[Mpls] Arts Advocay in Minneapolis

[Aaron Neumann]

On Wednesday, the Minneapolis Arts Commission, Mayor R.T. Rybak, and 
City Council member Gary Schiff held a public meeting at Theatre de la 
June Lune to unveil parts of their "Minneapolis Plan for Arts and 
Culture", a ten-year strategic plan that defines the role of the City of 
Minneapolis in supporting the arts and culture, and the role of the arts 
and culture in accomplishing the City's broader goals. While it must be 
noted that advocating for the Arts in Minneapolis not the most of urgent 
of issues facing a complex Minneapolis, it is important to comment that 
the Arts play an important role in the overall vibrancy of and cultural 
life in our beloved Minne-apple.

The Plan is an excellent one, with many noteworthy goals including the 
city's commitment to preserving and strengthening arts education for 
youth (although that when the education budget is tight, arts education 
is often the first thing to go). As many have pointed out on the Mpls 
Issues list, the city is known for planing well and falling short on 
execution. Bureaucratic and budgetary restraints are often sited, but I 
would like to offer some alternative ways we can support artists and the 
Arts with very little of each of those restraints.

During Wednesday's meeting I could not help but notice that almost all 
of Arts planning is tied to new development. Although I support either a 
2% earmark for the arts in all capital projects, or at least 1% to hire 
a full-time Arts Administrator/advocate (an city Art Czar if you will), 
I feel it is important to think "outside the box" when it comes to 
supporting artists. It is possible support artists as developers in 
their own rite, as an artist can enhance existing and dilapidated 
infrastructure that is pervasive in any major metropolitan area.

We, the Neighbors for Neumann! campaign, aim to to help in the 
collective effort to enrich the lives of local residents and visitors by 
integrating public art into planning, services, and design 
infrastructures – but with a special emphasis on existing infrastructures.

As your City Council Member, I will stimulate participation in and 
appreciation of the arts by all city residents, particularly from 
residents in the 3rd Ward who aren't quite familiar with their artist 
neighbors and the resources and quality of life they provide to our 
neighborhoods. This means working closely with the Minneapolis Arts 
Commission to ENACT the City of Minneapolis Plan for Art and Culture, 
supporting it with a 2% levy on development for the Arts (like TIF and 
NRP), and I will continue to advocate for Art in Public Places policies 
already supported by the City Council (again, a focus on existing 
infrastructure - like bridges plagued with graffiti being converted into 
mural projects). Again, I feel we can have a non-traditional focus of 
commissioning artists not necessarily for new development projects, but 
also for neighborhood-oriented improvement projects and public art 
projects in general. And we can certainly advocate for fair and low cost 
housing of artists in designated "arts districts" like in NE Mpls.

More specifically, I will ensure at least two 3rd Ward residents and 
arts advocates are appointed to the 17 member Minneapolis Arts 
Commission (one artist, one advocate), as currently, there is no NE Mpls 
representation. I will author and pass an ordnance to protect and 
encourage street musicians (“buskers”), so that respectful buskers can 
legally play in our Skyways and in our thriving downtown after midnight 
on weekends. I will strive to restore funding to the Minneapolis Office 
of Cultural Affairs, and advocate for a full-time Arts 
Administrator/Lobbyist. I will aim to steer the council in a direction 
that supports small developers who are advocates for artist 
living/working spaces, so that we don't hold up important housing/work 
space projects (like at the old Patrick's Cabaret site) with the thick 
red zoning tape that Minneapolis has become known for. I advocate for 
this with my fellow artists and supporters out of respect for this 
diversity that Minneapolis has to offer, so that we create the most 
vibrant and culturally colorful city possible.

Aaron Neumann (Sheridan)
Candidate for City Council Ward 3 (Green Party)
Northside * Northeast * Southeast
612.788.1284
Aaron at VoteNeumann.org
www.VoteNeumann.org

"Bridging our Diverse Communities with Social, Economic, and 
Environmental Justice * Common Sense Vision for the 21st Century"

"Politics isn't about big money or power games; it's about the 
improvement of people's lives." /- Paul Wellstone/