City cultural plan unveiled

External consultants from Wolf, Keens and Co. presented the preliminary draft of Durham's cultural master plan to citizens Wednesday night at the Armory, outlining the findings of its nearly year-long evaluation of Durham's arts scene and its recommendations for growth and development.

The plan, which underwent revision after it was presented to the steering committee Wednesday afternoon, emphasized the need to increase support to local artists, plan cultural events that appeal to Durham's diverse community and strengthen community-wide organizations that support the arts and cultural sector.

The most contentious component--Wolf, Keens and Co.'s recommendation that the Durham Arts Council be responsible for coordinating the master plan--was met with some concern from audience members who felt that it posed a potential conflict of interest for plan overseers, and that the Arts Council's heavy involvement in programming could potentially be viewed as influencing its decisions.

Audience members discussed logistical concerns about the delegation as well. Because the Arts Council currently lacks the capacity to act as an overseer, it would require additional revenue to carry out the role of overseer. Initially the oversight could be financed by seed funds from the county, but a sustainable source would ultimately have to be sought.

"We found that the economic impact of the cultural sector is quite substantial," Goldring said. Culture and arts industries in Durham County generate roughly $101 million annually, which is slightly higher than Wake County's $90 million. Goldring said the variation in revenue is because the arts and cultural activities in Durham have been filtered into economic strategies.

One of the major findings was the lack of a network for Durham artists. Because they work mainly in isolation, there is little collaboration and space sharing. The plan placed an emphasis on subsidizing living and working space for local artists and noted the importance of addressing the often troublesome issue of health and disability insurance.

Consultants also identified Durham's history and the cultural significance of the racial encounters the city has experienced as a key area of concentration.

Goldring said the plan must go beyond celebrating racial diversity by tailoring to it. He noted that Durham's audience potential was considerable, but increasing participation in the arts would require unconventional programming.

"Lots of audiences can be built, but they may not respond to standard fare," Goldring said, adding that Durham's rapidly growing Latino population would likely respond more positively to bilingual events.

The report found that efforts have traditionally been concentrated in downtown Durham and recommended that planners incorporate other venues more enthusiastically--such as Ninth Street and the Hayti area--and create relationships with neighborhoods to foster participation in cultural events.

"There needs to be a synergy between neighborhoods and downtown. Durhamites must be the ones defining the community's identity," Goldring said.

A priority in capital development was improving the maintenance of existing facilities. Goldring said before new capital investments were proposed county officials need to make sure current facilities are being utilized at capacity.

Although there has been much concern about arts education in Durham Public Schools, Wolf, Keens and Co. said the reductions were not disproportionate to cuts DPS made in other areas. The report recommended the continued partnership of the school system with local nonprofit organizations to support arts curriculum and the establishment of a cultural education taskforce to advocate for the integration of cultural themes into class work.

However, primary and secondary schools were not the only educational institutions marked for attention. Goldring also said the master plan should include outreach to students at Duke University and North Carolina Central University.