Artistic talent surges throughout the state, be it the visual arts, such as painting, sculpting, and film, or the performing arts, from theater and orchestra to dance and comedy. However, as yet, little has been done in southeastern Sussex County to physically accommodate such presentations. On Monday evening, Jan. 21, dozens of citizens, professionals and representatives of statewide art organizations came together to discuss that need.
Willem Brans, vice president of Arts Consulting Group (ACG), along with Zeidler Partnership Director of Architecture Michael Nelson, addressed the audience to present the possibility of creating the Joshua M. Freeman Center of the Performing Arts in the Bayside community along Route 54 in Selbyville, to be named after the late head of the community’s development company.
“It’s important for us to receive guidance and feedback from the community so that we know what the area is lacking,” said Brans.
The presentation, held at Ocean View’s Public Safety Building, was hosted by Carl M. Freeman Foundation Executive Director Jean Shaughnessy Hodges.
“There has been much conversation over the years about the arts and facilities,” she said, “and we’re lucky we have some land and an idea, but that’s all it is right now. We want to learn what the community wants and get as much input as we can.”
In attendance were artists, enthusiasts and representatives from local, regional and statewide arts organizations, ready to voice their opinion on the potential project. Some of the organizations represented were the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Lower Delaware Choral Society, Rehoboth Film Society, Delaware Music School of Milford, Delaware by Hand, Delaware Division of the Arts, the Southeastern Delaware Artists Studio Tour and Sussex Academy of Arts and Science.
Discussion on Monday included the notion dropping “Performing” from the name of the proposed facility, as visual arts have helped educate and entertain hundreds throughout the area, as well.
Herb Chesbrough, also with ACG, helped orchestrate the input from attendees.
“It’s apparent that some of the groups that perform in this region have statewide audiences from all over,” said Chesbrough. “Many of the organizations indicated that the audiences don’t change all that much in the summer, which would indicate that there are many people living here who share this appreciation.”
As far as ACG’s current plan of attack, Brans stated that the entire process leading up to the construction of such a center can be classified into three phases. The first (and current) phase inspects the possibility of utilizing a facility, including an analysis of the market and demographics, i.e. who would use it, who do the local arts attract, who they are serving. Once that is complete, a preliminary recommendation would then be presented to the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation.
The second phase looks more at the financial aspect of the project. “This is basically a financial analysis,” said Brans, “to see what it would take in terms of revenue and funding to operate the type of facility recommended.
The third phase deals with fundraising feasibility from both public and private sources.
“We’re looking at this as being much more than just a performance center,” said Nelson, who has helped construct notable projects including Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisc., Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Fla.
“The visual arts will probably play a fair part in this, but it would be used by the community for other types of functions, whether it be banquets, annual galas or meetings,” Nelson added.
Zeidler Partnership Architects has been working in performing arts venue design for decades, accomplishing more than 80 different cultural facilities worldwide.
“Invariably, everybody wants everything at first,” said Nelson, “but we help these projects gear to that area. You really have to know that what you’re fundamentally planning up front is affordable and meets the basic needs of the groups involved.”
Several of his projects have become staples in their areas, attracting countless art enthusiasts each year and providing alternative means of entertainment to the public in an attempt to reach what he describes as a “dynamic theater-of-the-people” experience.
“A center like the one we are talking about is specific to art presentation and education facilities,” he continued. “It needs to be part of a context, and also, it needs to be special in the community. It needs to stand out as something really unique. We tend to use a lot of glass in our facilities, so the lobbies become like billboards for the activities within. The lobby should encourage interaction between patrons. The performance hall should be as tight and intimate as possible. And we should think of multi-use of the facility.”
Public input given on project’s form
Several people at the presentation came with concerns and opinions, primarily in favor of a congenial arts center.
Lincoln Davis, who has been active in several statewide performing programs, addressed the matter of the area lacking a centralized location. He has driven his children from locations in Millsboro, Georgetown and Rehoboth, to the gymnasium in Lord Baltimore Elementary, and to Bear Trap Dunes for their recitals and performances.
“Everyone I talk to — both parents and children — say, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if…?’” he said. “We need somewhere everybody can come together instead of going all over the place.”
Others present at Monday’s meeting brought attention to what they say are inadequate dance studio facilities in the area — the fact that there are no substantial places for dancers and performers to practice or present. Nowhere in the area can performers find spring flooring, they said.
Other art groups, such as quilting guilds that have gathered and displayed their works in Millsboro, have outgrown their facilities and require larger space.
Transportation was another concern on people’s minds. Many of the older enthusiasts, and even some artists located in Rehoboth or Lewes, may not be privy to (or may be incapable of) driving to the projected location for the center, they said. Brans agreed that establishing a shuttle service might be a possibility once the center is under way.
Plenty of recommendations were brought to the table, all aiming to ensure the most successful outcome for such a center, should it come into being.
“Roughly 75.2 percent of the population in Sussex County is 45 years old and older,” said Nancy Feichtl, executive director of Sussex Academy of Arts and Science and a lifelong Sussex Countian. “Our idea of recreation is not racquetball, but more cultural events. The population here is well-educated and affluent, and we need more forms of recreation for these people.”
Others recommended ideas to represent different cultures through varying art exhibits, brought together in international and regional celebrations. Additional possibilities that a culture arts center might provide included lectures and speeches, cabaret theater, and orchestral and opera performances.
Some notions tied use of the proposed center with the inevitable expansion of the Southern Coastal Library and its accommodations. And several people voiced their desire to keep the Joshua M. Freeman Center from turning into the “big white elephant” that they said the Ocean City Convention Center has become.
State Sen. George Bunting (D-20th), who attended the meeting, spoke of the necessity of a culture arts center in the community.
“Certainly,” he said, “the need is there. Unfortunately, from the state side, there’s not a lot of money out there right now.” Bunting mentioned current progress of developments such as the library and the expansion of Beebe Medical Center out to Clarksville.
“We’ve got a lot of good things going on, with an interesting economy right now, but there’s certainly a need for something like this here. Rep. [Gerald] Hocker and I are here for the people. We’re tremendously blessed with the people here with so much talent and so much knowledge of these things. It’s really the public’s choice.”
Exploratory phase to last about six months
As far as a timeframe for the proposed project, Brans mentioned that he plans to return to the area for continuing feedback and comments from the public.
“This part of our study, where we’re learning about the area and finding what people want,” he said, “will likely take four to six months.”
The financial rundown of phase two is expected to take anywhere between six to eight months. Designing and creating the facility is difficult to put on a calendar, he said, although it is undoubtedly a multi-year process.
“I think we’re looking at less than 10 years,” he said, “but it’s hard to say exactly how far off at this point. If there’s the will in the community and the funding is there, it will work.
“I’m not a believer in the saying, ‘Build it and they will come,’” Brans added. “A lot of people have done that, then their art centers go broke after three years. We want to create a facility that is special to this area and the communities. You have to plan something like that. This is something that if done right, can last for hundreds and hundreds of years.”
Representatives from ACG continued Tuesday to meet with other local organizations, including the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, to gather more details about the area. Continuing research and public feedback are to be taken into consideration before any potential project advancements.
“We’re getting more into understanding the demographics of the area before we move forward,” said Nelson. “The turnout has been fantastic,” he said of Monday’s meeting. “It’s great to see community come out and feel so strongly about this project.”
“This project is truly a legacy,” said Hodges. “It was always a dream of Joshua [Freeman] to create a culture arts center for the community. He had always loved the arts, and this is really what we’re about: having a gathering place to bring people together. He always cared for his community and this would be a great way to give back. It’s all very exciting.”
The ACG team is currently discussing a means for the public to have their voices heard, whether through Web-based blogs or message boards. Stay tuned to Coastal Point for continuing coverage of the Joshua M. Freeman Center for the Arts at Bayside as research continues, including upcoming public meetings presentations, and ways to have your voice heard.