The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/46670
Living Long and Prospering by Sam Spokony Foothills needs direction Even though I'm 3,000 miles away right now, I try to stay current when it comes to American issues and Oneonta hot topics. And although the latter do not exist in great number, I noticed that frustrations regarding the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center seem to be reaching a new high. Based on some of the online comments I read on The Daily Star's most recent Foothills-related article ("Foothills hires engineer to assess sound quality," Oct. 19), the psychological breaking point for many local residents may be near. That was a few weeks ago. I was reminded of it all immedi- ately after interviewing John Cumming, a founding director of the London Jazz Festival, for an article this past week. At first glance, it's hard to believe that festival — a massive 10-day event that includes performances at over 50 venues through- out London — would offer any lessons on how to approach the quagmire surrounding Foothills. But I think Cumming's insight provided a very important lesson regarding something that seems to get lost amid petty arguments about who's in charge and where the next batch of funding should go. The nub of it all is that successful growth is about playing to your strengths, and understanding who and what it takes to develop them. For the London Jazz Festival, when it became a citywide event in 1992, the primary opportunities to be seized were an incredibly diverse cultural landscape and a wide spectrum of concert venues. While I'm sure that marketing was involved, it's clear that Cumming wasn't thinking like a businessman — or like a nonprofit event organizer — when he reached out to performance spaces that ranged from massive, highbrow theaters to small, independent, niche clubs. He was thinking like a savvy concert promoter. From there on, alongside the obvious need to pull in great talent every year, Cumming sought to expand the educational programming and workshops. The amazing thing about the London Jazz Festival — at least from the director's point of view — is that it seems unbelievably large and personally ac- cessible all at once. It works as a fixture of the London music scene as a whole, while also taking into account the benefits individual communities can derive from it. So, what can Foothills (and its board president, Mayor Dick Miller) take from this? Programming would be a suitable place to start. In terms of playing to strengths, it's hard to deny that Foothills hasn't taken advantage of everything within reach. Hosting events such as this year's Gordon Lightfoot concert are good for PR and quick shots of fundraising, but they don't really lead In terms of playing to strengths, it's hard to deny that Foothills hasn't taken advantage of everything within reach. to solid artistic development. It makes more sense at this point for the center's directors to set aside aspirations for a $450,000 acous- tic shell or other sound-quality boosters and focus on staying more directly in touch with independent local musicians and performers. Attracting regional groups — with discounted rates — would go a long way toward develop- ing a fresh and interesting string of desperately needed original programming. Foothills already offers some educational workshops, but another step worth taking would be to reach even farther out into the Central and upstate New York regions in order to cre- ate partnerships with other youth programs and arts-based summer camps. I once attended a summer program called the National Guitar Workshop — and what made that institution so strong was the fact that it was able to open satellite cam- puses across the nation in order to expand its market, as well as its tal- ent. Foothills should be actively seek- ing relationships with established, nationwide arts organizations like NGW, which will grow to fit if the regional demand, and the space, exists. Struggling arts venue can learn from London Jazz Festival and other events The exterior of Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center in Oneonta is seen Monday. But, with the London Jazz Festival in mind, the first place for Foothills to look may well be right up the road, at SUNY Oneonta and its own budding festival. The Oneonta Jazz Festival will enter its third year this April, and — speaking as someone who's been involved in the previous two — the way it's taken shape has been as- tounding. Along with networking to include big bands from both colleges and high schools from throughout New York, Dr. Art Falbush has cre- ated a fantastic educational outlet for students who often don't have the opportunity to develop jazz performance skills in a festival setting due to continuous cuts to arts funding. Last year, iconic trumpeter Ray Vega was the festival's featured performer; this year it will be the equally outstanding trombonist Ray Anderson. This is a homegrown event that's making exciting things happen with bare-bones resources and a paper-thin budget. It's still growing because the interest is there, both on the SUNY Oneonta campus and from educators around the state. It's a musical well that's waiting to be tapped. Opening Foothills to the Oneonta Jazz Festival could spark something great — but it's a leap that needs to be made by Mayor Miller and the board of directors. It might be tough as Foothills continues to pay off debts, but they need to think about the future — not what needs to be booked or brought in now, but what will sustain itself for years to come. The opportunities lie Benjamin Patton in constructive outreach, both at home and with like-minded arts organizations throughout the state. Cumming has been running the London Jazz Festival for 19 years because he knows how to connect to the right artists and directors, both on a broad scale and within small, diverse, interconnected communities. That's the kind of thinking that needs to come first at Foothills. The inventive and attractive programming of tomorrow will, undoubt- edly, ending up paying the bills of today. Sam Spokony is a senior at SUNY Oneonta, major- ing in English and music industry. He is spending the fall semester studying abroad in London. His column appears biweekly in the Scene. Nov. 3, 2011 O-Town Scene 5