RATIONALIZING the IRRATIONAL Profiling the Role of Art Organizations Who Help Challenge Gentrification & Related Social Issues
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RATIONALIZING THE IRRATIONAL Profiling the Role of Art Organizations Who Help Challenge Gentrification & Related Social Issues A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Yvonne S. Smith in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Arts Administration August 2014 iii DEDICATION I dedicate this accomplishment to my earthly parents Jacqueline K. Williams and Esper C. Williams, and to my father in heaven, my champion; The Lord God Almighty. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would not have been able to write this thesis without the help and support of countless individuals, to only some of whom it is possible for me to mention here. I would like to thank all of the individuals in the organizations who contributed this research for their passion in what they do, which inspired me to write this paper and who also make this topic so important on a larger scale. I would like to especially thank Tracy Broyles; Executive Director of Spiral Q, and Andrew Snyder; a band member of the Brass Liberation Orchestra as contributing representatives of their respective organizations for their kindness and willingness to share the wealth of information that made this paper possible. I would also like acknowledge the authors of the numerous articles and essays on the organization PAD/D cited in this paper, which greatly contributed to supporting my literature review and the research collected in this paper. Particularly, the permitted use of documents and essays by Gregory Sholette available at www.darkmatterarchives.com. I would like to thank my fellow peers from the Arts Administration graduate program who have supported me with their friendship and accountability during this process. I would like to thank all the professors and adjuncts who taught me in the in the program who I am most grateful to for all onward achievement in this field. I would like to thank Julie Hawkins, Program Director and Assistant Professor of Drexel’s Arts Administration program for encouraging me to write on this topic and helping me iii develop the foundation for my research during and after graduate seminar. I would like to thank Cecelia Fitzgibbon for initially serving as my advisor when I first began building my research in 2011, and for helping me develop a framework for this paper when before it was only a great topic. Finally, I would like to thank my advisor and thesis program director Dr. Andrew Zicter for his wealth of knowledge, insight, feedback, and direction which turned a great topic into a completed research paper. Lastly, I would like to thank Paul James, my spiritual father, and Senior Pastor of Careview Community Church for his accountability and support over the last few years as he so often reminded me “the best thesis is a finished thesis” – Indeed. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .......................................................................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... II ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................................ V INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 PROBLEM STATEMENT ......................................................................................................................................... 2 RESEARCH METHODS ............................................................................................................................................ 4 LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................................................... 11 FINDINGS AND EVIDENCE .................................................................................................................................. 30 ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................................. 47 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................... 57 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................................... 60 v ABSTRACT In previous research artists have been identified and blamed as influential agents in causing gentrification, despite efforts made by artists and art organizations to offset gentrification. Contrarily this paper uses historical analysis and qualitative data from interviews to examine the role of arts organizations whose mission involves challenging gentrification and related social issues. The findings demonstrate their potential for success as social movement organizations as defined by Stern & Seifert in their paper, Irrational Organizations. Further examination of their creative processes, relationships with partners and supporters, and their commitment to mobilization reveal that at their best these organizations are able to use art to prioritize their mission, maintain structure as a solid foundation for prioritizing the people it serves, and incorporate mobilization as a tool for advancing its efforts against gentrification and related social injustice in a manner that corresponds best with its capacity and its mission. 1 INTRODUCTION The arts have played a significant role in changing communities, and as a result, for several years has been the subject of much conversation surrounding gentrification. The arts are considered a positive change agent, using methods such as creative place making, as a tool for cultivating healthier communities. Contrarily, the arts have also been accused of completely transforming the social context of neighborhoods, and influencing the displacement of long-time residents by causing gentrification. In this paper gentrification is defined as the gradual process of change in the social status, values, and character of a neighborhood as a result of an influx of a wealthier class of residents that displaces the neighborhood’s original or current inhabitants (Atkinson & Bridge, 2005 p. 4). Even as the arts have become a pawn in the gentrification process, there have been artists and groups who defend the role of the arts in broken communities and seek to protect these communities from gentrification. This paper explores the role of art organizations that mobilize against gentrification. No current research in the Arts Administration field specifically addresses the role of these organizations. However, understanding their role can help artists and community arts groups find the answers to vital questions regarding the issue of combatting gentrification as it relates to artists and the communities they serve. Theoretically, the role of these organizations resembles 2 social movements as they appear to lack the acceptable and assumingly rational structure of governance and performance of a non-profit organization, and in some cases existing informally without any official incorporation. However, in regard to their activities and operations in their respective communities, this definition is only an extension of their role as art-based community development organizations. In this collaborative role as organization and social movement, these groups best serve their community in challenging gentrification when they do not abandon their role as artists but use art to prioritize their mission, when they do not over emphasize administrative performance but maintain a strong enough infrastructure to support relationship building and service to constituents, and when they integrate mobilization as a method for advancing community in a way that best fits their capacity as an organization and best serves its mission. As a result, to better challenge gentrification, these groups must first challenge the effectiveness of their conceptual role as social movements, but with the support of a practical substructure. PROBLEM STATEMENT Since the early 1980s, artists have been widely considered as an influential cause of gentrification in urban communities (Cameron and Coaffee, 2005 pg.39-58). However, what has not been as observed or evaluated in the fields of urban planning or arts administration is the role of the artist in efforts to offset gentrification. As a result, the true intentions of artists and organizations helping to transform underdeveloped 3 communities often are misconstrued by the community they serve. The role of these artists and organizations is often under-observed, misdirected or left undefined by the field itself. Moreover, far more research about the role of the arts in gentrification is explored in other fields, such as urban planning, than it is explored in arts administration. A better understanding of the historical and the current role of organized artists and organizations specifically counteracting gentrification and the social injustice that surrounds it will help substantiate the purpose of these groups in our field and promote dialogue and research regarding the long-term success for such artist and groups. For the purpose of this paper, when I use the word "role" it defines the manner, behavior, and attitude