Rochester Arts and Culture Collaborative May Update

We are hearing from people and organizations on a regular basis who are excited by what is happening with the Collaborative, and we want to say welcome! Join the conversation and the fun.

It hasn't been said for awhile, so we want to remind you of the RACC aspirational statement:

Rochester will be a vibrant, active, diverse and inclusive arts and cultural community for all. Local artists and arts and cultural organizations will be supported by each other and the broader community as a vital resource for the community's health and growth.

Informational interviews ongoing

In light of those aspirations, members from the RACC steering committee have been reaching out to arts organizations, cultural groups and individual artists and meeting with them one-on-one.

The meetings taking place have two primary goals:

1. To learn more about activities, missions, needs, dreams, and about how RACC and individuals and organizations can interact and support each other in all sorts of capacities, and 
2. to gather input and feedback specifically about potential interest in and uses for an Arts and Cultural Center - uses such as shared office space, meeting space, performance space, kitchen space. A center which can serve all those needs would be an incredible asset to our community.  As it happens, there is an opportunity right now to create such a place in the soon-to-be vacated Senior Center (aka the Armory or the Castle).  Information gathered will be highly valuable when the time comes to offer proposals through to the City Council. 

At these meetings, interested parties are also requested to return by July 1 a non-binding statement of intent to become a member of the Arts and Cultural Center. This will enable any proposal going forward to demonstrate a foundational level of support by potential users.

The interview team has an extensive list of people and groups to contact so if you haven't heard from them yet, you probably will soon. Feel free, however, to contact RACC at raccnews@gmail.com and make sure we know about you.

Update: Master Plan for Public Art

On our other exciting front, as has been previously blogged about, the Policy team has been busy since April working with the Greater Rochester Arts and Cultural Trust vis a vis their plan to bring a consultant from Forecast Public Art in St Paul to come down and help develop a Master Plan for Public Art in Rochester. The Trust requested in April and the City Council agreed to provide at their May 18 meeting matching funds to help pay for this consultant.  That plan now is moving forward.

Two important things of note: we learned that when Forecast Public Art does these kinds of projects, it always does so with a steering committee comprised of a broad swath of the community, which was the recommendation also of the RACC policy team. The other item of note is that this request was approved in large part because members of RACC stepped up immediately to offer their support and particular expertise to the members of the Trust, the offer was quickly accepted and acted upon, and it was thus demonstrated to the city leadership that arts groups can work together for a common goal. The road is not always smooth, but it can lead us all forward.

Did you know: event calendars 

You are probably familiar with event calendars from the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Downtown Alliance, Post Bulletin, KTTC, etc, and these are great comprehensive resources. However, there are some out there focused especially on arts and culture happenings in town that may highlight offerings you are unaware of.  Here are a few to get you started - let us know about others!

• reverb.mn
• Rochester Music Guild
• Greater Rochester Arts and Cultural Trust
• SEMAC  (grant funded events)
• Zumbrota Area Arts Council
• Lanesboro

Logo design

The work of the Collaborative is important, and we want the community to know that we are living out our aspirational statement as best we can.  To that end, we would love an exciting logo that represents! Email raccnews@gmail.com if you would like to help with that.


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Public Art Master Plan proposal update

Since the April  City Council Committee of the Whole meeting where the request was made by the Greater Rochester Arts and Cultural Trust for $15,000 in matching funds for a consultant to help develop a master plan for public art, there have been several meetings between Trustees and representatives from the Collaborative.

The outcome of these talks has been the formation of a committee to advise the consultant in his work (he comes from Forecast Public Art in St Paul).  It is important to note that this work is going forward with the understanding that public art is being defined as anything that activates a given space, whether an installation or a performance of some kind, permanent or temporary.  The committee membership, which is still being confirmed, is made up of people who can speak to and represent the various constituencies: visual arts , performing arts - both of these at the organizational and individual level - , logistical concerns, policy concerns, etc.

The City Council originally had this request up for a vote at its May 4 meeting, but now it is scheduled for the May 18th meeting.

Further information will be posted as the arts and culture community continues its work to develop a shared vision and voice,  starting with this first important initiative.