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The Civics of Cultural Sustainability

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by Randolph Belle

“Sustainability” is one of the more versatile words you’ll hear these days.  In several conversations there could be several different trustees of any sustainability movement.  You might hear an environmentalists referring to eco-friendly practices to save the planet; philanthropists and foundations talking about the future funding strategies of a cultural or charitable activity, or; what I’ve been focusing on, our ability to preserve the integrity of distinct cultural contributions in spite of extreme external  forces.

By looking at popular culture, it’s apparent to me that you don’t need a unique product or talent to succeed in entertainment today.  You don’t have to be able to sing to be heard- autotune; you don’t need to play an instrument to make music- gadgets; and songwriting must be at an all-time low. So it’s important not to lose sight of the many local artists, who are keeping all forms of art and culture alive and well.

Artists will always do what they do, but the way cities promote cultural engagement is through policy.  Policy can’t control what a person makes as art, but it can dictate what receives public support. Oakland public policy experiences a disconnect between written implication and potential to produce a favorable result.  For many, many years, there has been no comprehensive policy, or sufficient political will to invest in the most bountiful, naturally occurring resources that Oakland has- the arts.  The arts are now often referred to in terms of art and “neighborhood beautification”- huh!?!?  The arts in Oakland are fundamentally an economic and community development issue, and with plenty of proven examples of how to increase economic activity through investments in the arts, we need to force the change we believe in.

With recent city budget proposals, which eliminate 100% funding for the arts, it’s clear that new and enterprising policy strategies need to be developed and implemented now to fuel Oakland’s new-found cultural mecca-tude, lest it be lost.  If there will be no money, then we should certainly demand a plan for the future. Let me be clear though- I am in no way suggesting a protracted “strategic planning process” which yields exactly what I got from the last three- a stack of papers.  (You can view the last Task Force Report on the Arts and Economic Development at the SOA site).

Actually, the Cultural Funding Program, while of significant benefit to some organizations in the city, directly benefits only a small portion of the broader arts community.  Most people involved in the arts have never, and will never receive any public support.  So If current funding for the arts is to be severely reduced or suspended, the opportunity is now to develop a new, restructured, more efficient and effective model that supports all segments of the arts community and promotes economic development as well as cultural enrichment.

New policies should focus on broadening access to cultural opportunities and encouraging public/private partnerships to create jobs and revenue in the creative sector.  The policy reform framework should include a number of key components.  Reforms to the permitting, planning and zoning processes to expedite housing, venues, and special event projects would generate significant impact. Economic development policy reform would provide incentives and business assistance to arts-related businesses.  Organizational restructuring in city government could create an inter-agency collaboration between CEDA, Redevelopment, Visit Oakland, Public Works, Health and Human Services, Recreation and the Police Department.  Such inter-agency collaboration would realize efficiencies in service delivery and budget allocation, thereby accomplishing more with less.

Oakland is in a time of possibility.  There are major challenges, but we’ve also got some major arts policy implementation opportunities available.  Now is the time to mobilize and engage in the process- on boards, commissions, informal groups and as individuals.  Public forums on the arts by the Emerging Arts Professionals, Support Oakland Artists, the Oakland Cultural Trust, as well as others, are a place to start.  Get involved and get it moving!

 

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Randolph Belle has enjoyed 20 years in the arts, business and nonprofit management in Oakland. He’s started several commercial art and design companies and served in a wide variety of civic and service capacities. Randolph is the founder and Executive Director of Support Oakland Artists, a nonprofit art and community development corporation that works to enhance local artists’ ability to thrive and fuel economic development throughout the region.  Randolph has served as the President of the Board of Directors at Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland and Vice Chair for the City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission.  Randolph is currently on the board of the Museum of Children’s Art, the Oakland Film Society, the Advisory Board of the Crucible and is the Education and Workforce Development Director for the Oakland Media Center.

Don’t miss Reframing the Arts : Advocating for the Public Culture at Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)on Saturday, April 16! Register here.

 

Cultural Sustainability in the New (Oakland)

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by Randolph Belle

The (Oakland) in the title of this submission can probably be swapped out for many cities across the country, but the concept of cultural sustainability has been an increasingly pressing issue for me of late. I look at my role in the arts community, my existence as an African American and what distinction should be made for me as an African American cultural worker.  The conversation for me then turns to what other’s roles are and what effort should be made in recognizing and maintaining the contributions of individual cultural groups in what some would call a post-racial society.

With so much talk of environmental sustainability, I find it ironic, and myself left a bit empty, with the thought that we could save the planet and lose a people. Recent reports confirmed by the latest census data shows that Oakland has lost 25% of its African American population in less than a decade. It could be said that as the people go, so does the culture.  Oakland is right where San Francisco was a few decades ago when I was growing up there, (and we know how that one turned out), but having been one of the more active arts participants in Oakland for the past twenty years, I feel uniquely qualified and personally compelled to fully engage this conversation.

The indicators, individually or collectively, are pretty apparent.  Every African American cultural invention has been subsumed into the larger culture to a point where the source is no longer recognizable, and Oakland, as a traditional center of Black culture and one of a number of “Chocolate Cities” around the country is a petri dish for cultural change.  Consider this- Yoshi’s produced a jazz compilation with no Black artists, later apologizing and calling it an oversight.   The First Amendment and the Serenader, where the best live blues, jazz and R&B could be heard, are distant memories. Rap can be heard in every corner of the planet, but as a thoroughly co-opted artform, I find nothing redeeming in what’s been deemed commercially viable.  No consideration was given to the importance and historical significance of the Lorraine Hansberry Theater when the Academy of Art, (ironically), evicted them from their long time home.  Are these just coincidences, or evidence of something requiring more of our attention.

For anyone asking themselves “What’s the big deal?” or “It’s not like that”, or even “You’re too sensitive”- my hope is that you fall in to one of a couple of categories- indifferent or oblivious, because the other option is much more alarming.  You may not feel any responsibility to individual cultural sustainability, or realize that you should, but there are ramifications, intended or not, to that state of being.

The result of that in Oakland has been a persistent tension that can only impede the ultimate potential of the cultural renaissance we’re currently experiencing. This dynamic started becoming evident in the Yerba Buena Center’s two shows about Oakland in the mid-90’s, which, in my opinion, devolved into an issue of race.  It’s also seen in how the Oakland renaissance is commonly represented, devoid of any historical perspective and reminiscent of how Columbus “discovered” America.  The “new” Oakland has no acknowledgement that Oakland has always been one of the most culturally rich and diverse cities in America, waiting for and opportunity to shine.

I totally understand that these issues are far more complex than can be summarized in a single blog post, but it does call for an in-depth, ongoing and honest conversation, which I intend to pursue until we come to an acceptable conclusion.  In the end, I still feel that the cultural contributions of everyone should be enjoyed by everyone, but we should also be mindful that a spirit of reverence to existing and historical cultures; and some attention to the sociological implications of the drastic shifts in populations need to be considered if Oakland is to become one of the great global centers of the cultural arts.

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Randolph Belle has enjoyed 20 years in the arts, business and nonprofit management in Oakland. He’s started several commercial art and design companies and served in a wide variety of civic and service capacities. Randolph is the founder and Executive Director of Support Oakland Artists, a nonprofit art and community development corporation that works to enhance local artists’ ability to thrive and fuel economic development throughout the region.  Randolph has served as the President of the Board of Directors at Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland and Vice Chair for the City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission.  Randolph is currently on the board of the Museum of Children’s Art, the Oakland Film Society, the Advisory Board of the Crucible and is the Education and Workforce Development Director for the Oakland Media Center.

Don’t miss Reframing the Arts : Advocating for the Public Culture at Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) on Saturday, April 16! Register here.