Slowly, an arts center plan begins to emerge for village

By Lauren Heaton

The Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee is on a slow but steady course to fashioning a new “center” for the arts in the village. With the most recent funding from the Morgan Family Foundation, the group can now enter the feasibility stage of its plan, during which it will use experts to analyze the possibilities for revitalizing the arts groups and facilities with the highest potential in Yellow Springs.

In the 18 months since the committee began in summer 2006, its members have changed course, from seeking the best physical structure for a new local arts center, to seeing the village itself as the center, and seeking ways to enhance local resources.

Could the Little Art Theatre expand its film selection and attract more patrons by purchasing new digital equipment or renovating the space on Xenia Avenue? Is building more seating or improving the backstage area of the Antioch College Theater building the investment with the highest return? What is the best way of solidifying and sustaining the Yellow Springs Arts Council and what kind of centralized structure will best serve the overall interests of the arts in Yellow Springs far into the future?

The purpose of phase II of the Center for the Arts plan is to answer these questions and establish the feasibility of increasing the capacity of the existing arts organizations and facilities in town. From now until September 2008, the committee will be coordinating with professionals and experts in the field of arts building to assess what are the best investments for Yellow Springs.

“We’re not preproducing what’s already here, but rather reinvesting to make what’s here better,” steering committee chairman Jerome Borchers said in an interview last week. “We are not imposing ourselves, but we’re trying to bring in experts that can give us real numbers to make choices about our contributions.”

The first goal of the steering committee members at this point is to work themselves out of a job. According to Borchers, because the committee was established as a temporary group to jumpstart the visioning and planning process, the aim is to create a permanent management structure that will help sustain the arts community and perhaps provide endowed funds for the arts in the future.

Next comes building capacity with those arts organizations and arts venues in town that community members identified during last year’s visioning phase as valuable and worth investing in. As the Yellow Springs Arts Council was selected as one of those “key partners,” the steering committee will bring in a professional consultant to help the Arts Council secure outside funding that will allow the group to increase its effectiveness and attain its goals.

The committee also aims to use consultants to evaluate existing arts spaces in Yellow Springs and recommend what modifications would best serve the community. Facilities such as the Little Art Theatre, the Antioch College Theater, Antioch’s South Gym and the Bryan Community Center are among the spaces scheduled to receive evaluations with construction estimates.

Public art, such as the tile bench in front of the Winds Wine Cellar, is another thing community members have said they want more of, and this phase of the plan involves creating a public art master plan that would identify funding sources, likely sites and the artist selection process for future projects.

Additional goals of this phase of the Center for the Arts plan include developing an operational plan with the Little Art Theatre, which was identified by the community as a high priority for village life, and launching a local festival or “expo” that would highlight and build on the community’s history of creativity and innovation, or arts and entrepreneurship. The steering committee also hopes to develop an ongoing fellowship or artist-in-residence initiative with a curriculum designed for the Yellow Springs community.

Sustainability is paramount for the programs the steering committee establishes, Borchers said in an interview last week.

“We want all of them to be venues with operational plans that allow for maintenance and continuance of those operations,” he said.

The committee feels strongly that the groups and structures they support should have a foundation that allows them to survive in perpetuity. Generating funds that will support these programs is the key goal of phase III of the Center for the Arts plan, and the steering committee aims to begin laying the groundwork in the summer 2008 to determine precise capital needs, establish leadership for a capital campaign and establish a fundraising plan.

Though the plan for phase II is moving forward, the steering committee welcomes any new volunteers interested in contributing ideas or skills to support this community effort. The group hopes to maintain as much community involvement as possible throughout the planning and implementation process, Borchers said.

The steering committee is still utilizing the professional guidance of Minneapolis consultants Tom Borrup and George Sutton, services supported by the Morgan Foundation grant. Additional Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee officers are Jane Baker, vice-chair, John Fleming, secretary, Rob Lytle, treasurer, and members Mary Campbell-Zopf, Tony Dallas, Paul Graham, Jerry Holt, Ellis Jacobs, Gayle Rominger and Jamie Sharp; Amy Lee will join the committee in January 2008.

Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com