The Art of Revival
The festival's founder is guardedly optimistic.
"At the end of the day, we have to impose fiscal responsibility," says former Fulton County Commission Chairman Michael Lomax. "Corralling the production costs -- that's been our real bugaboo."
Now president of Dillard College in New Orleans and still a member of the festival board, Lomax organized the first National Black Arts Festival in 1988. He used his office to promote the biennial celebration as a signature cultural event that would highlight and advance African-American music, dance, film, visual arts and other disciplines.
Organizers expect this year's attendance to top 1.5 million, and the festival now bills itself as "the world's largest celebration of the creative genius of people of African descent."
But the event, running July 28-Aug. 6, has suffered blows to its image over the last few years while racking up a debt in 1996 and 1998 of more than $1 million.
"It's been frustrating, no question," Lomax says. "It gets to be kind of old."
Festival organizers say they have learned from their mistakes and won't repeat them. "This is a new National Black Arts Festival," says festival chairwoman Ingrid Saunders Jones.
Jones points to a new finance director, a new executive producer and an audit by accounting firm Singleton and Jordan as proof that the event is now financially accountable and efficiently organized. "The new structure reflects lessons learned," says Jones, vice president of corporate external affairs for Coca Cola Co. "The National Black Arts Festival 2000 is about credibility and stability."
About 90 percent of the debt has been paid off, and $1.6 million has been raised for this year's event. Optimism among board members, executives and supporters abounds, despite the history of money troubles.
There also are new headquarters at Studioplex, an artists' studio/loft complex off Auburn Avenue, and a new executive producer, Stephanie Hughley. Hughley was the festival's founding artistic director from 1988 to 1992. Now, she's responsible for planning the event's overall artistic direction as well as running its daily operations.
Her resume includes a stint as vice president of programming at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, where she later joined the senior management team to become the center's first programming executive. She also was theater and dance producer for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Cultural Olympiad.
"Part of the reason they asked me to come back was because I spent time creating major cultural projects that were not only artistically responsible but fiscally responsible as well," Hughley says.
Reflecting that philosophy, the seventh biennial festival is described as "scaled back" by some observers. The festival budget is $1.8 million this year, compared to budgets that swelled to $3 million in 1996 and 1998.
But organizers contend the festival's programming won't suffer from the shrunken budget. Activities once again include multiple stages of live performances, exhibitions, food courts, panel discussions, film screenings, book and health fairs, a children's village and vendors' and artists' markets. "It looks as big as it ever was," says Hughley.
At the same time, to reign things in a bit, a good deal of this year's activities will be concentrated on the historically black campuses of the Atlanta University Center, as opposed to the loose sprawl of offerings previously scheduled across town, from Auburn Avenue to Greenbriar Mall. There still are satellite events planned in conjunction with the festival, but for the first time, gates will be set up and a fee of $5 will be charged to enter the multi-acre festival site when the event culminates Aug. 3-6.
The festival kicks off with a block party, a fundraising gala and a weekend of activities at Studioplex before shifting to the AU Center.
"Historically black colleges and universities are important resources as repositories of art and as centers of discussion on race and culture," says Hughley. "This year's partnership between the NBAF and the AUC is considered a natural, with the AUC serving as the site of the festival's symbolic homecoming."
Symbolism aside, chairwoman Jones views the new location as more practical. "That's going to be our epicenter," she says. It's one place patrons can identify with, like the Music Midtown site, and know everything is happening there. "I think that reflects lessons learned also. We're really trying to present a consolidated festival."
Organizers say they're confident the new site won't limit the event's appeal among whites. "In this country, we've always got an issue with race," Hughley says. "But art and cultural activities are the things that bring us together."
And Lomax isn't worried about this year's 10-day celebration of African-American art and culture attracting an audience. "Our challenge is not the product and not the audience. The real challenge is to produce this festival without producing additional debt. I don't want a financial hangover in the morning."
Over the long haul, more changes are afoot for the festival. Hughley and the board are transforming the organization into a year-round cultural institution that will do more than throw a biennial festival. That plan is to sponsor year-round educational programming, special performances and possibly mini-festivals dedicated to particular disciplines, such as ballet, during the festival's off years. The theory is that donors and foundations would prefer to shell out the bucks to a cultural institution rather than to a host committee for an event that takes place only once every 24 months.
"If you're only going to do a festival every two years, it's hard to attract donations," Hughley says. "Through educational programming, we are going to create projects that will give us life after the festival and in turn generate money. We've had a hard time in the past thinking about the future."
The changes apparently are paying off -- to the tune of $1.6 million in fundraising over the last nine months. "That is exceptional," says Jones. "It reflects an actual fundraising strategy." Under Hughley's direction more than $300,000 has been pledged by both Coca Cola and Fulton County, and more than $200,000 from both the Chrysler Corp. and the city of Atlanta.
That so many sponsors and donors were willing to step up with money and in-kind donations has reinvigorated supporters by reminding them their work hasn't been in vain.
"They all believe so much in this festival," Hughley says. "They said 'this is too important to just let it go.'"
