Creative Alliance pushes for new city department for cultural affairs

The Austin Creative Alliance has asked the city to create a new department focused on funding and support for the creative economy, and cites changes in how the Economic Development Department handles grant funding for arts groups as the latest shortcoming.

In a letter sent to members earlier this month, ACA Board Chair Dewy Brooks calls for the creation of a new Department of Cultural Affairs, “which will serve the current pressing needs of the arts and culture sector. More importantly, this Department offers the opportunity to create a more professionalized, responsive, and accountable relationship for the benefit of Austin’s artistic and cultural vitality.”

Such a change would create an entire department focused on artistic matters, rather than having the Cultural Arts Division and Music and Entertainment Division stay housed within EDD. The letter notes that the currently in-process realignment of deciding how to allocate cultural grant awards as one of the main reasons for creating a new department.

It also claims there has been a perception of bias in managing the new Thrive grant program, and says EDD has been unresponsive “to requests for collaboration and accountability.”

In addition to creating the new department, the group has called for an audit of EDD’s cultural and arts activities including management of the Cultural Arts Fund, an open public response process to discuss the audit results, and convening arts leaders from major North American cities to recommend how the new department could best serve Austin artists.

Brooks and other ACA leaders have been very visible in recent weeks arguing for the proposed changes. During public comment at a recent City Council meeting, Brooks said a realignment is long overdue.

“Our hope is that such an audit can begin the process of designing a new Department of Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the professional arts community. Austin Creative Alliance has studied how other cities around the country support their cultural workers and organizations, and we have much expertise to share.”

At the same Council meeting, Ann Ciccolella, artistic director for Austin Shakespeare, said the changes to the arts grant process in the name of promoting creator diversity and equity for new, racially diverse groups had drastically reduced awards to long-established groups such as hers.

“You need to know that the Economic Development Department is simply devastating the Austin arts community, all in the name of (diversity, equity and inclusion). Artists in Austin and arts groups actively work daily to create a diverse community, diverse performers, actors, artists, dancers, musicians, technicians and craftspeople to serve a diverse audience,” she said. “Without your intervention there will be a significant number of unemployed nonprofit professionals and artists in our community, and significantly less art in Austin.”

The conversation has even spread to the Tourism Commission, where a recent meeting featured presentations from two invited leaders of creative arts groups who were asked to explain how the change in arts grant funding had impacted their group. Commissioner John Riedie, who is CEO of ACA, said the discussion is valid for the commission because the Cultural Arts grants are funded with Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars intended to promote tourism.

“I think the arts community was actually ahead of the government in DEI work in bringing in new, more diverse voices, performers … and hiring practices were already being inclusive and equitable.” he said. “So it’s hard to make the case that people were excluded when everybody who applied got funded prior to the pandemic. We’re still waiting for a reasonable explanation from the city why they’ve made those choices that have just cut jobs and cut programming.”

In response to the ACA letter, a group of unaffiliated artists and creative industry supporters that count City Hall regular Dave Sullivan and Big Medium’s Shea Little among their ranks have issued a “community response” letter voicing support for the city’s existing programs. It reads in part:

It is an affront to all of our hard work and longstanding commitment for ACA to claim that it is the sole entity committed to the well-being of our cultural community and that ACA speaks on behalf of us.

We are in support of the Cultural Arts Division and the Economic Development Department’s approach and commitment to equitable funding. We understand that the revised Cultural Funding process is in a pilot phase and that city staff are actively receiving feedback to ensure these new programs best serve the community. After many years of consulting and community input, the Cultural Arts Division is implementing a thoroughly developed plan, and we do not agree with auditing a process that has not yet been fully rolled out.

We request that the City Manager, Mayor, and Council Members disregard the letter from ACA and any further communications from them that attempts to represent Austin’s creative sector.

Additionally, a spokesperson for the EDD provided the Austin Monitor with an official response to the ACA letter. It reads in part:

The City of Austin is an innovative organization, and strategically positioning our Cultural Arts Division as a bigger part of our community’s economic development has allowed for innovative and mission-focused service delivery pathways across Austin’s creative sectors.

“Through close collaborations with colleagues in other Economic Development Department divisions (Music and Entertainment, Global Business Expansion, Heritage and Tourism, Redevelopment, Small Business), community input, and guidance from commissions, we are leveraging resources for efficiency, equity, and effectiveness in our opportunities and programs. As a part of the bigger economic development department, our Cultural Arts Division achieves results that truly preserve and promote Austin as a cultural capital.

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