The Ashby Arts District Alliance has been meeting for the past year and a half to discuss how we can best serve and engage the community through the arts. It has been asked, "what is the Ashby Arts District's position on the Cal Trans grant proposal?" As a district we do not have an official position, as the district is not a single entity with a singular point of view. Its members have diverse interests and agendas, just like the community at large. We are united first and foremost in the belief that "by working together we can best serve this neighborhood."
Speaking only for myself as a neighbor, a fantasy future of the Ashby BART west parking lot park would be to underground the parking and create a greenbelt that supports and enhances the flea market and creates a space for public use and cultural events. I think the Flea Market is an extraordinary gem and its long-term survival is critical to any discussion of this neighborhood and its future. That is my opinion, one voice among many in this neighborhood.
Speaking as a pragmatist, I also see the value in creating a relevant (as defined by the current resident voices) economic zone, centered around the timeless cultural and social character of the Flea market. The challenge is creating a plan that is politically, socially and financially viable in an environment of mistrust and fear. It is up to all of us to transform this situation.
I advocate any and all constructive action that supports the revitalization of the neighborhood and creation of more collaborative public life in a world that has become increasingly fragmented and isolating.
Our mission at Epic Arts is to build community through the arts. For the past eighteen months Epic Arts and the other active members of the Ashby Arts District have been contributing time and money to a fledgling outreach process. This includes tabling at events, canvassing and a handful of meetings. In 2005 Epic Arts received a small grant for the NEA which offset 15% of the cost of producing the Ashby Arts District Calendar. 10% of remaining required funds for the calendar come from sponsors and the majority (75%) come from the already lean budget here at Epic Arts. In addition we maintain the website at ashbyartsdistrict.org. Epic Arts offers performance and meeting facilities to local artists and resident organizers for minimal fees and extends a "no one tuned away for lack of funds" policy for most events. We worked with our Ashby Arts District partners to offer a district-wide open house and celebration last summer. We were delighted with the warm response and wide-ranging participation and look forward to expanding the event this year. I believe this is the type of effort that organizations such as mine can and should be making.
Last year I was asked to write a letter of support for the Caltrans grant, which I saw as a grant asking for funding to support a feasibility study and community process. I agreed to support it because I think the existing parking lot is a space that has unrealized potential to serve the community. I saw the study as a way to kickstart this process. The references and assumptions made by Ed Church in the grant application are a result of his experience and perspective bias. I was not focused on his perspective bias at the time because I expected that once the dialogue began it would be a catalyst for community discussion. Instead what has happened is that the references and framing of the grant were taken as a fully formed plan for the future.
The silver lining here is that the dialogue is happening and we would not have been able to see this kind of participation without such a trigger. For this I am grateful.
I would like to suggest that all of us take this opportunity to come together as a community and collaborate on a vision of what this neighborhood can become. Change is. It is now up to the stakeholders to choose how we want it to unfold.
I personally favor change that serves a diverse community and revitalizes the South Berkeley spirit, culture, and physical landscape. In support of these goals, I have been in actively engaging is discussions with potential partners such as the Northern Ca Land Trust and other district members about effective ways to support service organizations, low-income and senior housing, youth services, non-profits and other social services as well as Community Arts.
I am a pragmatist as well as an idealist. The people who have the most direct control over the future of this neighborhood are the citizens and in particular the homeowners. The challenge is finding out how seemingly opposed views can work together and how those who are typically excluded from the the process and benefits of "change" can truly have a meaningful and protected place in this discussion.
Moving forward with these goals is a daunting task and I am making myself available as much as humanly possible. As my totally committed, underpaid, overworked staff have discovered it is still not enough. With that said I am extremely optimistic about the future and what we can do once we get our agendas in alignment, or at least pointed in the same direction.
With all this being said my organization is offering our facilities for any organizing around this issue free of charge. It is a small space that can comfortably seat 25-35 people for a meetings. To find out about availability please first check our calendar on line at www.epicarts.org or in print to see about availability and them contact Justin Katz our Program Director at booking@epicarts.org
Thanks so much for taking the time to listen.
Sincerely,
Ashley Berkowitz
Director, Epic Arts.
ashley@epicarts.org