Baumeister, though, looks ahead to larger goals that include being able to afford a building some day that provides gallery and workshop space. “Think of the artists we could bring in,” she says excitedly.

“If we can pull out of this, we can really start to grow. If we can just keep that vision in front of us, instead of going, ‘Oh, gosh, we aren’t going to make it.’ But we have such great people here, and this great town, and a fantastic opportunity.

“Look at how big we could actually get.”

Note to struggling arts groups everywhere: Don’t get so mired in the muck that you forget how to dream. Up in Piqua, they haven’t.

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Take a photo of the downtown sculptures!

By Ron Rollins | Friday, June 12, 2009, 10:41 AM

This just in from the city and the Downtown Dayton Partnership. Those sculptures aren’t my personal cup of artistic tea (scary!), but I know lots of folks like ‘em.

So:

The City Life Sculpture Photo Contest: Click It to Win It!

DAYTON, June 12, 2009 — The City Life Sculptures are back for one final appearance. Click your way into the winner’s seat by submitting your entries for this year’s City Life ‘09 photo contest! Entering the contest is simple: take a photo and email it to info@downtowndayton.org in order to win a variety of great prizes.

City Life ‘09 is presented by the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, the Downtown Dayton Partnership and Culture Works, with sponsorship support from WDTN TV‐2. Area businesses have made the project possible by sponsoring individual sculptures. For more information about the exhibition, visit downtowndayton.org or call the Downtown Dayton Partnership at (937) 224‐1518.

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The end of Facebook? Hmmmm…

By Ron Rollins | Thursday, June 11, 2009, 11:08 AM

Ahoy, Facebook friends (and all the rest of you)… Where will YOU be at 12:01 AM Saturday?

Lots of you will be pecking away at your keyboards trying to lay claim to your own names when the huge social-networking site opens up the chance for its 200 million users to create their own user names.

What that means is pretty well covered in this pretty good piece from The Daily Beast (increasingly, one of my favorite sites), which explains the whole thing and equates it, cleverly, to an online version of the Oklahoma land rush.

But the writer also suggests, for some pretty interesting reasons, that when Facebook throws this switch, it may be dooming itself to changes even it doesn’t see coming.

Wait and see, I guess. Just don’t anybody try to claim my name, or I’ll come over there and hurt you.

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