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Yellow Springs Center for the Arts

Potential User Interview Questionnaire

Update for the Community January 2009

In 2009, the Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee is embarking on the third phase of its project and we would like to update the community with a review of where we have been, where we are now, and what we plan to do next.
      Several years ago, Lee Morgan approached some local theater artists about the possibility of creating a theater in Yellow Springs. A working group was brought together around that idea, and the concept eventually expanded to embrace other arts disciplines. The Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee was formed and took on the mission to "build and operate an artistically, architecturally, and programmatically distinctive arts center that draws the community together."

     To assist with this task, the YSCA engaged consultants Tom Borrup and George Sutton, who have expertise in community cultural planning and cultural facility development. The group process has been deliberate and has proceeded at a measured pace that has been able to adapt to changes in the community.

     The first phase of the process, which took place in 2007, was a period of discovery and visioning. Through meetings, interviews, and research an "inventory" of Yellow Springs' cultural assets was created, which includes our history of creative entrepreneurship, a large artist population, a breadth of cultural activities unusual for a community this size, an extraordinarily high level of volunteer commitment to these activities, educational institutions with the arts infused in their curriculum, and a strong desire to do something unique that sets us apart as a community of choice.

     In March 2007, a three-day community meeting brought more than 300 people together to envision an arts center for Yellow Springs, and a set of core values emerged. These included the need for both financial and environmental sustainability, keeping and improving Yellow Springs as a good place for artists to live and work, supporting existing arts organizations, producing festivals that celebrate and promote the arts, and "raising" artists with both arts education and immersion in a community that values the arts.

     Toward the end of the first phase, a new idea began to emerge: rather than focus on creating a single structure or new organization, a holistic plan was established that envisioned Yellow Springs itself as a "center for art" that engages not only artistic disciplines and cultures but social, commercial, civic, environmental, and educational interests of the community as well. There was a need for a community-wide strategic investment in creative people, organizations, and the spaces in which they work.

     In 2008, the YSCA Steering Committee moved into the second phase of its work by developing and testing a three-pronged approach:

1. Increase Capacity: Strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of the Yellow Springs community through a holistic approach that builds on the human capital and organizational fabric. The YSCA project has been working with several organizations to increase their capacity. The Yellow Springs Arts Council has expanded to include all arts disciplines and arts supporters, with a revitalized board of trustees that is focusing on arts advocacy and creating connectivity between artists, arts organizations, and the community. The Little Art Theatre is transitioning to a nonprofit organization in order to help assure its long-term survival. YS Kids Playhouse is developing a business plan that will expand its successful programming and address its need for a home from which to operate.
2. Establish Identity: Establish a strong identity that defines Yellow Springs as a creative and innovative community of choice. Working with the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Arts Council, the YSCA is helping to promote Yellow Springs as a creative community and cultural destination through events such as Summer in the Springs. A public art program, with temporary and permanent art, will highlight the energy, creativity, and history of Yellow Springs at its gateways and gathering places.
3. Provide Facilities: Improve and/or create facilities that support the performing, literary, and visual arts. Planned facilities include a downtown office/gallery space/administrative home for the Arts Council and other groups; improvements to the Little Art Theatre to increase accessibility and comfort for patrons; an outdoor performance space; and a high-quality indoor performance space.

This year, the YSCA Steering Committee is moving forward with its facilities initiatives and development of a public art plan. We will continue to work with the Arts Council, the Little Art, and YSKP to build their capacity. We plan to complement and be a resource to the activities at McGregor and the Nonstop Institute, and also the efforts to revive Antioch College. We believe in Yellow Springs' future as a creative community with vital business and educational assets and a lively downtown district. By this time next year, we will also have a site purchase option and a preliminary design and business plan for a performing arts facility, and be ready for a capital fundraising campaign.

     The YSCA Steering Committee is looking forward to sharing more details of its plans with the Yellow Springs community in 2009. Community input has provided the focus to our vision and work and it is the community that continues to motivate our efforts. We appreciate your continued interest and support.


Jerome Borchers, Chair
Jane Baker, Vice Chair

2009 YSCA Steering Committee Members:  Jane Baker, Vice Chair; Harden Ballantine; Jerome Borchers, Chair; Anita Brown; Mary Campbell-Zopf; Luke Dennis; John Fleming, Secretary; Paul Graham; Ellis Jacobs; Rick Kristensen; Amy Lee; Rob Lytle, Treasurer; Gayle Rominger; Laura Carlson, Project Coordinator

Visit and contribute to the Yellow Springs Arts Wiki

Read about the Yellow Springs Center for the Arts in the Yellow Springs News:

Flexibility Is Key for New Arts Center

7/30/09

Public Art to Go Public in October

7/2/09

Arts Center Site Unveiled

5/21/09

Center For Arts Strides Ahead 1/29/09
New Space First Step in Arts Plan 4/24/08
YS Explores Common Arts Vision 3/29/07

Check out the YS Center for the Arts Timeline:

Other Voices, YS News 07/30/09

By Jerome Borchers and Jane Baker

Unite Toward Arts Goals

The strong turnout at our July 22 gathering is evidence of our community’s passion for the arts and the amount of interest around the Yellow Springs Center for the Arts project. We extend our thanks to all who attended and/or submitted a completed Potential User Questionnaire, and we are particularly pleased that so many artists were in attendance. We have been meeting with artists, listening, and
seeking their involvement and input throughout the process, and this is exactly the kind of conversation that we want to have happening. As we look forward to a capital campaign, the discussion is purposefully shifting from visioning to determining some concrete numbers, both in
terms of facility size and cost.

     A measured pace is appropriate for any undertaking of this magnitude (some may remember that it took the village many years to come to agreement about building the bike trail!). A process that is seeking this degree of community input will not be a quick one, and we are being very careful to ensure the economic sustainability of any facility. The reality of our situation is that we have seen, during the course of our project, the closure of Antioch College, several rounds of negotiations between Antioch University and Antioch College alumni over the assets of the College, and an imminent agreement between the ACCC and Antioch University, not to mention a major economic downturn.

     The pace of our work may be regarded as slow by those who focus solely on the creation of a facility. During this time, however, as we have continued to explore the idea of building and/or renovating a facility or facilities, we have been working very hard to build up the capacity
of local arts organizations so that the community will better be able to sustain and support both arts facilities and arts programming. We have worked to expand the Yellow Springs Arts Council to include all arts disciplines, we have supported the Summer in the Springs festival, we have helped YS Kids Playhouse to develop a business plan for year-round operation, and we have provided consulting support to the Little Art as it makes the transition to a nonprofit organization.

     The YSCA’s Facilities Task Force considered many locations, and many sites were visited and assessed: the Antioch Area Theatre, the South
Gym, the Fels Building, the John Bryan Center, Center Stage, Vernay, Creative Memories, and a variety of undeveloped locations on campus and in town. Each had its pros and cons, and for many months we were very focused on the Antioch Area Theatre. We proceeded with obtaining several estimates of the cost of renovating that building and learned that the expense would likely exceed that of new construction. In addition, we came to realize that, since it is an asset under negotiation, obtaining ownership or a long-term lease of the theatre building and its surroundings would be difficult in the near future. We watched sadly with the rest of the community as that building, along with the rest of the campus, was shuttered.

     As criteria for comparison were established by the Facilities Task Force, other sites began to receive more consideration from the task force, in particular a downtown location that was an empty lot. The YSCA Steering Committee saw that synergies are possible with a downtown location that could not be realized either on the campus or on the edge of the village in the Creative Memories building. There
was potential for beneficial economic impact on downtown businesses, and a new arts facility could help to ensure a vital village center.

     YSCA Steering Committee members have been meeting with Lee Morgan and Matt Derr for the past year, keeping them up-to-date about our project. Lee Morgan, Chair of the ACCC Board Pro Tem, has stated that “the new Antioch College looks forward to a collaborative performing arts program with the community that will focus energy in the village center.” We believe our relationship with any possible future college is one of collaboration, not competition.

     We have a site purchase option on the lot at the corner of Dayton and Railroad Streets. The property owner, with very generous terms, is
allowing us to hold the option while we further investigate the sustainability of a facility. It is not a done deal. However, we are very excited about this central location, which has great historical significance in the community and to Antioch College: It likely was the site of Yellow Springs’s first train station and was possibly the
depot that handled the building materials for Antioch College.

     Along with the rest of the community, we are excited and hopeful about the revival of Antioch College. We are mindful, however, that there is
much yet to be accomplished by many people before that is a reality. We look forward to continuing to work with artists, arts organizations, the ACCC, Antioch alumni, and other community partners toward our goal of a facility or facilities for the creation, presentation, learning, and enjoyment of the arts.

Jerome Borchers, Chair
Jane Baker, Vice Chair
Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee