Robert Faires' Salute to Latifah Taormina as She Retires from Directing the Creative Alliance, Austin Chronicle, April 29

Published at the Austin Chronicle:

A well-earned rest for Queen Latifah

By Robert Faires, Friday, April 29

Latifah Taormina answered the ad thinking the post she was applying for would be "a nice part-time job and a good way to get connected to the local theatre community." She was certainly right on the second score, but as for the first? Well, running the former Austin Circle of Theaters wasn't anywhere close to being just part-time work. Ever since the night in September 2000 when she was introduced at ACoT's B. Iden Payne Awards ceremony as the arts umbrella's new executive director, the job has pretty much consumed her life. Taormina has given herself over to countless phone calls, emails, grant applications, committee meetings, commission meetings, board meetings, task force meetings, planning sessions, conferences, workshops, and awards ceremonies – whatever it took to help better serve Austin's arts community. But after 10½ years, Taormina is about to get her life back. As of April 30, she's retiring as head of the Austin Creative Alliance, the organization that, under Taormina's stewardship, grew out of ACoT.

Click to read full text at the Austin Chronicle on-line . . . .

Arts Reporting: Austin Creative Alliance Names Marcy Hoen as Interime Executive Director

Found at the Statesman's Austin360 "Seeing Things" blog:

Austin Creative Alliance names interim executive director

By Jeanne Claire van Ryzin | Wednesday, March 9

Austin Creative Alliance has appointed Marcy Hoen as its new interim executive director of the organization.

Longtime director Latifah Taormina, announced in November that she would be retiring this from leading the arts service organization, formerly Austin Circle of Theatres.

Hoen is a hair stylist and has served on the board of FuseBox, the performing arts festival, and volunteered with the Rude Mechanicals theater troupe, the Bootstrap Network and Art Alliance Austin. She founded the artists representation venture Austin Art Start in 2006.

Alliance board chair David Sandal, said in a new release that Taormina and Hoen will work together during a transition period before Taormina leaves. “Latifah has been a leading figure in Austin’s art community for many years and continues to be an invaluable resource as we move forward,” Sandal said.

Update on City Arts Funding Revisions

The advisory Arts Commission of the City of Austin met in special session on Monday night, March 22, to consider changes to arts funding prepared by City staff in response to an opinion deliver by the City's legal office. After hearing citizen comments, the Commission voted unanimously to urge City Council members to reject the new criteria, which could have the consequences, inter alia, of cutting off grants for education and arts outreach.

Commission leaders and Latifah Taormina, Executive Director of the Greater Austin Creative Alliance (GACA) briefed arts organizations on March 23.

The story has broken in the press. Dan Solomon of Austinist.com surveys the issue and legal texts, as well as interviewing major players. Jeanne Claire van Ryzin, writing on the Statesman's Arts360 "Seeing Things" blog, does a brief summary but provides pertinent numbers and percentages regarding Austin's revenues from the hotel and occupancy tax.

Latifah Taormina provides an update today, March 23, by e-mail and on the NowPlaying Austin blog, opening, "It's working. . . . " Her piece includes notes about the action plan items suggested by arts organizations.

The Internet-based private news service InFactDaily.com reports that City Council members were taken by surprise by the deluge of more than 500 e-mails on the proposed changes in criteria for arts funding and they are displeased with city management. The article quotes acting mayor Mike Martinez, Randi Shade and Bill Spellman. Full text of report is reprinted by permission at the Austin Jazz Workshop website.

Arts News: ACOT becomes GACA, so Get Your Art On in October

This just in, as the newscasters used to say, waving a teletype:

On September 24 Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell will proclaim October the month to Get Your Art On, and the Austin Circle of Theatres will announce the replacement of its 35-year-old organizational title with a new one: The Greater Austin Creative Alliance.

Here's the digital tear-sheet from ACOT:

WHO: Mayor Lee Leffingwell and The Greater Austin Creative Alliance (formerly Austin Circle of Theaters), in partnership with the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division and CreateAustin, with sponsor Capital One Bank

WHAT: Mayoral Proclamation that October is time to “Get Your Art On,” Austin’s month-long celebration of art, culture and creativity in honor of National Arts and Humanities Month. Immediately following the Mayoral Proclamation, Austin Circle of Theaters will hold a press conference to announce their re-branding as The Greater Austin Creative Alliance.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Audio Programs: Off Stage and On The Air, Lisa Schepp, KOOP-FM

Lisa Schepp is now producing a weekly program on Austin musical theatre, Mondays at 1 p.m., interviewing a production member and spinning musical numbers from the recorded canon. All programs broadcast by KOOP FM (91.7) are available as podcasts or streaming video via her blog:

Latest, on June 8: Nunsense (opening June 11 at the City Theatre)

Click to link to earlier programs produced to date:

Love, Janis -- June 1 (playing at the Zach Scott Theatre)

The Jigglewatts -- May 25

The Fantasticks -- May 17 with Don Toner (playing until June 28 at Austin Playhouse)

Musical Theatre in Austin - May 10 with Latifah Taormina of Austin Circle of Theatres and Stuart Moulton of Austin Cabaret Theatre

Golf, the Musical - May 3 with Director and Cast Member Joel Blum and Texarts co-founder and executive producer, Todd Dellinger

Pilot program - April 29 with Stuart Moulton of Austin Cabaret Theatre

The Role of the Innovation Workforce & Creative Sector

On May 1 state senator Florence Shapiro (Plano) and other notables released with ceremony the study The Role of the Innovation Workforce & Creative Sector in the Texas Economy.

Latifah Taormina, executive director of the Austin Circle of Theatres, had advised ACOT members by e-mail, reprising the press release from the Texas Cultural Trust characterizing the study as "a powerful report on value of arts, arts education & creative industries to growth of Texas economy." ACOT commented, "The report demonstrates direct links between creative sector and Texas economy at a time when state leaders are debating: (1) the best way to prepare Texas schoolchildren as the workforce for the future, and (2) state funding of the arts."

ALT has spent some time with the report, which is available at the website of the lobbying campaign Create Texas. It's an easy, generally anecdotal read, one that quotes pop sociology observers such as Richard Florida and Daniel Pink. The drafters from Texas Perspectives, Inc. (TXP) re-chew studies done in their own office and elsewhere, including particularly a 2005 national study by Americans for the Arts and a 2001 compendium issue brief The Role of the Arts in Economic Development: prepared for the National Governor's [sic] Association. These sources offer observations that pretty much all arts lovers will endorse:

• The arts generate employment, tourism, tax revenues well beyond modest subsidies, better students, mutual understanding and better citizens.

• Knowledge-based professions and industries tend to cluster in urban areas with lively arts communities.

• Disadvantaged students benefit disproportionately from participating in arts.

• America's global comparative advantage is the creativity of its people, a quality that can't be outsourced beyond our boundaries.

• Arts education enhances that creativity. (In this connection, my favorite quote from this piece: "The number of students obtaining an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) has dramatically increased in recent years, and corporate recruiters now routinely visit the top arts graduate schools in search of talent. The high-concept abilities of an artist are often more valuable than the easily replicated skills of an entry-level business graduate."

Read More at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .