Arts & Culture at the Core

Is the plight of the Columbus Symphony and its budget shortfalls and troubled musician contract negotiations an indicator of a greater problem for the traditional and established arts & cultural institutions we have in Columbus? Is the symphony just the tip of the iceberg with regards to arts organizations having more and more difficult times trying to stay afloat without heavy subsidization?

I went to the symphony for the first time this past Saturday, something my girlfriend and I had been planning to do for a few months now even prior to the budget woes going public, and the experience was a bit gray for me because I knew what storm clouds were hanging overhead for the whole organization.

Without question I enjoyed both the experience and being able to take in the music and the talent. I'd like to be able to do it again. But will I be able to? That question is a hefty one and for me, it goes beyond just the currently undetermined fate of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. What might this potential loss mean for downtown?

If the dilemma that the orchestra is facing is a sign of more troubles in the world of traditional arts & culture in Columbus, I guess it leaves me to ponder two questions: 1) Is it possible to grow or tap into a new demographic for the organizations that may be suffering from lackluster audience growth, and if so how do we go about it? Or, is this a change in cultural values that will see the death of old arts and entertainment only to bring life to new forms? And 2) with a solid core of these downtown cultural organizations making up a bulk of the unique "experience opportunities" that only downtown has to offer, shouldn't we be making more aggressive attempts to tie the fate of the arts, new and old, with the fate of downtown to a greater degree?

I've written about it in the past, and am a firm believer of the concept that it is in the unique experiences that downtown currently has and can continue to develop that the hopes of a downtown revitalization lie. For my vision of downtown, it is that unique "experience" factor, tied into easy accessibility, that holds the key to success.

Question 1 from above regarding dwindling audiences is one that the city and its many arts organizations have been chewing on for years. Having attended the symphony the other night and, at the ripening young age of 35, and being one of the few under-represented folks in the late-20's early 30's that attended the event, the problem of new audiences is abundantly apparent. From my row, which was farther back in the Ohio Theater, the venue appeared to me as a sea of silver, seniority and seasoning.

To my personal experience there still continues to be a lack of outreach and public exposure to the great venues and organizations that we have in out downtown entertainment arsenal, and with the focus being on scarce funding as opposed to building audiences and ticket sales, the future is far from clear from my perspective. It seems that concerns over money may continue to trump innovation.

If a more diligent effort is not pulled together to either strengthen our existing arts, cultural and entertainment offerings in downtown, what exactly is it that will make Columbus a draw for a shrinking 25-44 year old work force that we are going to grow so desperately in need of in the coming years? Where will those retiring boomers and empty nesters spend their discretionary income if downtown's offerings flail around an die a slow death of audience attrition?

With the Grandview Yard mixed-use projects in the wings and most recently a proposal for bringing Westland Mall back to life fashioned as an outdoor "mini-Easton" mall, I don't think it is necessary to point out that the challenges for downtown retail growth are growing, not shrinking. Where does the future of downtown lie?

I've used this quote before in the past, but to me it grows all the more appropriate, especially in times of economic hardship:

"Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work. Remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die."

- Daniel Burnham

It's time for a unified vision. A goal. An objective that picks a cause and a theme that organizations, businesses and citizens can rally to. A plan, so audacious, that does not rely on building things, rather focuses on building up "places" and "experiences" out the abundant raw material we have in our entrepreneurs, our artists, our musicians that all share a common urban core.