After talking to a few colleagues and family members, I realized that it is imperative to open a dialogue with the representatives of Centerstage. I have been considering the most appropriate way to approach Centerstage to discuss how they plan to effectively collaborate with our local grassroots arts community and how we can hold them accountable for doing so. I need your help!.

As they mentioned in response to Don Harrison's 20 Questions for Centerstage, "CenterStage will continue to look for ways to partner with the local arts community to promote a vibrant arts and nightlife downtown, and we encourage input on these efforts."

I would be interested to learn what they mean by "collaboration" (and I will not automatically assume that they got that word mixed up with "capitalizing") and what restrictions/guidelines will be set for them to do so. Will they only support "grassroots" initiatives that can showcase their organization in a marketable way? "CenterStage also was a major sponsor of the Broad Appétit event last year and this year, is a partner in the 2009 Folk Festival and both the 2008 and 2009 InLight celebration." ....Or do they truly have plans to engage themselves in their surrounding artistic grassroots community?

If so, then how?

As much as we despise the bureaucracy and misrepresentation behind Centerstage, they are undoubtedly here to stay and we have no choice but (if we chose to remain in the City of Richmond) to support them. (As if we had a choice, and if we did, my taxpaying money's would not be going for another arts organization with no plan of making the future of Richmond's creative community flourish and sustainable).

For example: I would assume that since Centerstage had no original programming for their arts education (and seem to have been more interested in pulling already-established and funded organization's into their space to fill those empty gaps), then it would be beneficial for our area educational arts organization's to figure out an appropriate way to join their efforts. Unfortunately, this joining is necessary for the sustainability of our arts programs, especially now since they do not have the same opportunity to local city and community funding as they once had. (I wonder where it all went?)

Isn't it funny that the movers and shakers involved in the planning of Centerstage all have very close and personal ties to our city and community arts funding and have the authority to decide where and how the arts funding will be allocated? Isn't Centerstage such a cute pet-project for our city elite? (Do a little research on this, you will be very amused at the convenient relationships existing within the deciding committees for our community arts funding).

Now that our community funding is tied up in this pet-project for a very long time, and if we want to remain active participants within our artistic community, then we must figure out what is necessary to build this relationship that will not only help our local organizations reap some of the benefits that would have been earned by our blood, sweat and tears, but to hold Centerstage accountable for their promises made to our community.

Please help in creating these questions for Centerstage and build that necessary dialogue. Hopefully, we can better educate ourselves on what appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that our cultural future is solid, honest and accountable.

I will start this:

1. Centerstage, do you currently have or plan to create a committee that will collaborate with surrounding arts organizations?

2. What is your criteria for working with and accepting idea and program proposals from the local arts organizations/groups? If you do not have a set criteria, (which I doubt that you do), who will be responsible for creating it?

3. How do you plan to financially support the First Friday initiative? How to you plan to physically support the First Friday initiative?

4.Since there is still no Centerstage Director, how will you insure the credibility, accountability and overall productivity of your programs? Who will be responsible for overseeing that the use of public funds will be allocated to programs that are not only beneficial, innovative and engaging for our artistic community, but are vital and accessible for our low-income/general population that will help to strengthen them during these economic times?

5. What types of educational programming to you have in order? What school systems, after-school programs, homes, groups, and arts programs are you currently planning to partner with or are interested in partnering with? How do you plan to assist our low-income families and inner-city school children? How much time does your building schedule allocate for educational arts programming?

6. Do you have plans to create a volunteer program that will help to assist with downtown arts-related festivals, events and programs and be a data-base for area non-profits? Do you have plans for student involvement (grade school, high school and college/universities)? If so, then how?

7. Do you plan to work with non-profits and arts organizations on programs outside of the Centerstage complex? (This does not include event sponsorship and marketing campaigns.)

8. How do you envision the relationship between Parks and Recreation and Centerstage? Financially, do you know how the city plans to allocate funds to this joint effort, or relationships like these?

9. Do you have a vision as to the type of businesses to be brought into the downtown Broad/Grace St area?

10. Who is currently responsible for deciding what diverse visual and performing arts will be brought to Centerstage?

Please comment with additional questions as you see fit.