Arts Forum SF

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October 24, 2006

Survey Response: Robert L. Jordan Jr.: Candidate, D6

1. Have you ever served on the board of an arts agency or organization?
Yes, I have been serving as the Business/Promotional Liason for Artist by Design which is owned and directed by Ms. Karish Saulsby for many years now.

2. Describe your current arts activities as a patron, an audience member or worker, etc. What arts events have you participated in recently?
I have attended many art festivals as of late including the one that recently took place at the Yuerba Buena Gardens. I also attend the Artist by Design Fashion Shows which are produced and given by Ms. Karish Saulsby. These shows are usually held on a Sunday evening. I have attended many artists/arts productions at the 509 Cultural Center.

3. Please list three arts organizations or working artists in your district. Do you know them personally?
The Asian Arts Museum, Society for Asian Art, the Museum of Modern Art, in the Yerba Buena Center region of the South of Market, and the 509 Cultural Center at 509 Ellis Street.

4. If elected, will you commit to displaying art created by local artists in your office at City Hall and attend arts events in your district?
Yes I would. I would have art work covering all of the walls in my office from the various different local artists. Anytime that I could go and make an arts event in between

5. The City's General Plan spells out a vision for the arts in San Francisco: "San Francisco is nationally and internationally acclaimed as a cultural center where the arts are central to the essence and character of the City. It hosts a flourishing cultural environment in which a profusion of art is created, performed and exhibited in adventuresome, creative and often ground breaking ways. The breadth of artistic achievement in San Francisco encompasses many disciplines, cultures, individuals and organizations of all sizes."
What does that vision specifically mean to you, and your district?
The vision specifically means to me that if one is in the leadership position, that they being leaders should foremost promote the arts in their city and government. Since I am a singer, and I greatly love all of the arts, I would do my utmost to lobby, promote, and even seek money through fund-raisers to see that San Francisco remains at the forefront. I would do this knowing that this city has the most concentrated number of artists per capita.

6. What is your evaluation of and commitment to current city funding for the arts, existing agencies and priorities (such as Grants for the Arts and the Arts Commission's Cultural Equity and Individual Artist Commission Programs, etc.)?
My evaluation and commitment to current city funding for the arts, and existing agency is that it is fairly good, however there could be much more funding of money for the arts and their existing agencies. I would do everything within my power to see that there will be more money available for this.

7. What are your priorities for future or increased arts funding?
My priorities for future or increased arts funding are to have a long talk with chat host Mr. Ray Taliafero, who has been on KGO for 35 years, and has also served on the Arts Commission for 30 years. I would seek to set up many fundraisers involving Mr. Bernie Ward, Gene Burns, Ronn Owens, Karel, and othes of the KGO radio and tv team.

8. Are you familiar with the recent report by the Arts Task Force?
Yes, I am familiar with the recent report by the Arts Task Force, and the three phases that are mentioned in it.

9. Do you support the Arts Task Force's recommendations to fully restore the statutory Hotel Tax Fund contributions to arts and tourism?
Yes, I do supoprt the Arts Task Force’s recommendations to fully restore the statutory Hotel Tax Fund contributions to the arts and tourism. This would be helping the arttists/arts and allow them to have extra revenues as they pursue their goals and achievements.

10. If so, what would you do in next year's budget cycle to fulfill that promise?
I would make sure that during our budget committee discussions that I would persuade the budget committee to restore the statutory Hotel Tax Fund contributions to the arts and tourism fund(s), and convince them that by doing this they are keeping many of the artists right here in San Francisco.

11. In past decades, a Neighborhood Arts Program was one of the largest recipients of funds from the City's Grants for the Arts; however, that program has been decimated in recent years, and many neighborhoods have limited access to arts and culture close to home. Do you support the Arts Task Force's recommendations to create a new and substantial Neighborhood Arts Program across the entire City?
Yes, I would support the Arts Task Force’s recommendations to create a new and substantial Neighborhood Arts Program across the entire city, and to bring aboard individuals that think the same as Mr. Ray Taliafero. And it would not be a bad thing to ask him to come back and assist in this endeavor.

12. If so, what would you do, as supervisor, to fulfill that promise?
I would appeal to all radio and tv talk show hosts, (as well as the stations) airwaves, and ask for their assistance in making my promise a reality. I would also support other supervisors’ in solving their problems in their perspective districts.

13. Do you support the rest of the Arts Task Force recommendations?
Yes, I agree with the rest of the Arts Task Force’s recommendations that are made pertaining to arttists/arts.

14. Do you find any of the other Arts Task Force recommendations to be particularly valuable to you and your district?
Yes, I find the Task Force’s recommendations to be particularly valuable to each and every district throughout the commmunity, because it offers inclusion.

15. As a supervisor, how will you work with artists and arts organizations in your district to communicate the value of the work they do to other community-based constituencies, and to encourage and facilitate partnerships and alliances (e.g., merchants groups, neighborhood associations, trade unions, social service and healthcare non-profits)?
I would also chat with the merchant groups, neighborhood associations, trade unions, social service and healthcare non-profts, and see if they are willing to display it in at their places of work or businesses. I would even help promote a lot of these activities, if asked to do so.

16. The City's General Plan lists artists and artisans as a population in special need of affordable housing policies and programs: "Artists have special housing needs for affordable accommodations that provide large wall space, high ceilings, lofts, lighting, and the ability to work at all hours of the day or night. There is high demand for such flexible space in the city, as many of San Francisco’s artists live in apartment units not suitable for such activities. It was estimated that about 60% of San Francisco artists are lower income households, earning less than $25,500 a year in 1990.” History has proven that the housing marketplace will not address these special needs on its own.
How will you work to develop and maintain long-term affordable housing and studio space for individual artists and arts organizations?
I would make sure that affordable housing and studio space for artists wouldl be considered as new constructions were going up. I would even attempt to have someone on the artist/arts on my payroll, even if it meant paying them out of my pocket. If we start losing most of our artists out of the city, we lose on the whole.

17. The SFUSD recently created its first Arts Education Master Plan. As supervisor, how will you help the SFUSD find the resources to guarantee implementation of the plan?
I would help the SFUSD search for grants and fellowships throughtout the 50 states, for them to have the needed money to enable them to have a very successful arttist/arts organization in their shchool(s), as well as throughout the city.

18. How do you see the Board of Supervisors working in concert with the Board of Education, the Mayor's Office and the social service sector to provide expanded, coordinated arts education opportunities for children and youth across the entire city, during school hours and after school?
Being a singer, I see myself working and becoming very close with the artists/arts organizations, getting knowledge from them as well as my good friend Mr. Ray Taliafero that had been an Arts Commisioner for 30 years. I also intend to visit the schools or have the schools visit the Board of Supervisors’ and Board of Education meetings, and the Mayor and let the Mayor and entire Board(s) see all of the talent and potential greatness that are attending their schools here in the city.

19. Please give an example of an urgent issue in your district and how you would work with artists/arts organizations to address that issue.
There may be an urgent issue where a certain artists/arts organizations need money to do their shows, and the money is not apparently in the city budget. I would throw a few fundraisers, chat with the businesses, and see if they would come up with some of the monies that were needed, and also try and come up with other creative ways in forms of grants for the artists/arts organization in which to address this problem. Somewhere and some way, the money will have to be found.

Posted by at October 24, 2006 11:09 PM

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