(Revised 1/25/2016)
Starting Point I dream of an Arts Center nestled in the Smyrna community amongst neighbors, schools, businesses and potential Braves fans. This arts center would be an incubator feverishly working to place art in all places throughout Smyrna. It does not exist currently but remains a dream. This dream would lead me on an artful journey to explore possibilities right under my nose. It all started during visits to Tampa, my father-in-law, Starlin Martin, a retired industrial hygienist and artist, would take the family to his studio at the Morean Center for Clay in St, Petersburgh, FL.
The old brick structure embodies an eclectic flair sure to impress any artist and arts enthusiast. It includes studio space (group and individual), kiln room, classroom and gallery space exhibiting art of varying caliber. Mr. Martin is an award-winning sculptor and has a discernible style uniquely his own. His studio is inspiring and is an enclave of thoughtful exploration in all things clay.
He encouraged me to research grants and to look for grant opportunities that could frame the vision. I slept on it, marinated in the thought and delighted in the possibility. I enjoyed visiting the MCC because it was an identical setup that I envisioned for Smyrna. The more I shared the idea, the more I could see it become a reality. I researched the demographics of a site I had in mind, downloaded maps, researched property owners, sketched potential footprints, called real estate developers, shared with friends, etc. Then, I slept on it…
The City of Smyrna was incorporated in 1872 and is the 4th largest city in the metro Atlanta area. It lies 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta and is home to 57,000 people and counting and is on track to becoming the largest city in Cobb County. It has a home town feel with a progressive vision. Smyrna is also known as the “Jonquil City” for the thousands of daffodil blooms in early Spring not seen in any other city in the South.
Art in Smyrna? I started sniffing around to see what arts presence Smyrna actually had and there was none, or so I thought. I combed the internet and discovered a Facebook page for the Smyrna Arts and Cultural Council that was created in April of 2015. I decided to attend the July meeting and it was great to hear all the work already done towards the creation of this new Council. The need for art and culture in cities is substantiated by the NCAR Arts Vibrancy Index: Hotbeds of America’s Arts and Culture answering the question “what factors make up a community’s arts vibrancy and what cities have them” explaining how art has impacted cities all across the US. The report was an interesting read and substantiates and proves the need for arts and culture in cities. Then, I slept on it…
Our Town + A Partner is Born One evening, I decided to follow up on Mr. Martin’s suggestion to research grants and discovered the NEA “Our Town” grant. It is an annual grant requiring a 501c3 cultural organization to partner with a local municipality to pursue an arts endeavor that encourages “livability” with art at its core. I thought about the connections I already have and how they could be used to create something awesome. I currently sit on the Advisory Board for the Kennesaw State University Zuckerman Museum as Outreach Chair and thought it would be a great way to reach out to a neighboring city. I’ve been a resident of the City of Smyrna for almost 18 years and there is a definite need for a stronger arts presence. I stewed over the idea some more and … I slept on it.
“Go Get Your Bananas” Then I was listening to Joel Osteen’s sermon which ended with these powerful words, “Go get your bananas!”, a cry to those who have dreams collecting dust in the caverns of their hearts. These four words and my mom’s constant prodding and pushing encouraged me to persevere in spite of fears and inhibitions. That’s when I placed a phone call to Justin Rabideau, Executive Director for the KSU Zuckerman Museum, to set up the first meeting to discuss the grant. We met at Rev Coffee after work one day and I shared with him the ideas that swam in my mind. He was excited and offered to introduce the KSU School of Art and Design into the mix. We shared more thoughts over coffee and slowly but surely it seemed destined to become a reality with great possibilities for all.
After the positive feedback from ZMA, I spoke with Nancy McGee about getting on the SACC agenda. She is a long time friend and neighbor and was also instrumental during the formation of SACC. She put me in contact with Bill Marchione, Chairman of the SACC Steering Committee. We met and discussed the grant and all the wonderful possibilities. The grant was approved to be included in the July agenda.
The General Meeting I presented the grant opportunity at SACC’s first “official” general meeting where the culmination of the steering committee’s efforts would result in elected officers and a bustling Board of Directors. Justin Rabideau and Geo Sipp, Director of KSU School of Art and Design, were present to share their mission to serve the community and offered snap shots of how effective they are at engaging students and the community in the arts. They brought tremendous energy to the meeting. The City Mayor, Max Bacon, along with everyone present, shared in the excitement and I’m honored to serve the post of SACC Secretary.
The ad hoc grant committee was formed and included Jeff Jones (SACC President), Bill Marchione (SACC Vice President), Troy Sather (SACC Treasurer), Nancy McGee (SACC Steering Committee), Tricia Meyer (SACC Board Member), Kathleen Trella-Newland (SACC Board Member) and Joan Stuart (then SACC Board Member). We met often exploring potential pursuits and narrowed our list down to 4 possible projects. These included a historical biking/walking trail, arts center, community art festival and art @ public buildings. We sought advice from KSU and others. Surprisingly, both the historical tour and arts center rose to the top as the most viable to win the grant. This presented an interesting “problem” for us. We deliberated and developed the historical trail with the newly acquired Reed House as a potential arts destination. We developed the idea a bit more and met with Justin who encouraged us to infuse more art into the mix. His NEA experience and guidance was a huge help because we struggled to bring art and history together in a meaningful way.
The Project The Jonquil City Historical Trail will highlight 60 important events and places formative to Smyrna’s development as the thriving city we know today. The Reed House will serve as a major arts and cultural destination on the trail. A virtual tour created using Google Maps will engage students and others within and beyond the city limits chronicling a journey thru time with site descriptions and historical photos. In addition, the physical trail will include artful elements at each location and will include map tables, markers, wayfinding and interactive sculpture to celebrate each site. Smyrna’s existing bike share program and bike trails feed into the trail. The possibilities are endless.
The People Working with the adhoc committee to endeavor the grant gathering information, developing content and implementing a vision provided me a glimpse of my capabilities and I realized quickly that the experience and wisdom of my cohorts were immense. All are highly seasoned professionals who are so very committed to the cause and are totally responsible for the success we’ve achieved to date. Here they are in alphabetical order:
- Jeff Jones is SACC President and is community liasion extraordinaire. His connections are bountiful and his energy infectious. He gathered letters of support from Smyrna’s businesses and fans. He also supported the effort by offering SACC regular updates on our progress.
- Bill Marchione is a cornerstone in this project in so many ways. He was a member of the Visioning Steering Committee that formulated the Visioning Report for Smyrna. He was then appointed Chair of the Quality of Place Committee established to implement the recommendations, one of which was to create an arts council. He presided over meetings with the initial 25 to 30 participants between March and August laying the groundwork for the SACC. Bill is a professional Historian for whom Smyrna is blessed to have as a resident being recently named “Smyrna’s Kiwanian of the Year”. He authored the book “A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia” which is instrumental to the development of the trail and all other historical endeavors. His knowledge base of the City and the legacy knowledge is invaluable to the effort.
- Nancy McGee is a founding member of the SACC and is the ultimate facilitator who asked all the right questions. Her skillful way of questioning helped to crystallize the vision. Nancy and her family are long time residents of Smyrna providing invaluable insight into what life was like in old town Smyrna.
- Tricia Meyer gets the award for “Wordsmith of the Century” and is an amazing writer who brought clarity and sameness to our words. She continues to streamline, purge and embellish the writing with clarity and poignance.
- Troy Sather is in charge of the budget and has a laid back but powerful presence. His feedback on the numbers helped us to realize that our vision deserved more than the NEA offerings and that we needed to capture additional funding sources if the trail was to become a reality.
- Joan Stuart is our fundraising wizard who is instrumental at opening our minds to creative funding methods and sources. She provided document templates that will help to raise funds for the trail.
- Kathleen Trella-Newland is an artist with a heart for students and academia. She offered keen insight from the artists’ perspective and brought a level of truism and respect for the artist. Her creative zeal illustrated and elevated our expectations for possibilities translated through many artful components.
- ME??? – I endeavored to lead the ship, to rally, push and pull wherever I could to make things happen. I brought faces, hearts and minds together and sought to stir up enthusiasm about this intriguing project. My involvement on the ZMA Advisory Board as Outreach Chair is what fueled the flame of possibility. The opportunity to work with both groups fascinated me.
The University Partnering with KSU is truly a win-win scenario. They have an impressive repertoire of degree offerings. Their commitment to the arts is evidenced in the opportunities provided to their students within and beyond the university. Their resources are immense and they remain a committed partner for the grant. Their commitment is telling of their shared desire to put Smyrna on the map in regards to the arts.
The Journey Continues We are shooting for the 2016 grant cycle and are hopeful for a successful bid for the NEA Our Town grant. I remain an active participant as we move into the implementation phases of the project. However this journey ends, our hope is for Smyrna’s history to be realized through the Jonquil City Historical Trail with artful expression for the entire community to enjoy for generations to come.
“Trust your journey, trust the process, raise your energy, the right people will come into your life.” – Steven Aitchison
Shaun Martin Architect 