The
$50,000 in unused funds lies in wait. Already ear-marked for the African-American arts community,
it feels like an elusive miracle cure for any number of worthy Austin groups
who are feeling the lack-of-funding crunch that reverberates throughout arts
circles nationwide. One prominent local artist is making a concerted effort not
only to receive those funds, but to stimulate conversation and
coalition-building among African-American artists and arts organizations in the
city. While rumors and innuendoes fly, the city remains vague. Meanwhile,
resources more valuable than money are being discovered, created, and
re-established.
The Background Boyd Vance, an actor, director, and producer with nearly 20 years of
involvement in Austin arts, returned to town last year after a brief hiatus in
San Francisco, and began resurrecting the Progressive Arts Collective, his
vision of a comprehensive arts organization for Austin’s African-Americans,
something he claims has yet to exist.
In a city council meeting last year, Councilmember Eric Mitchell raised
hackles by pointing out that only 2.8% of the city’s cultural contracts were
being awarded to African-American artists. Though some arts activists felt that
this fact was simply the shallow end of a very deep problem, Mitchell’s bid to
boost funding was approved. The Black Arts Alliance (BAA), an organization set
up 14 years ago to present touring acts and sponsor African-American artists
for city cultural contracts, was awarded an additional $30,000 from the city’s
Bed Tax coffers, raising their contract from $20,000 to $50,000.
In December, 1995, however, the Black Arts Alliance had its contract funding
placed on hold by the city manager after questions were raised about its
failure to fulfill its mission statements.
The Official Position Jack Anderson, director of Cultural Affairs for the City Parks and Recreation
Department, says there is no guarantee the $50,000 will even be offered this
year, and if it is, the BAA is not necessarily out of the picture. A proposal
to city council by the organization that “sufficiently reassured members of an
emphasis on programming and a concrete restructuring” could bring them back
into favor. Anderson states a personal preference for sticking to the full
review process, which starts with artist application deadlines on March 15 for
events to be held in the 1996-97 city funding year, which runs from fall to
fall. “Though the disruption of services [if the $50,000 is not allocated now]
is a concern,” says Anderson, “the normal procedure is better reviewed and
proposals are generally more thought-out when it is followed. The quality of
services is also a major concern.”
The Scene All this is building up to what Boyd Vance calls “a big ol’ nigger fight — if
you know what I mean.” If the city does decide to reallocate the Black Arts
Alliance’s funding, several different groups and individuals are ready to speak
up for it. Vance, though, is speaking now, and with action. He has developed a
multidisciplinary arts plan, designed to promote artistic development in the
east and metropolitan Austin areas and has been shopping it around to city
officials to persuade them to reallocate the BAA funding in his direction.
Vance has tried repeatedly to contact Councilmember Mitchell, hoping to elicit
his support. After submitting a copy of the plan to the councilmember’s office
and receiving no reply, Vance has stepped up the pressure in other
areas. On February 12, Vance presented the plan to the Austin Arts
Commission.
The Progressive Arts Collective’s Comprehensive Arts Plan for 1996 includes
six play productions, including one children’s play; a dance festival; a jazz
festival; a community picnic; three visual arts exhibitions; a video project;
classes and seminars; a formal awards ceremony; and a continuation of the
symposia focusing on education, networking, and conversation among artists that
Pro Arts has already started. Pro Arts would co-produce some projects with
other established organizations, such as Dance Umbrella, Live Oak Theatre, the
American Federation of Musicians, and the Black Theatre Company. In its first
funded year, Pro Arts would present an extended version of Black History Month
programming in area elementary and middle schools and host anti-drug and
violence events organized around rap and dance contests in high schools. Also,
Pro Arts would attempt to reach beyond the black community to Latino and deaf
artists through collaborations with local dance phenomenon Jimmy Turner and
Teatro Libertad.
The plan itself is impressive, and Vance seems to have the contacts, energy,
and respect within the arts and African-American communities to realize it.
However, Vance faces a task much larger than planning a year’s worth of events.
The collapse of the Black Arts Alliance places African-American artists at a
juncture where possibilities for all kinds of change exist. Some call this a
power vacuum and see the rising voices of differing philosophies as an all-out
battle. Some see it as a place for much-needed discussion among
African-American artists who have been divided too often by the idea that there
is only a certain amount of funding for them. Boyd Vance is currently
straddling this line, hoping to find the true pot of gold under one foot or the
other. On the one hand, Vance is a one-man show; on the other, he is
responsible for a survey of African-American artists, for setting up symposia
to bring African-American artists together for education and discussion, and
for arranging regular meetings of African-American artists to discuss how they
might work together not only on the $50,000 dilemma, but to alter the city’s
approach to funding arts programs for people of color.
What is strikingly obvious in the first few moments of investigation into Pro
Arts is that it is at this point a collective in name alone. “Progressive Arts
Collective is Boyd Vance,” says Dewy Brooks, the organization’s managing
director. Vance himself has no qualms in admitting that “`collective’ is just a
word. It is my own personal vision with other people buying into it.” Indeed,
several Pro Arts projects are simply ones that Vance has arranged personally.
His work with Teatro Libertad comes from his connection with that group’s
artistic director, Tomas Salas, and their collaboration involves Vance
directing that company’s production of a new script, Blade to the Heat.
Pro Arts’ plans for children’s programming during Black History Month are not
just plans; Vance is booked all day, every day during February, making
presentations he has made in area schools for several years.
Seeking funding for established works and solid partnerships is hardly a
crime; it is often the most successful way to deal with funding agencies (or
city councils) which require proof that you can do what you say you want to do.
It is the depth of Vance’s involvement in each of the proposed projects that is
the cause for concern: If he’s stretched thin on time and energy, effective
management of the overall group could suffer. Moreover, the current plan barely
goes beyond Vance presenting projects run by Vance, and conflict of interest
could easily hinder an objective presentation of other artists’ works. Vance is
aware of such concerns and says, “I’m trying to create a new pool of directors,
’cause I can’t keep doing this all by myself.” Yet he is not very complimentary
about any artist in the African-American community with whom he is not working
now, and some of his opinions are bluntly challenging. “Affirmative-action-type
programs and such can do a disservice to people of color,” he argues, “because
non-profits create insular, small bureaucracies and there’s not always any
accountability.” His solution to this seems to lean heavily toward a benevolent
dictatorship. When asked to describe the structure of Pro Arts, he veers away
from concrete discussion. Given his association with Dance Umbrella, which
focuses on dance community development and presentation rather than curating or
directing artists who use their services, he is asked if he intends to use that
organization as a model. Vance declines: “I don’t think that is what we want.
I’ll be honest with you: I have control issues myself. That’s not what we’re
looking for.”
Thus, Vance seems to be setting up Pro Arts with short-term rules that could
effectively strangle his long-term dream. Dr. Joni Jones, a UT Speech
professor and the keynote speaker at Pro Arts’ first symposium for
African-American theatre artists last November, believes there is little need
for concern about Vance and Pro Arts’ success: “I know there are other
organizations out there,” she says, “maybe some who have been around, who are
hoping to get some of that money, but Boyd has a high enough profile with
politicians and artists to be in a good position.” Lisa Byrd, his
colleague and co-director of Dance Umbrella, says, “I have the utmost respect
for Boyd as a human being. He is not an administrator, and he doesn’t pretend
to be an administrator. He gets things done. If he were to get funded, we would
have to build an organization around him.”
Despite the aggressiveness of his efforts to fund his plan and his sometimes
critical remarks of his peers, Vance is committing energy toward bringing
artists together. After the last Arts Commission meeting, Vance began calling
people to assemble for regular Thursday meetings. The structure is minimal, but
a feeling of goodwill is building among participants. Harold McMillan,
publisher of Austin Arts Downtown, says, “I have attended one meeting
and had good conversation. I believe the greater value of all of this is in
folks coming together and talking. $50,000 is not gonna save the world one way
or the other.” As managing director, Brooks treads a diplomatic line: “We’re
not trying to be trailblazers, not trying to upset any apple carts. We are not
a threat to any other organization. We’re just trying to provide an outlet for
people of color.”
These efforts have not been ignored by the powers-that-be. Maxine Barkan,
Chair of the Arts Commission, wants to be “as encouraging as possible of any
endeavor of that nature. We have a great need for an arts organization east of
I-35.” Anderson found Pro Arts’ presentation at the Arts Commission meeting
“very impressive in the extent of its programs,” and she hopes that their plan
will “encourage collaboration and cohesiveness that would be representative of
the community.” Perhaps the fight is not so big after all.
But even if it is, Vance isn’t sure that should be cause for concern. “Maybe
this is my own stuff,” he says, “but I think it’s kind of a white-bread
mentality that is afraid to see black people fight. White people in the arts
community are doing it all the time. Why does this make everybody so
uncomfortable?”
The Upshot All this conversation is bringing to light some important ideas that should be
considered by the entire Austin arts community. Rather than seeing this
discussion as a titilating fight fit for TV or something distasteful from which
to look away, Austin and the city council should see it as an opportunity to
listen and learn. The rising voices urge us not to bury the leadership that is
emerging under sensationalism. Lisa Byrd raises the point that Austin is still
working with an outdated arts funding paradigm: “They’re looking for a single
showplace arts complex that people can get dressed up to go to. That doesn’t
work in this time.” Harold McMillian draws attention to the problem of funding
one big organization that is said to represent an entire population: “What
happens is people end up feeling like they don’t have to worry about
Mexican-American programming or African-American programming, because we have a
Mexic-Arte or a Black Arts Alliance.” While these attitudes might lead one away
from a comprehensive arts organization for the African-American community,
Brooks explains the current situation as one that needs a group through which
African-Americans can access the theatre. “It’s a two-way street, with actors
feeling that they won’t get cast if they go downtown and of theaters only doing
one black play a year. If you miss that chance, you have to wait a whole year
to get it again. Pro-Arts wants to bring those two groups together.” Questions
and ideas of how arts funding should be organized are necessary. The nation is
at a point where the past structures are disappearing, and none of us seem to
know exactly what the shape of the future arts scene will look like. The
African-American arts community is looking for its future, individually and
collectively, and $50,000 is just the beginning. n
This article appears in February 23 • 1996 and February 23 • 1996 (Cover).