National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Visits Evanston
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman visited Evanston on January 19 where he learned about the city’s efforts to use the arts to create vibrant, livable community by using a federal arts grant as a catalyst.
Chairman Landesman participated in a roundtable discussion about the city's efforts to create a performing arts district in downtown Evanston. The NEA has supported this project through an Our Town Grant for an architectural study and financial plan. "Our Town" grants, totaling $6.575 million for 51 communities in 34 states, were awarded to communities that have created public-private partnerships to strengthen the arts while shaping the social, physical, and economic characters of their neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions.
“The arts in Evanston are a joyful expression of the multiple talents of our entire community and a vital part of our economy. We are fortunate to home to a wide spectrum of high quality theatre including Piven Theatre, Next Theatre and Light Opera Works as well as smaller theatres such as Mudlark, which produces meaningful, insightful children’s theatre,” said Alderman Coleen Burrus (9th Ward).
“We are most appreciative to the NEA for the Our Town grant, which will assist us in developing an action plan to achieve the vision of a performing arts district in Evanston. Additionally, we are grateful to Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky for her efforts in obtaining this grant and her commitment to the arts,” added Alderman Burrus.
Officials took a tour of downtown Evanston and had a discussion with City of Evanston Our Town project leaders. Participants included: Rocco Landesman, NEA Chairman; Evanston Alderman Coleen Burrus; Terry Scrogum, Executive Director, Illinois Arts Council; Carolyn Delutri, Director, Downtown Evanston; Carol Coletta, President, ArtPlace; various members of the Evanston arts community and City of Evanston staff.
The NEA awarded the City of Evanston a $50,000 grant to develop a concise plan of action to help realize the vision of a performing arts district in the heart of Evanston which would help stave off the loss of cultural institutions. A 50% matching grant is required for this project which will be matched by the city through the expenditure of funds from the Economic Development Fund and the Washington National Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District; each will provide $25,000.
The first phase of this plan will be to determine all sites in downtown Evanston that are most feasible for live performance venues, from existing buildings to vacant parcel, and then to determine the best four sites to study further. The consultant would then conduct architectural studies of the selected sites that would best house performing arts venues, utilizing the programming elements identified in a July 2011 report commissioned by Downtown Evanston.
These concepts will then lead to a preferred development scenario that will be evaluated and used to develop a financial plan for the acquisition and construction of each performing arts venue. Lastly a detailed action plan will help give final direction and guidance so that this project may move into the next phase of design and implementation of the preferred scenario. The project is expected to commence in March of 2012 and complete in August. More on the grant here>>> and read Congresswoman Jan Schkowsky's letter of support here>>>