Alley Art Festival will be an afternoon of local art along Water Street Mall and Downer Place on the last Saturday of August, August 29. This is the third piece I’ve written in a series about the event that is ending this year.
In the June issue, I wrote about being intentional and the synergy that many folks have worked hard to create. One group that impressed me when I first moved back to Aurora from Arizona was the Cultural Creatives who put on Aurora ArtWalk.
The group was defined as “an eclectic ad-hoc group of downtown artists, business and property owners drawn together by their commitment of growing an artists’ colony in downtown Aurora.”
I knew the core group to consist of Melissa Mercado, Cheryl Holz, and Maureen Gasek, and they were guided by Karen Christensen, who led the city’s downtown development division at the time. I later learned that about two dozen people were involved with Aurora’s Cultural Creatives.
Christensen generously gave credit to downtown property owner Dan Hites for motivating city staff with a series of meetings he held in 2007 to promote an entertainment district.
When the group first met in February 2008, “the objective was to figure out ways to coalesce people, ideas and energy in an organized way around the concept of using creativity as an economic development tool – and as a strategy to improve the quality of life within downtown Aurora, and throughout the entire city.”
In Christensen’s seven page report titled “Cultural Creatives: Developing a Creative Economy Revitalization Strategy for Downtown Aurora,” she outlined ground rules and discussion questions. Invitees were told “be prepared to leave only after committing to at least one specific task that could make something positive happen in the future.”
The first meeting ended with 40 discussion points from brainstorming sessions. Those who attended the meeting were asked to review the points and “Find something to which you can commit time and energy.” Aurora ArtWalk was thus born out of subsequent meetings.
“It was novel,” said David Lewis, former curator at Aurora Regional Fire Museum. Lewis was part of Cultural Creatives, and I am grateful that he shared his memories and detailed notes with me, including flowcharts and meeting notes. One document defining Cultural Creatives and Aurora ArtWalk lists that one of the goals of the event was to “demonstrate what an arts-infused downtown Aurora can look and feel like.”
When I attended the first ArtWalks, I was inspired to create Downtown Auroran magazine to help showcase Aurora’s local arts and culture scene, so I think they succeeded in that goal.
At the time that the ArtWalk began, Paramount Theatre and Aurora Public Art Commission were the main arts drivers in the city. Downtown Alive was helping to reinvigorate downtown nightlife and the Midwest Literary Festival briefly brought some exciting culture to the city center. Backthird Audio and Riverfront Playhouse were an important part of community placemaking. The ArtWalk gave momentum to the local arts scene, and helped to inspire a more dynamic arts scene that later included Alley Art Festival and First Fridays.
The ArtWalk created an atmosphere of creativity and excitement, and it was supported by the city’s downtown economic development department, which arguably made it possible. It’s usually never just one thing or one person that creates change, it’s a series of events or a group of like-minded people who are willing to share their energy in a meaningful way; for the arts to thrive, funding is also a necessary component.
When I look at the Action Ideas matrix that Lewis shared with me, it’s rewarding to see that many of the ideas that were put forth nearly 20 years ago have been fulfilled. I also see a lot of hope that was put out there for our community, and ideas still to come to fruition.
Marissa Amoni is the owner of Marissa Bright, a public relations and event management company specializing in shining the light on nonprofits and small businesses. She coordinates Alley Art Festival and Geneva Arts Fair. Follow her on Instagram @marissashinesbright. Visit a full calendar of art events on alleyartaurora.com/artscene.