Greater Flint Area Community Cultural Plan

 

Underserved Audiences Task Force

Meeting - 3/17/04


Present

Clara Blakely, Nicole Borcherding, Gloria Coles, Monique Desormeau, Hector Garcia, Tom Glasscock, Pete Hutchinson, and Artina Sadler

Not Present

Alfreda Harris, Gary Jones, Kendall Reaves, Michael Thiboden, and John Vorice

I. Vision Statement

Understanding that the vision statement for the Underserved Audience Task Force is an ever-evolving process, the team created the following first draft:

To create a fundamental change in attitude (of the servers and underserved) by broadening the definition of arts and culture to create a community in which the arts and culture (traditional and non-traditional) are valued, encouraged, available, and accessible to all members of the community.

II. Major Current Issues

Thinking about the major issues currently facing our Task Force; we developed the following list:

  • Fewer arts and culture opportunities in schools
  • Inability to get to events—transportation
  • The current misperceptions and narrow perceptions of arts and culture
  • Inability to identify art in everyday life
  • Limited understanding of the arts in an academic setting
  • The pervasive and limiting definition of arts and culture

III. Opportunities and Resources

Thinking about the opportunities and resources that currently exist; we developed the following list:

  • ·Past and current community engagement projects
  • The need for art in the schools
  • Current community development efforts
  • Funders interested in community based art and cultural projects
  • The expansion of existing cultural organizations
  • Increased opportunities to engage volunteers
  • Expanding and extending outreach activities
  • Accessing resources from other kinds of communities (i.e. churches)
  • Partnerships between traditional and non-traditional art groups
  • Networking in community meetings
  • After school programs
  • Work w/communities, local government, Park and Recreation to create art spaces, community gardens, parks in communities
  • Transform and utilize vacant buildings

IV. Obstacles

Understanding that there are always obstacles to be overcome and that identifying them and preparing to address them is simply part of the process; our group generated the following list of obstacles:

  • The need for advocates to communicate information about art and culture programs and activities in the communities
  • The lack of adequate media coverage
  • The lack of art in schools
  • The lack of funds
  • The mindset that there is only one kind of art and the arts and culture are for the “elite”
  • The lack of public art in our community

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