Will San Antonio embrace an opportunity to invest in its arts and music scene?

As the City of San Antonio looks toward the future, one fact becomes startlingly clear: we are on the cusp of emerging as one of the largest, most diverse and truly unique cities in the nation.  The most recent Census numbers reveal San Antonio as the seventh-largest city in the country, ahead of Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Boston. Opportunities for economic and cultural growth are abundant and the choices we make as a community today will reflect the values we hope to hold dear tomorrow.

Yet, as we continue to embrace our identity of a “big city, small town,” few projects offer a chance to truly transform San Antonio. The proposed $20 million redevelopment of the historic Sunken Garden Theater offers just such transformational promise and merits inclusion in the 2012 bond program as a project that would not only honor our city’s unique history, but also provide the city an opportunity to put its arts and music scene on the map.  With a strong proposal by ACE Theatrical Group and widespread community support for the project, San Antonians are forced to ask why the Sunken Garden Theater renovation not yet on the proposed bond?

The 2012 bond package is currently being considered, with the citizen bond committees meeting several times before the end of 2011 to submit recommendations to the City Council for vote in February. Ensuring the inclusion of the Sunken Garden Theater redevelopment project would be a true testament to the city’s commitment both to preserving a treasured landmark and supporting its flourishing arts and music scene.

ACE Theatrical Group, LLC (ACE), a private company widely recognized as a national leader in the redevelopment and restoration of landmark theatrical venues, is proposing a $20 million redevelopment of Sunken Garden Theater in partnership with the San Antonio Parks Foundation. ACE is best known in San Antonio for transforming the historic Empire and Majestic Theaters into active, vibrant performing arts facilities. By redeveloping Sunken Garden, ACE seeks to fill a void left by the closure of the Verizon Amphitheater in Selma; there is neither an outdoor venue nor a mid-sized venue (+/- 6,500 seats) in San Antonio to accommodate the top notch performers.

“As San Antonio continues to emerge as one of the country’s most dynamic and diverse cities, it is important that we continue to build and redevelop performing arts facilities that showcase our local talent and attract top-tier performers and music festivals to this region. ACE Theatrical’s proposed plan for the Sunken Garden Theater will give this city a state-of-the art performance venue and reestablish San Antonio as a destination for first-class entertainment that is currently passing us by,” said Kirk Feldmann, COO, ACE Theatrical Group.

The theater was constructed in 1936 as part of the Texas Centennial celebration. For years, it was a place for San Antonians and visitors to gather, enjoy great performances and make lifelong memories. Although Sunken Garden remains embedded in the psyche of many San Antonians, decades of decline and neglect have left it a substandard venue that is underutilized, features limited programming and is not financially self-sustaining. ACE’s historically-sensitive design would include an enclosed theater stagehouse for all-weather performances, an expanded audience seating area and beautifully landscaped plazas. ACE’s proposal would also mitigate the impact of the theater on the surrounding neighborhood by reducing noise, increasing the availability of parking and better managing traffic flow.

For supporters of the arts like Mitchell Connell, guitar player for Melissa Ludwig Band and San Antonio resident for 24 years, seeing a landmark venue such as Sunken Garden Theater suffer decades of decline has been  difficult to take. ACE’s proposal has ignited members in the community to take action and voice their support for Sunken Garden’s redevelopment.

“The arts and music scene is a time bomb waiting to explode and it is exciting to take part in setting the stage for future generations to enjoy. Many times I’ve thought of moving to NYC or Austin, but San Antonio is such a special place that it is hard to leave,” said Alejandra Roma, fashion designer and artist. “ACE is giving the city such an extraordinary opportunity to give back to the community, we cannot afford to ignore it.”

The economic impact on San Antonio must also be highlighted. The redevelopment project would yield a surge in local construction activity, tourism and operations jobs. Between the construction and operations employment opportunities, ACE predicts the creation of roughly 269 fulltime equivalent jobs. Economist Dr. Steven Nivin also projects that the reconstruction of the Sunken Garden Theater will generate $17 million in revenue for the city.
ACE’s proposal would mark the first significant capital investment in this San Antonio landmark in more than 30 years. It calls for a public/private partnership in which an estimated $10 million public sector investment would be leveraged on a one-for-one basis with private capital, for a combined anticipated investment of $20 million dollars. ACE further estimates that the City of San Antonio would realize annual cost savings as well as new direct and indirect revenues that would serve to amortize the city’s initial $10 million investment over the term of a future operating agreement. ACE further guarantees no operating losses or future capital improvement costs to the city while it manages the facility.

“The redevelopment of Sunken Garden would undoubtedly increase tourism and give the city a boost. People will feel comfortable coming to our city for an event that will be hosted at a venue people and artists have heard of. It will result in more shows, festivals and money for the city,” said Stephen Castro videographer at Miranda Studios. “ I don’t know anyone who can deny that our artists need more attention and this is the catalyst San Antonio needs.”

There is still time to voice your support for the redevelopment of the Sunken Garden Theater and ensure the proposal is on the 2012 bond package. To learn more about the Sunken Garden Theater project, participate in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter and write your councilperson to express support, please visit www.SunkenGardenTheater.com.

Expressions of gratitude

Thinking about art usually conjures up images of watercolors, sketches and sculptures. What is rarely recognized is poetry. San Antonio has a thriving poetry scene that embodies an array of individuals from professionals and artists to college students and songwriters. San Antonian, Joshua Hinson gains inspiration from this art and shares his appreciation by giving back to the community.
Born February 1987, Joshua Hinson, known to his friends as “Lakey”, began a life of complexity that eventually led to inspiration. The son of two struggling parents, held down by addictions that they would later overcome, Lakey’s life until age seven was defined by foster homes. Lakey’s given name is Joshua, and the name was no accident, it was a resounding plea for Salvation on the mind of his mother during her trying times.
At seven, Lakey ended up in a foster home where he would stay in for the next eight years. This foster home was in Leakey, Texas where he would later get the nickname he now answers to, Lakey. Living in Leakey was ultimately the catalyst for shaping who Joshua is today.
In 2005, he graduated from high school in Longview, then later that summer moved to San Antonio. In 2007, he was exposed to PuroSlam, an organization that provides an outlet for poets to express themselves and compete amongst others on a local and national level. By this time, Lakey had more than 200 original poems in his arsenal and was eager to share his voice in a live poetry slam.
“The first time I remember seeing Lakey on stage, it wasn’t Lakey at all. At the time, the peak of PuroSlam’s strong stretch at Sam’s Burger Joint, and Joshua “Lakey” was signing up under the stage name: ‘Oh Captain, My Captain’,” said Amanda Flores, 2011 grand slam champion and recent Trinity graduate. “Joshua dances a funky balance between colloquial accessible language and scattered poetic devices”.

In 2008, he won his first slam and, after securing a spot as an alternate for nationals in 2009, earned his position on the national’s team in 2010 and 2011. With backing from the Office of Cultural Affairs, City of San Antonio and various members of the community, it was evident that the community was brimming with the desire to embrace a “reawakened” art form. At that point, the role poetry and the arts would play in Joshua’s life was solidified.
Inspired both by poetry and San Antonio’s scene filled with talented poets, Joshua formulated a way to give back to the city by creating Puro Slam Working (PSW) in 2010. Largely, it was Joshua’s goal to unite poets and provide an avenue for them to thank the city for their support.
“We volunteer in order to show our gratitude, love, and really get an idea as to what it means to represent your city,” said Lakey.
PSW is supported primarily of PuroSlam poets and fans that volunteer for non-profits around San Antonio.
In their first year, they exceeded the goal of 1,000 volunteer hours. In this second “season” PSW’s goal is 1,500 hours and they are on pace to beat it with already 300 clocked volunteer hours in the past two and a half months.

“We live in a city of over a million people so mathematicians say a one-in-a-million story is possible every day,” said Lakey. “That may be too optimistic, but hopefully some optimistic or bored people will go out and be the change they want to see in the world as Ghandi once said.”

Joshua continues to motivate and inspire others in San Antonio with his entrepreneurial spirit. He is also a visual artist, teaching himself lessons with every drawing. His first professional art show was October 2011 at the BorderLinea showcase at Studio 13. The arts is an irreplaceable aspect of a community, as it defines its citizens and exposes the many facets of each individual. Poetry is one of the arts we cannot forget.

“Poetry and the arts not only act as an outlet for frustrations and dramatic urgencies,” said Flores. They bring to the surface learning opportunities and mind-openers that I’m not sure can be encountered by memorizing the periodic table or graphing a slope.”

Currently, PSW is actively volunteering at Inner City Development, S.T.A.N.D and Trey’s house. If you are interested in volunteering with Puro Slam Working, contact Joshua Hinson at unpoetry87@yahoo.com for ways to get involved. PuroSlam is free at 10:30 p.m. every Tuesday night at On The Half Shell Oyster Bar at 202 Navarro. To view Lakey’s work, visit facebook.com/LakeythePoet.

Saving Our Music

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on The National Jukebox. The National Jukebox works with a government organization, a media conglomerate, an academic institution and private collectors to preserve our nation’s history of music.

Read the full article Tracks to Our Music Heritage

It’s That Friday Again

Since this only happens once a month, it seems like the perfect subject to blog about. I’m talking about First Friday. It’s great to see San Antonians out and about sharing, appreciating and buying art. Aside from feeling the anxiety of finding a parking spot as you approach Durango, the countless artists and admirers on the streets peering into windows of art galleries on S. Alamo make you feel at home. I’d have to say, my favorite part of the night was getting in some exercise walking from The Friendly Spot to Blue Star Brewery and concluding the night at Liberty Bar. And when I say concluding the night at Liberty Bar, I mean, going to Liberty Bar and then actually ending the night at Bar America. I suppose it is a good thing that this family-friendly, eclectic event only happens every first Friday. So, the moral of this blog entry is there is First Friday offers lots to see, lots to drink and is just another reason to head to Southtown and support our SA artists.

On a side note, our featured artist of the week, Nemo, was also at First Friday showing off his work at Art @ the Jalapeno.

Creation

Ok– lets be clear right up front, this is not a post about the Big Bang Theory or how humans quite possibly came from monkeys. This is about how artists create their work and how you no never know if the McDonalds off Broadway may end of being the spot where you write your hit song or meet your muse.

When you ask an artist or musician if they have a set methodology when writing a song, or planning out a sketch or photo shoot they will most likely say no. Everyone has a slightly different way to approach their work, and as an artist you are continuously inspired or uninspired by whats around you.

For us, we came up with BorderLinea while sitting in a car outside New England Village after a random coffee break and discussion about culture in San Antonio. We knew we had a unique blend of talent in San Antonio, and frankly, its hard to lose great artists and musicians to Austin or other cities. That $2.80 / gallon can add up when you are driving to Austin to get your art fix. So, our creation process was a little unconventional: Sat in a car. Knew we loved art and had the talent. Knew we only had a few friends with hybrid cars to get us to these “artsy” cities. Came up with BorderLinea.

We are all to some extent borderline artists. Not because we live “on the border”, but because we have that drive to be just a little different and share what we see. The desire to take that perfect photo even if it means we have to wait for hours to get the perfect angle.

September 2010 we had our first showcase. We had three artists and four bands. That was the beginning and we thank all of those brave souls who trusted us enough to show off their creation at the event. Here’s to the inaugural artists and musicians: Cera Pittman, Lori Bridges, Alejandro Machuca, Jasper’s Cast, Diego Bernal, Lonely Horse and Mery Kid.

Our second showcase is this Friday, Jan. 14 at 311 Evergreen. We have a new cast of characters and even promise to feed you thanks to our lovely SA Chef Pittman. The event is from 9-midnight and features: Adrienne Ehler, Amy Riggle, Cera Pittman, Rone Martinez, Roger Cavazos, Jasper’s Cast, The Way The World Ends, Hearts Fail, Ben Cina and The Empireal Formula.