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  Home Page » A&E » Columnists » You Call That Art » Arts Showcase Is A Great Idea - But When

Arts showcase is a great idea - but when?

by Ted Holteen
You Call That Art?

Who doesn’t like a good extravaganza? Whether it’s Oscar night in Hollywood, Chinese New Year in San Francisco or the Monsters of Rock in Atlanta, when you bring the best of the best together in one place, people will come.
Which brings us to the Durango Showcase of the Arts. If you’ve never heard of such a thing, don’t worry – it doesn’t actually exist yet. But even in its conceptual stage, the idea of a weeklong rapid-fire art-a-thon is a good one. The Showcase is the brainchild of Bob Kunkel, whose primary purpose in life appears to be ensuring that people enjoy themselves on the streets of Durango while filling the coffers of downtown businesses. And that’s just what the Showcase is intended to do.
The vision, as Kunkel sees it, would be a nine-day event that would hyper-publicize every aspect of Durango’s art scene with sales, shows, auctions, performances, tours and open houses going on every day in downtown parks, theaters, galleries and restaurants.
“The concept must be clear: The Showcase is an empty shell that must be overflowing with arts community content before there is something substantial to promote. The desire must come from the arts community themselves,” Kunkel said.
Kunkel hosted a meeting Sept. 21 to gauge support from the arts community. About 20 people showed up, but what the gathering lacked in numbers it made up for in muscle because those who did attend are some of the major players who could make or break such an event. The hope is that by establishing an annual arts extravaganza, the Showcase would become a regular draw to attract visitors to town. There appears to be universal agreement on the benefits, but the tricky part seems to be choosing the right date.
The first suggested date is July 31 to Aug. 8, 2010. Those dates would assure a captive audience in the heart of tourist season, before the kids head back to school. A pro, to be sure. But several cons arose as well at the first meeting: The timing is too close to the end of Music in the Mountains; the event should be scheduled later, during the so-called “shoulder season” when local businesses are scrambling for guests – and so on.
With so many cooks involved, it’s a pot that could be easily spoiled before the water even starts boiling. As conceived, there is no limit to the definition of art – music, film, writing, painting, glasswork, photography, dance, jewelry, pottery, theater, wine and beer making – the list goes on. More than one person or group will not like whatever date is chosen, but I hope that dissension will not blur the bigger picture. Interested parties may weigh in again Monday during the next conceptual meeting, but a date’s got to be set soon, because it’s going to take a lot of work.
Kunkel joked at the first meeting that the ideal size for a committee is one, emphasizing his point with a thumb to his own chest. A bit Stalin-esque, perhaps, but sometimes the tough decisions do come down to one vote.
Pick a date, Bob – they will come.
ted@durangoherald.com