Monday, July 18, 2011
GONE BUT NOT FOGOTTEN
Unless it was during my seven week hospital and nursing home experience I can't imagine how I missed the surrender of the Cultural Center Director. It was not unexpected given low attendence at shows they could afford to book. It may have been the economic conditions but those folks that instigated the SCCA seemed to be in support full time. What's next for Suffolk's Palace depends on the attitude of Board members who must decide to shoot lower and find shows that appeal to more folks, or or make it a center for all people. Offer space to organizations that have no place to meet or opereate. And add some folks to the board who have less solphisticated ideas of what constitutes culture. It is a Public facility using everyone's money. Millions over time with little success. Big changes overdue.
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Given the economic down spiral is worsening, if the SCCA Board is forced to open its doors any wider it will soon become the haven of every nickle and dime phoney 501c3 Ministry in the region. Millions of our tax dollars wasted away while the likes of Reverend Jeremiah Wright preach racism and hate within its walls. These walls we paid for albeit against our will by the knuckle heads on city council want a new city hall and a public library.
Where is old yellow tooth? She twisted arms of politicians and cajolled businesses to give tens of thousands for her dream. So now they have to give some more, too bad for them. I hope she doesn't think her Board will foist yet another fraud on us.
Mrs. Cherry and the Stepford directors need to concentrate on serving the local community and not just attacking virtually everone in our community who doesn't appreciate their "culture" and free coctails for the annointed few.
What if Mosaics leaves as it obviously is desperate to do (even had an old ad on Craig's list) and the rest of the community simply boycots the place (I think one florist, some sponsors, and several caterers already have.)
All that's left is a large bureaucracy with no even pretense that any goals will be met other than staff salary continuation and freebies for the "good" directors.
Most Suffolk schools and churches have more successful programs attracting the public.
Look at the successes of the Art League, Riddick's Folly, the Historical Society, etc. with no huge annual City subsidy. It has been estimated that a couple of thousand families could receive subsidized housing for this one wasted annual City subsidy with money left over for a couple of limos to take the small handful of "elite" directors to Hobson, Sedley or Chuckatuck, where at least the people are all honest about the "culture" they like and want their communities to support.
Time to pull the plug on this, the most wasteful fraud ever pulled on the people of Suffolk. At about half a million dollars a year, it is time to say enough. Maybe new leaders will see it different.
There's few to none on the board with a background in culture or arts. And the staff is the same. Bring in someone who knows arts and culture and knows Suffolk
The "board" is in some cases a joke and consits of some who give in to staff flattery and constant reminders that they are "important" and accomplish much by just the bureaucracy of dozens of "meetings" and cocktail
parties. This community needs solutions to this problem rather than efforts to intimidate those
who have constructive criticism and feel the arts can benefit our citizens without trying to shame them.
Knowing who sits on the SCCA Board the building will be converted into Section 8 housing and removed from the fast shrinking Historic Downtown Overlay District. What is apparent is the growing need for the city to increase taxes. Having another 501C3 isn't helping Selena upgrade her Mercedes.
It's going to come down to having the right person at the helm of this -- not someone who is there now, but someone who is from this area and knows what he/she is doing with arts in this community. The community itself needs to support this and reach out and say what they want to see come into the venue. The SCCA should be a shining spot in downtown and it will be if people step up and take it away from those who see it as a country club for an elite few (who, btw, do not know the arts)
While I agree in general with these comments about the SCCA, I'm not sure the problem is to find someone better to lead it who "knows culture." I'm not sure we're that dumb.
What about some more music? Patriotic marches and performances as appropriate on the calendar? What about us joining in with the Virginia Arts Festival each year to share in the dozens of sold out performances they sponsor in virtually every Tidewater community except Suffolk? What about even something more formal like 1812 Overture, William Tell (Lone Ranger) and related music? What about Victory at Sea movies for adults. What about more children's parties at Halloween, Thanksgiving and several other religious holidays. Dare we even have a community based old fashioned show of gospel songs? Even minstrel songs if everyone supported.
We've just got a bunch of ineffective staff in some cases and almost totally ineffective boards combined with a community of people who want to support "the program" but are being treated like rednecks. We simply don't need more Mosaic battles with the staff, even if it means both need to go. We certainly don't need several sets of books and totally misleading projections when anyone can see from the SCCA website that their ticket sales are so low as to evidence public rejection (and not redneck ignorance as is claimed).
I'm not sure a little more bluegrass and country would destroy our "culture" either.
It also makes no sense even to those of us who are relatively conservative to be losing our homeless shelter capability while the City gives $450,000 and much more in kind spport each year to what has become the SCCA monument to elitism and even arrogance toward the regular people whose money is being made to subsidize something so mismanaged and now likely to be run by leadership obviously not well like according to the IS and SNH readers.
New SCCA directors are a necessity. The old cowd is a bunch of elitists and wanna bes who look down on the community and its interests.
The only way they relate to "culture" is the same way KFC relates to chicken.
Critical comments on this somewhat secret board have been published in the last week here in IS, in the Virginian Pilot newspaper and in the Suffolk News free fliers, all without exception.
Country and bluegrass are a part of what needs to be brought to the SCCA....but someone who knows this area and is not a part of an elitist group does need to helm an affective change. It's a cross of understanding the arts both for this community and for how the community is perceived elsewhere. The center could be amazing - it needs a champion
Lets be real folks the center is a boondoggle. It is managed by boards of people including a number of Suffolk First Citizens (approved by the Rotarians) that live in a myopic self-centered world. They would have to freely give up power to allow change that would bring economic relief to the center. Instead they will come hat in hand and knives under their skirts to force the city to invest more of our tax dollars or "their" dream.
To anon 8:15:
Actually, these two "boards" have lost many members who apparently saw through the manipulation that was going on to control the SCCA.
Many who remain appear to be just rubber stampers looking for another tree to hug. When Lasakow goes all that will remain is a bureaucracy of staff controlling
meek volunteers and Betsy Brothers
wanna bees.
It may be true that board members have resigned because of their advercity to the internal politics and manipulations. One person in your comment made the statement that board members are selected for their expertise and ability to generate contributions, and it would be freely given to the SCCA no strings attached. Apparently the rats are now jumping from the sinking ship whether it be because of personality conflicts or their perception they do not want to be seen as the last person arranging deck chairs.
Why are there no "season sponsors" on the SCCA website? This appears to be a catastrophe we just discovered. They are hiding this from the public. No wonder they're broke. The board members must be zombies not to have noticed/corrected this with the staff since they have several staff members whose whole job is to raise money in the form of sponsorships/advertising/donations.
What sense does it make to continue wasting $2 to get just $1?
Also. is it true that the Holland lady who managed Mosaics quit? This thing is going to implode if the City doesn't step in to save this and its $450,000 a year that appears to be just to support the staff salaries without regard to accountability.
Paul Lasakow appears to be a genius by leaving now, and our community owes him for babying the insecure directors and staff for so long.
Isn't bizzare that one very high placed member of the SCCA Board also sits on the Suffolk EDA? If he can't manage the SCCA what do you suppose he's doing with our money and future at the EDA?
New blood - that's what's needed there. Someone new, passionate, and invigorating to the center and to the arts community - but most importantly knows Suffolk and the western Hampton Roads region.
All the crap talk about the center and the ones who've been running it is just that - crap talk. Be positive and seek positivity for the center and for the center. It really is and can be a jewel for the area.
Up next for our wealthy do gooders, the Nansemond River Preservation Aliance. Hope the Nansemonds have quiver fulls of arrows to keep them away because like their ancestors 400 years ago they will become yet another obstacle and moreso pestilance on the land.
Hmmmm, the chair of the SCCA who happens to sit on the EDA as Johnson's appointee also happens to control low income and/or subsidized properties in downtown. Surprisingly the city is in the process of removing many of these properties from the Historic District to allow the owners greater freedom to undertake improvements or neglect them without the consequences of a summons or penalty. Several years ago when times were good the same people were all for the historic district, now the economy has tanked they want it reduced. Who would be behind such political manuevering behind the scenes and why?
A Gentlemen's Club would be great for attendance, tourism and tax revenue. Some of the ladies could give a show and dance while peeling money from the pockets of unsuspecting citizens. Sounds just like a city council budget meeting doesn't it.
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