United Arts of Central Florida President and Ceo Flora Maria Garcia
It may seem similar only yesterday, but former president and CEO of United Arts of Central Florida Margot Knight has been gone for most seven months, leaving the region'southward largest arts-supporting organization without a leader (ii leading board members stepped in during the absence of leadership). Even before Knight's departure, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners began questioning its own contributions to the agency, while the local television media – always hot for some slack-jawed outrage – wondered whether United Arts should be handling the $3.two million the canton receives from the tourist tax or the $668,000 it gets in canton funding. Arts funding has always been low-hanging fruit for politicians, and that's especially the case here in Orange County.
For Flora Maria Garcia – who spent the last five years every bit CEO of the Metro Atlanta Arts & Civilisation Coalition (that organization was abruptly dissolved on May 24; Garcia was ane of its but two employees), following gigs in similar posts in Fort Worth and Missouri – information technology'south a familiar challenge. She'south been facing information technology for most 30 years.
"With such a big creative sector and so many incredible cultural offerings, the region is well underway in leveraging the arts as economic drivers," she said in an April 23 press release announcing her new leadership function with United Arts.
Garcia joins the bureau this week with a lot on her plate: The ever-shifting divisions within the arts community loom big below the shadow of an expensive – and culturally incomplete – performing arts center in progress. She also arrives just as United Arts is launching its grass-roots fundraising campaign, the Fine art of Giving, via QR codes and social media (June 1–17; theartsmatter.com). The times are clearly changing, so nosotros reached Garcia by phone to enquire her what she'south going to bring to the table.
"Cultural communities are pretty much the same everywhere," she says. "Everybody needs more money. Everybody's in desperate straits. The artists experience they're not getting paid enough attention. I want to larn all about the artist community." That she will.
OW: Your history seems to be one of working with authorities agencies, both in Atlanta and Fort Worth, to increase public-sector funding. From what I empathise about United Arts here, a lot of the concern is with private-sector funding.
Garcia: It'southward a mixed bag, because they become money from the city and the canton. A portfolio of funding is more than diversified and I think it's smarter. In Fort Worth, the portfolio was diversified just similar United Arts: private sector, city and canton – so it'southward very similar. The agencies that are most comparable are the Fort Worth canton arts council – that was a United Arts fund, and the goal in that location was to increase public-sector funding because a majority at that place was private-sector funding, and the public sector wasn't doing its fair share. The goal there was to inform and to brainwash and then that the public sector would be equal to the private sector. That'due south what happened.
You can make the argument that arts attract new businesses, simply to a lot of lazier public officials, equally you lot likely know, the arts are the first thing they get afterwards. Are you lot the type of advocate that is going to be able to come up in here and speak truth to power like that?
Absolutely! That'due south what I've been doing for the last 30 years, and the reason the arguments have been successful is that they're based on proficient information, good inquiry, and they speak to things that are important to elected officials: the economical bear on of the arts. Hither, the film industry has been huge. Simply seeing what that return on investment is, it gets them to pay attention. You have to really be savvy with your facts. People don't go to smashing cities because they don't have good roads and they have potholes. They go to great cities considering they have great fine art.
What was the interview process like for this position?
There were 2 times that I came down. The first was quick; it was about an hour-long interview at a hotel at the airport. Then they brought me back for most iv days, and I suggested that they schedule me like crazy, considering I was really interested in getting a flavor.
I met the chairmen of the symphony and the fine art museum. They were trying to proceed my candidacy quiet because I was withal employed, and so I didn't become to run into arts leaders; I met their lath members. Considering, you know, the world is small and everyone knows everybody. I met with the mayor and his chief of staff and some other staff and that was really interesting. What I was impressed with at City Hall, there's really skilful art in it. And the mayor is actually big into the arts. And so I met with the folks that are developing the performing arts middle. I met with a number of the lath members for United Arts, some of the staff. It was intense! Merely information technology gave me a really good sense of the community.
In that location are a lot of people who say the arts community is somewhat fractious correct at present.
It'due south non every bit fractured as Atlanta is! Are you kidding? This place is very fractionalized in the sense that you have 10 dissimilar governments that are counties and you lot have city and everybody has a different point of view. I didn't become and so much of that sense in Orlando. In fact, one of the questions that I asked was, "How exercise you lot all work together and collaborate and cooperate with each other?" The takeaway for me was that the leadership that I met was really excited nearly being there. They felt that information technology was a community that works well together, that variety is important, and really that people merely work together for the greater good. That reminded me a lot of Fort Worth.
Your predecessor, Margot Knight, was somewhat demonized by the leadership, at to the lowest degree behind the scenes. The appearance of the performing arts center was part of that. Did you get a sense in meeting with DPAC leadership that there's a way for United Arts and the centre to collaborate?
I definitely recollect so. I never retrieve of situations every bit an either-or situation. I think of situations as "in addition to." I retrieve having a major hall downtown is really important for the community. It'south going to be really important for the cultural organizations. Information technology'due south going to bring a ton more than people downtown. At that place's a huge revitalizing factor, if revitalization is needed downtown – I don't retrieve information technology is. Just it'southward going to bring a lot of people to the downtown area. Information technology's going to bring new art forms to the customs. I recall it's going to be good for everybody.
Well, that depends on whether DPAC really moves forrard with phase two, which would include the local arts groups in the equation, right?
My sense from talking to the leadership involved in that project is that they want the same thing that the cultural community wants. Everybody wants the same thing; it'south just a matter of how you lot get the funds. … Only I do believe that the venue, start of all, is important to accept because the current venue [the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre] actually is not a suitable place for the cultural groups. I actually went to run across the symphony there, and I thought it was pretty decent. Information technology worked. From what I had heard, I had expectations of it being horrible. It was fine. I do believe having a major new hall downtown is important, and I believe it'southward all going to piece of work out. There's always a dynamic tension about scheduling and who gets the all-time dates, but that is the devil yous have to bargain with.
Without a figurehead leading United Arts for so long, there has been some question equally to whether the organization is necessary. Why not just donate directly to the individual arts groups?
I think information technology's super of import and I think for a lot of businesses, a lot of individuals, having United Arts is similar having 1-cease shopping that as well does a thorough review process of cultural organizations and information technology holds the groups accountable and it makes sure that the contributed dollars are spent wisely and distributed appropriately among the broadest range of cultural organizations. I call up it's really important to give to a wide range of organizations, because that'southward sort of how you feed your infrastructure. The whole cultural fiber of a community is lots of organizations and individual artists doing lots of interesting things.
What'south your fundraising pitch?
I think you have to make a compelling argument as to why it's important to requite through United Arts, and information technology's actually of import to make information technology piece of cake for corporations to requite – it's ane-stop shopping.
The education plan that they support almost getting the arts into the schools, especially now, in the last xx years, where there have been significant cutbacks to education, and the arts are the start to get. This is one fashion to make sure that children get access and exposure to live arts events. I practice believe that a customs has a responsibility to back up these kinds of initiatives. And it also provides admission to people who normally would not take access. So it actually democratizes the arts every bit opposed to keeping the arts only for the people who can afford to pay the ticket prices.
Are you prepared to be completely transparent on the financial side?
Yeah! Why non? To me the more transparent you are – you take to be ethical, you lot have to exist transparent, you have to be above-board – to me, that just creates the credibility that yous need for people to believe in the piece of work you're doing.
Terminal question. Are you lot excited?
I'm excited! I dear coming into a new community and learning almost it and seeing what the opportunities are and identifying the truthful challenges. I similar challenges. That'southward what gets me excited nigh going to a identify: trying to solve the puzzle, figure out where the problems are, and what are the paths to find answers.
Some things are going to exist really quick and clear, and other things are going to have longer. Merely I'thou big on consensus-building. I'thou big on making no assumptions about a place that I move to. I'm going to accept a few months to learn as much as I can. You know, I've washed this before.
Source: https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/floral-arrangement-2249953