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Paulette
& Michelle Bufano,
of Washington state,
Conduct Workshops to
Guide Development of the
Art Studios Of Fallbrook
|[ Salon
in the Salon Room ]|
On
August 18th, mother / daughter arts consultant team, Paulette & Michelle
Bufano, journeyed to Fallbrook from Washington state. Invited by the
Fallbrook Village Association, their charge was to conduct an intensive
workshop with community leaders within the Village arts community. The goal
was to gain a sense of the direction to take in guiding the evolution of
the Art Studios Of Fallbrook. The facility is planned to grow into a
campus combining the teaching facility and the foundry, with artist studios and
a display gallery, all surrounded by landscaped picnic gardens open to the
public
Paulette Bufano serves as the
Director of Development at
Pilchuck Glass School, north of Seattle
Michelle Bufano is Director of Education
at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle
|[ SWOC
]|
The
consultants launched the session, held in the
Salon Room at the Café des
Artistes, by engaging
those in attendance in an exercise called "SWOC"
Participants were asked to evaluate the
Art Studios on the basis of
-
Strengths
-
Weaknesses
-
Opportunities
-
Challenges
The overall picture to
come out of the exercise
would be an Art Studios case statement
describing the facility in terms of:
|[ Strengths
]|
Those
in attendance listed the following as the strengths
of the Art Studios
& Foundry property:
-
Location in town
-
Geographic location (off the beaten
path,
yet near population centers of millions)
-
Committed volunteers
-
Community support
-
A working foundry
-
Community of artists supported by the
facilities
-
The community perceives the
facilities as having value
-
The perception the facilities and
their classes have high standards
-
A resource as a public meeting place
-
Good year-round weather for snowbird
artists
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Support for the Art Center
-
Filling arts needs lacking in public
schools
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Diverse programs for children
-
Brings together public-at-large & arts
communities
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Well-attended workshops
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Classes and teachers supported by
Fallbrook Art Association's membership of 350
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Private & political support
-
The facilities are ready to go to the
next stage of their development
|[ Weaknesses
]|
Participants
of the workshops considered the following to be weaknesses of the Art
Studios & Foundry:
-
Lack of publicity & marketing
-
No grant writer
-
No fundraising
-
Limited staff
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Competition for local funds
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Parking
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Lack of curb appeal
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Lack of way-finding signage
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Not enough young adults involved
-
Fallbrook's narrow, conservative
spectrum of art appreciation
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Location considered by some to be
"too rural"
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Lack of direction, leadership, &
vision
-
Conflicting mission philosophies
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Cost-intensive arts (the fire arts,
etc.)
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Low-priced competition from Mexico
for bronze casting
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Based on art displayed in the
entryway,
the facility appears to be mainly for children
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The need to hire professional staff
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Lack of Master artists to teach
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Lack of cutting edge programs
-
Costly workshops limit number of
attendees
|[ Opportunities
]|
Having
identified the above Art Studios & Foundry weaknesses,
the group listed these
opportunities:
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Partnership with the Fallbrook Arts
Association
-
Untapped revenue potential
-
Synergy with community revitalization
efforts
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Studios can serve as community hub
& destination
-
Viewing stations of artists-at-work
for visitors
-
Evening activities can enliven the
downtown
-
Encourage cultural diversity by
utilizing Latino master artists
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Availability of useable land around
facility
-
Partner with school district,
Boys & Girls Club, etc.
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Partner with Palomar College when it
builds Fallbrook campus
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Acquire adobe building behind the Art
Studios
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Expose the community to
art
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Use the facilities for small-scale
traveling shows
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Use the facilities for local events
& festivals
|[ Challenges
]|
Finally,
participants of the workshops pointed out these challenges involving the
Art Studios & Foundry:
-
The community at large - and the
business community -
haven't yet accepted Fallbrook's "Art"
brand
-
Funding to finance the coming redesign
of the facility
-
Expanding the professional staff
-
Preserving & protecting relationships
with artists at the Foundry
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Better communications between all
involved
with the facilities (the "No Surprises" rule)
-
Mission Statement for the facility
|[ Vision
Statements ]|
Paulette
& Michelle Bufano ended the session
by asking each participant to
write their
Vision Statement for the Art Studios & Foundry campus.
Those unedited points of view:
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"A complete mission statement,
under the leadership of one individual,
utilizing the complete campus
and involving the whole community"
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"A program and facility that
will educate and intrigue the local community, while attracting a
national and international clientele. The facility will serve as a
major anchor to community re-development, with a program that can
sustain itself while contributing to community economic
revitalization"
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"The Art Studios should be an
attractive, well though-out, working / teaching / display space,
complementing presentations and activities at the Art Center and the
Main Street galleries"
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"A vibrant, active, financially
self-supporting art facility with a focus on art instruction at many
levels, in many media, as well as artist studio access for independent
use"
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"A facility that brings art to
the community
while concurrently serving the needs of local artists,
offering an exposure to a diverse art curriculum"
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"A nationally &
internationally recognized arts education complex featuring visiting
and resident master artists open to experimentation, but welcoming
community involvement in youth programs, intermediate arts education,
and advanced studies"
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"The center for art
studies in North County San Diego"
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"A facility that supports and
unites professional
and student artists with the greater Fallbrook
community"
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"A fully-equipped, available,
fine arts studio"
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"A home for the Fallbrook Art
Association"
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"A vital facility providing a
wide range of offerings
from old-style crafts to high-end master
classes"
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"A financially viable West Coast
center
for professional artists' workshops"
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"A place where the mutual
interests of artists, businesses,
and the community can sustain the
presence of art in town"
|[ Finalé
]|
Michelle
Bufano ended the day by fielding a question regarding the Pratt Fine Art
Center's mission statement:
"Pratt is an arts education and
resource center
dedicated to promoting creative development
and artistic
engagement to the local
and global community"
f
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