detail of It Happened in November, Kani Alavi, mural, Berlin Wall
Letter to the Arts Commission
In August and September of 2021, ACA surveyed our members to gauge their opinions of the ongoing Cultural Funding Review Process (CFRP) being conducted by the Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Development Department at the City of Austin. Of those surveyed, 69% were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the CFRP. Comments from these members indicated they believe that the CFRP lacks transparent communication, sufficient opportunities for community collaboration, and accountability to data driven best practices. In order to amplify our members’ feedback, ACA’s Executive Committee wrote a letter to the Arts Commission requesting specific recommendations that would enhance community confidence by making the CFRP as thorough, open and inclusive as possible.
For additional context, you can review the Community Questions about the CFRP, from January 2021.
February 23, 2021
Dear Arts Commissioners,
We write on behalf of Austin Creative Alliance’s Board of Directors and Members in hopes of fostering healthy, robust dialogue between City staff and the Arts Community, and enhancing community confidence in the Cultural Funding Review Process (CFRP). To achieve this, ACA requests that the Arts Commission take certain actions that will increase transparency, encourage community collaboration, and establish accountability within the CFRP.
We respectfully request that the Arts Commission recommend that the Cultural Arts Division (CAD) partner with cultural contractors to gather comprehensive data on the number and demographics of full time equivalent arts education, administrative, programming and production jobs supported by Cultural Arts Funding, as well as data illustrating the return on investment of fiscal sponsorship fees paid by the City, with specific attention to the qualitative and quantitative impacts on the sponsored projects in areas such as insurance coverage, donations, tax exemptions and administrative support.
We respectfully request that the Arts Commission recommend that all community feedback on the CFRP received so far, and going forward, be made public and easily accessible online; that all working group members and working group recommendations be publicly documented; that a series of community conversations be conducted on peer panels, funding matrix and contractor experience (1); and that CAD staff hold regular public Q&A sessions about the CFRP so that there are multiple opportunities for direct dialogue with community members.
We respectfully request that the Arts Commission recommend that all work products required by the MJR Partners contract (attached) be made public, including, "Landscape of Austin's arts ecosystem, including examination of demographics of all types, budget sizes, disciplines, commitment to equity, etc.” (2) and "relevant best practices information from a national perspective, including any comparison/contrasts with other cultural funding programs, cultural equity policymaking and implementation, and national trends in arts grant-making.” (3)
We respectfully request that the Arts Commission determine whether the Commission’s Funding Working Group's guiding principles still apply to the CFRP: "Consistency with CAD Funding Program Guidelines; Consistency with and respect for the integrity of the peer panel process and score; Consistency with matrix parameters used in the past; That the funding process plan be sound and defensible.”(4)
Finally, we respectfully ask the Arts Commission to recommend that in addition to prioritizing culturally specific Arts organizations, new funding guidelines also acknowledge the importance of diverse organizations who employ BIPOC artists and serve BIPOC communities, and that new guidelines should identify and support those organizations' ongoing equity work.
Austin Creative Alliance and our members believe that by responding to these requests, the Arts Commission can greatly increase Community engagement in the Cultural Funding Review Process, reaffirm the Commission's statutory role as an intermediary between the City Council and the Arts Community, and take the lead on a shared, collaborative, transparent path toward equitable Cultural Arts Funding.
Sincerely,
Dewy Brooks, Chair of the Board
Rommel Sulit, Vice Chair
Krystle Cline, Treasurer
Mike Lavigne, Executive Committee
(1) MJR Partners contract pg 7
(2) MJR Partners contract pg 5