Sarah Rucker

Evaluating Our Arts Footprint in a Growing City

Posted by Sarah Rucker, Apr 17, 2013 2 comments


Sarah Rucker

Sarah Rucker Sarah Rucker

What city carries the nickname “the Violet Crown?” What about “Live Music Capital of the World?”

Now it may be ringing bells…or strumming guitars, I should say. Austin, TX, is my home and has been for 12 years. It’s true that I’m one of the University of Texas alums who remained after graduating, despised by those born or have lived here for over 25 years and have seen the population double. However, my roots were growing here before I was born.

My parents moved here in 1969 and my brother was born in Austin in the summer of ‘71. My father worked at the Vulcan Gas Company nightclub, and consequently I grew up listening to 50s blues, 60s soul, and 70s rock. Though raised on the Gulf Coast, I knew I wanted to live in Austin before my sixth birthday. Enough about me, let’s flash-forward.

Austin has experienced a diverse history of politics, social change, and a lot of music. But where are we now, in this amazing century #21?

With hundreds of thousands of visitors coming each year for events such as Austin City Limits Music Festival and SXSW Music, Film & Interactive Festival, we need to find the balance of celebrating the history, promoting the local talent and embracing the changes this city has undergone.

Incorporating the past, present, and future into one’s work is often key in the arts and community life. 

For instance, at Texas Folklife our mission is to preserve, promote, and present the cultures of Texas. This approach is similar to the “Three R’s” environmental campaign started in the 1980s. If a slogan isn’t broken, let’s not fix it and I find it fitting being that Austin is one of the first cities in Texas to ban plastic bags at retail stores.

So with that, here are three things that can be done to make Austin an even better place as it grows and evolves:

Reduce: Consider partnering with similar performance groups or organizations to get your ideas out there. Cross-genre collaborations are another great approach.

New ventures are exciting but they can still be unique while under the umbrella or better yet, fiscal sponsorship of an established nonprofit organization or arts collective. I believe in quality over quantity, for the most part.

Although most music venues per capita was the statistic that gave Austin the “Live Music Capital” moniker, having live music at every establishment can be overwhelming for the customer and the owners. The City of Austin Music Division is working to develop a code of ethics for venues.

I’ve also considered becoming a consultant to coffee shops and restaurants who may want music in their business but don’t know how to manage it. I do not mean we need to reduce the amount of great art in our city, only to educate and empower newcomers.

Reuse: Make sure you are spotlighting the talent available around you as well as inviting in visiting artists. Collaborations are important in this step too.

When the musicians and other artists who live here cannot find work or feel excluded from popular Austin events, we need to lend them a hand by presenting them more and patronizing their shows.

Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Austin Creative Alliance, and Austin Music People are among several orgs that work to take care of Austin artists in a variety of ways including business management and advocacy.

Recycle: Learn the history of Austin—and go deeper than the fun facts.

Many know that Stevie Ray Vaughan lived in Austin during his rise to fame. Maybe you’ve even said a prayer to the music gods while kneeling next to his statue. But do you know the names of his early bands in Austin and what clubs he frequented? Who were his influences and did they too play in Austin clubs?

If the commodity of Austin is live music and other arts and culture events and activities, we need to reduce or at least evaluate our footprint by recycling ideas, learning and growing in a way that won’t tear down what made this city what it is.

Change is inevitable but devolution is not. Tying the past, present and future together is what will bring Austin to the next level as far as quality of life for its citizens and popularity with visitors.

2 responses for Evaluating Our Arts Footprint in a Growing City

Comments

April 25, 2013 at 2:57 pm

Good points, Sarah. SXSW and ACL get most of the attention; but every day there's lots of great music and art in Austin that doesn't fit those models. I like your Reduce/Reuse/Recycle analogy -- these are great ways to pool resources and increase the promotion of lesser known artists and events.

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April 30, 2013 at 3:35 pm

Thank you for your comments, Val. And thanks for doing what you do to help keep Austin artsy.

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