Growth brings creative arts concerns

AUSTIN (KXAN) - As Austin's population continues to grow, concern is spilling over from traffic and housing to more cultural items like the arts. Now, leaders are banding together to brainstorm for the future.

On Tuesday, the second Engage Breakfast at the Long Center became part of a series to discuss growth in the city.

KXAN is partnering with Leadership Austin and Community Impact to address that topic with a project called ATXpansion .

"The creative community in Austin contributes $2.2 billion annually to the Austin economy,” said Robert Faires, the Austin Chronicle's arts editor. “That's roughly a total of 44,000 jobs."

Faires sat on a panel of some of the city's cultural frontrunners who addressed keeping the artistic world alive as the population goes up. After polling audience members to find out what the biggest challenges to arts in Austin would be, it turned out they thought this:

• retaining working artists
• business involvement
• financial support.

The Long Center just hired a new CEO and executive director to dive into its money matters and cultural pulse – Jamie Grant .

"Now we have to look for ways to improve the experience for audiences and generate revenue as a result of it,” said Grant.

Panelists pointed to unfortunate cases like the Austin Lyric Opera that has faced some financial challenges in recent years and has now put its headquarters up for sale.

"They cut back, and sometimes they may even go away altogether,” said Faires.

Attracting donors was the No. 1 solution for this group, but people agreed the arts need to have better focus on business. One example was the Zach Theatre. It has sought out performances people want, its subscriptions are up, and now it is constructing a new building.

"We have a five-year business plan that shows us when times are good and what happens when times are more challenging," said the theatre's managing director, Elisbeth Challener.

The next Engage Breakfast series is Dec. 6 and you can find more information about registering here . There are more breakfasts to follow next year at the Long Center.

• Dec. 6 - State of Giving: Can we meet the region's needs? (Kodosky Lounge)
• Jan. 17 - Water Use and Management: A balancing act (Dell Hall Stage)
• Feb. 7 - Festival Fever: Major events and their impact (Kodosky Lounge)
• March 6 - TBD (Rollins Theater)
• April 3 - TBD (Dell Hall Stage)
• May 1 - TBD (West Donor Lounge Terrace)