Guide to the Arts 2007

by Ryan A. Bunch

published August 29th 2007

Live. Work. Create.

Executive director of the Arts Commission lays out Toledo’s first attempt at centralizing a local arts district

Marc Folk and I sit in his rugged Downtown studio as he explains the details of the Live Work Create Toledo program to me. As I scribble notes and interject questions, I can’t help but be distracted by an overwhelming sense of joy.

The plan Folk, executive director of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, is laying out to me sounds like a well-edited version of almost every conversation I’ve had with local artists during my last five years of involvement in the Toledo arts scene. At its core, the ideology of Live Work Create is simple — it’s a partnership between the City and local creatives to help stir economic revitalization in the Downtown area. In reality, it’s an exhaustive project that will involve a lot of planning, partnership and fine attention to its many details. And the goals, while sounding seemingly simple are going to take a lot of hard work — attract 30 new artists to Toledo annually, attract five new creative/arts businesses to the Greater Downtown within three years, and support the development and occupation of 40 affordable live/work and/or live/work/sell spaces in the Greater Downtown area within five years. Nothing this wide-reaching has been done in Toledo before, much less in most American, especially Midwestern, cities. Nonetheless, it is a plan built on logic. “It just makes sense, it has to work,” says Folk. He pushes up his thick black framed glasses, rubs his eyes, readjusts them and dives in.

Building a foundation

In the spring of 2006, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner called Folk with a proposition. He caught wind of a model other struggling cities have used to reinvent their spirit. By attracting and supporting the arts, a handful of cities across the country have been able to recapture interest in their downtowns. Artists bring events and people and clean up their living and studio neighborhoods, creating a demand for shops, supply stores and galleries. With concentrated blocks of “things to do” come shopping and tourism, and with tourism comes revenue.

Finkbeiner proposed to Folk that if the Arts Commission could raise $100,000 dollars to support the first year of the program, the City would chip in $50,000 from its discretionary budget to the cause. That money, it is important to note, is sourced from Community Development Corporation (CDC) funds from a federal source that is already dedicated to community revitalization efforts. In essence, none of those funds are paid by Toledo tax payers, which Folk cites as a benefit, that the program won’t actually cost Toledoans any money. To get the ball rolling on the program, the Mayor put up $25,000 of that same money to bring in consultants to assess Toledo’s ability to support such a program, as well as hire staff to begin working on the project and to cover other up-front expenses of researching the implementation of such a program.

“This is the City’s initiative to clean up Downtown,” Finkbeiner said.

Less than a year and a half later, that $100,000 goal has been met, and the findings of the consulting firms ArtSpace and ArtistLink were positive, citing a strong local arts scene, a number of existing cultural assets — including the Toledo Museum of Art, Collingwood Arts Center and Secor Building Studios — and an abundance of buildings ripe for renovation into live work spaces. The official report stated that Toledo might be “a very good candidate” for the initiation of a live/work program.

Get in the Zone

A joint partnership between the City of Toledo and the Arts Commission, it was decided that the best way to implement the program was in small doses. “The first phase of the program was defining the borders of designated 'art zones' for the program to take root,” said Folk. The area they chose to launch it from is in Toledo’s Warehouse District, or, more accurately, from the Maumee River, running up Jefferson Street to Huron Street, over to the Toledo Farmers Market, and diagonally to the Amtrak station near the base of the Hi-Level Bridge.

“We chose to focus on that area first because of what was already there,” said Folk, citing a handful of design firms, the St. Clair Village — containing 20 North Gallery, and businesses like Downtown Latte, Homeslice Pizza and Fusion Martini Bar, among others — as well as attractions like Fifth Third Field, the SeaGate Convention Centre, Tony Packo’s, the train station, and the coming Middlegrounds Metropark and arena. And that’s not including the already existing artist studios. Work spaces like the Secor Building, Olive Street Studios, Morris Street Studios and a handful of others have already, and most importantly organically, established the area as friendly and supportive of the arts. “It’s an area where numerous aspects of art and creativity are already happening, if we can continue to build on that, and continue to attract more artists to that area, it can easily create a demand for commerce and a vibrant neighborhood that would be appealing not only to artists, but to Toledoans and tourists as well,” said Folk.

‘Building’ is a key word in the discussion of the Live Work Create program, and its something building owners in the district seem willing to do. Developer and owner of Diva Restaurant and the Secor Building, Jim Zaleski, has been renovating buildings in the Warehouse District for more than 10 years. Most recently, he rehabbed the rooms on the sixth and seventh floors of the former Secor Hotel into artist studios, providing studio space for nearly 20 local artists, and finishing two galleries in the building on the first and sixth floors. Zaleski says the program accents exactly what he has been doing with redeveloping spaces like the Secor Building.

“This [program] is a pure economic development play. It identifies how downtowns have been redeveloped elsewhere, and the local government is trying to influence that. It's a very positive step,” said Zaleski.

During a small press conference in the first floor gallery of the Secor Building last Tuesday, at which the Live Work Create program was officially unveiled, and at which the Mayor publicly applauded the hard work of the Arts Commission Board and staff in undertaking tasks such as Live Work Create Toledo and Artomatic 419 to strengthen the local artist population, Folk discussed talks with the owners of the historic Fort Industry Square Building on the corner of Jefferson and Summit streets, stating that they were willing to build out live/work spaces to house artists and take part in the program.

While the immediate focus of the program is in the Warehouse District, the next ‘art zones’ have already been defined. The second being the Adams Street Corridor in the UpTown District — an officially designated Arts and Entertainment District by the City — which is currently home to the Main Library, Wesley’s Bar and Grill, Manhattans Restaurant, Pub St. George, Manos Greek Restaurant, Bretz Bar, Toledo School for the Arts, Toledo City Paper, a framing shop and a handful of artist studios, reaching toward the Collingwood Arts Center. The CAC will be involved in the program immediately to offer affordable and existing live/work space for young and/or emerging artists.

“The Collingwood Arts Center is a vital asset, not only for its residency potential, but for its magnificent theater, which is a strong attraction for performance artists and organizations looking to take advantage of the program,” said Folk.

The third zone will then start from the Toledo Museum of Art and run back toward Downtown along the Monroe Street Corridor. Folk says those two will become the focus of the program when “a saturation point” is reached in the Warehouse District. But first, the artists need to come and saturate it.

“Adams Street and the UpTown Association are already working hard to expand the types of creative businesses they can bring to the area. When we move to focus the program on that zone, there will already be a healthy infrastructure to build on,” said Folk.

It’s all about incentives

If the first phase of the program was defining zones to initiate it in, the second phase is defining incentive packages for artists. “Ideally, this program will market what is already here, but will also attract artists from across the country to Toledo as a place where they can operate. We’re looking at these artists as the small and mid-size businesses that they are,” said Folk, “They need live/work spaces that are affordable and conveniently located.” According to many, Toledo can offer just that.

Dustin Hostetler and his wife Jemma currently operate a graphic design studio out of their home in the Downtown suburb of the historic Old West End neighborhood. Known as Studio Sans Nom, the Hostetlers have achieved an impressive amount of national success, fulfilling projects for Air America, Absolut Vodka and Scion, just to name a few. They’ve done all their work and marketing from their base in Toledo. Currently, Dustin is also employed out of Chicago, which he easily commutes to once a month.

“If you are lucky enough to be able to manage your clients via e-mail and phone calls, Toledo is a great place to be based. The cost of living is staggeringly low compared to any of the major markets in the U.S., and since we are located on so many major arteries and close to the Detroit airport, travel is easy and affordable if we need to get out for meetings,” he says, continuing, “Since Toledo’s pace of life is a little slower than places like New York or Los Angeles, we get the benefit of a busy day of work followed by enjoyable, chill evenings around town. Artists based in major cities throughout the U.S. spend too much time worrying about rent, and the day-to-day hustle of living in a big market. Artists could relocate here, spend more time working on their art and enjoying life.”

Hostetler’s point is a valid one. Before any of that can happen, the program needs developers to step up who are willing to make an investment in the effort. It’s still early in the stages of the program, but Folk seems confident that this will happen, especially considering advanced interest from the likes of Fort Industry Square.

“It’s possible that some of the low-income housing areas in the Downtown area could be eligible for grants that would allow the owners to build out live/work spaces for artists,” Folk said. This situation, would make it possible for artists to live affordably in spaces specifically designed for their needs.

Bowling Green State University Director of the School of Art, Katerina Ray is an enthusiastic fan of the program.

“It makes it easier to attract faculty to the region. If they know there may be incentives for them to set up studios and produce artwork through the Live Work Create program, it can make a difference if someone is weighing us and another competitor,” she said. Ray believes the program could help curb Toledo’s much discussed ‘brain drain’ problem.

“If we can retain our young talent here after they graduate, because it will be easier for them to set up their studios and to market and sell their work, that’s what every city and county administration wants — to hang onto their young people. The most positive effect it could have would be to retain our young creative talent. It’s going to lead to the inventions of tomorrow,” she said.

Marketing the market

The other vital aspect of the program is marketing, which will be fully supported for both cultural organizations and artists through a partnership between the Arts Commission and Toledo’s PBS station, WGTE to establish online infrastructure for artists and arts organizations.

The result of the collaboration will be a Web portal that will be unveiled in November. It will allow local artists to create their own professional Web sites, from which they can expand their business and networking opportunity through the Internet. “It will be available to any artist in the Toledo area,” said Folk, “And its going to be a very useful tool. Through it, artists will be able to market or sell their works, such as paintings, and just the same, performers and groups will have the ability to sell CDs, tickets for their events or whatever else they need to do.”

Users will be able to input upcoming events into a calendar, which will be automatically entered into the Greater Toledo Convention and Service Bureau online calendar, www.DoToledo.org. The events will also be e-mailed directly to anyone who signs up as a user.

“Along with this Web program, we are creating a map of every creative and cultural location and business in the greater Toledo region,” said Folk, making it easier for curious culture seekers to find out where they need to go. “The goal is to market everyone — everybody in, nobody out,” said Folk, “Whether its a long-standing business or group, a new just-getting-off-the-ground organization or someone moving to town to take advantage of the program, they all need and deserve equal marketing opportunities.”

To hear Folk speak of this level of support calls to mind the verbage contained in the Live Work Create Toledo press release, which seems to be the mantra of the Arts Commission as it continues to develop, coordinating and promoting events like the Meet and Greet series and Artomatic 419.

The verbage reads: “The Live Work Create Toledo program is designed to centralize and elevate the visibility of the local and regional artist population, arts organizations, and cultural assets and to attract and retain artists/creatives to Toledo to become permanent residents of our community.”

While it all sounds pleasing from a perspective of fun and entertainment, the reality of the viability of the Live Work Create program comes down — like everything else — to money.

Green space

Economic revitalization is a catch phrase increasingly associated with talk of arts, and there’s good reason for it. During the last decade, an increasing number of studies have been done to determine the economic impact of the arts on communities. Cities like San Diego, Calif., Paducah, Ky., Chattanooga, Tenn. and even Manchester, England have turned their local economies around by embracing artistic needs, making the sell extremely attractive for post-industrial Midwestern cities like Toledo.

Simply put, Folk says its been proven that cultural tourists spend more money. “They come to a place looking for things to do, they visit galleries, peruse shops and dine in local eateries,” he says. His claim is backed by a statement published in literature from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, stating that “Cultural tourists spend nearly 45 percent more money than other tourists during their visits, take longer trips, and are more likely to shop and peruse other educational activities.”

A 2006 report in Governing Magazine notes that the artist relocation program in Paducah “has been a powerful economic tool for the city. Officials estimate the program has attracted $20 million in direct, private investment and brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in sales tax and other tourism-related revenue.” The report also sites that property values in the city have “sky-rocketed.”

For a city that is currently operating millions of dollars in the red, it seems that embracing the arts could at least ease Toledo’s financial tensions. Mayor Finkbiener has publically stated that he doesn’t believe the arts will be the sole saving grace for the city, but does see the financial advantage they offer.

Bowling Green State University recently completed a study of the economic impact of the arts in the Northwest Ohio region. While Ray didn’t want to give away the details before the public announcement of the findings (Oct. 2 at the Valentine Theatre), she did say the results were positive. “It focuses on the 27 counties of Northwestern Ohio, and it will bear out that it is as strong, if not stronger in rural areas,” she said of the impact, “Some of the results are really positively surprising. We wouldn’t have asked the First Lady [of Ohio, Francis Strickland] to speak at the opening if they weren’t.”

County Commissioner Ben Konop — who has been championing a creative platform, including the implementation of the United States’ first ever low-interest loans to purchase art programs, Art Assist — agrees that the arts can have a very positive effect on the economy.

“We’re moving into a different type of economy in the 21st century. People can work from anywhere in many jobs, there are no geographic constraints. The way cities and communities compete for talent — talent equaling jobs — is by making their communities someplace where people want to live. Art is a big factor in that,” he says, “In many ways, the key to economic development in the 21st century is getting young people to stay in your community or move to your community. Once you get the people there, they organically come up with business and create jobs. I don’t think that government is particularly good at micromanaging economy and creating jobs, but I think government can help on the edges with making the community a more vibrant place that attracts the creative class who then create jobs on their own.”

Some skeptics say comparing Toledo to other cities is a waste of time, but Zaleski disagrees. He says he's seen the same change first hand in places like New York, Denver and Toronto, among others.

“If you look at the history of redevelopment across America, it's followed the same pattern. Why the arts? Because it works. It's about money. I've seen it work in a lot of places. And, some people say 'Well, Toledo's not New York.' Toledo's no different than anywhere else. What works there will work here too.”

Risky business?

While the evidence seems solid, and the plan seems to make sense, it is important to consider the risks of the program and the possible faults involved.

Is the Live Work Create program a risky gamble? Not really, according to Folk.

“The worst-case scenario is that for some reason the program fails. What’s at risk obviously are the investment dollars and the time people have put into the project. It would be upsetting, but wouldn’t necessarily have a strong counter-active result. There is a strong group of artists and people who’ve worked very hard for a long time to get even to this level, where there is support and interest for and in their cause by the local government. Those people aren’t going to give up. I think the worst-case scenario is it fails and the people pick up and move on in a different direction to achieve the same result,” Folk says, and flashes a confident smile, “But I really don’t see that happening.

However, there is another aspect to consider, which is something that happens frequently in these scenarios. Artists move in, spruce up the community, attract business, property values raise and then suddenly artists discover that they can no longer afford to live there. This scenario is most notable in neighborhoods like SoHo and the Lower East Side in Manhattan.

Some believe this cycle is part of a cities natural process to rehabilitate itself, but others, like Folk, aren’t so keen on the idea. “That is a possibility, and it would be a shame to see that happen,” he says, “But its another one of the risks you take.” Obviously years away from that point, Folk seems less concerned with speculating about the future and more concerned for now with getting the plan off the ground.

As our meeting winds down, Folk lets his guard down from the practiced explanations he’s used to describe most of the program. He pushes up his glasses and relaxes, speaking sincerely, “Honestly, it’s new, and there are a lot of details to be worked out, but this program gives me hope. This isn’t a gimmick plan, it’s something that everyone involved truly believes in. It makes sense. It’s logical. And that’s how we pitched it when we were seeking funding — here’s what it could do, and here’s why we think it’s important. When I think of the possibility of what this program could do for Toledo ...” he trails off, nodding his head slightly with a calm look on his face.

He doesn’t need to finish his sentence. I was feeling the eager chills of anticipation, too.

Art installments

Commissioner Konop discusses Art Assist

Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop wants you to have art on your walls. With the revolutionary new Art Assist program, that’s a likely possibility.

Unveiled to the public about six weeks ago, and made possible through a partnership with Key Bank and the Lucas County Treasurer, Art Assist offers the option to any Lucas County resident of purchasing art from a local gallery with a one year, 1 percent interest loan from $500 to $2,500 dollars.

This program is the first of its kind in the United States. Konop says he got the idea from a radio show a few years ago about a similar program in Manchester, England. A struggling post-industrial city much like Toledo, Manchester implemented a low-interest loan for art programs to help restart its economy. Konop hopes it will help here as well. Though he has “taken a beating” from some opposers who say the program is a waste of time.

“This program is not just a handout to the art community. I think the biggest beneficiary of the program is the art consumer. It makes art more affordable for the average citizen of Lucas County. Instead of having to put art on a credit card, or plopping down $2,000 dollars, you can get a low-interest loan and pay it back monthly and actually be able to purchase art that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to purchase,” Konop says.

The Commissioner notes that the money from the loan program becomes an important part of the economic cycle, citing sales tax revenue generated from the sale of the art, and galleries and artists who put the money they make back into the community, buying supplies, hiring employees and making other purchases.

“This money is actually being directly reinvested. Government, everyday, invests in small business. Many businesses throughout our community are in some way getting government investments. This is not a new concept at all. It’s never been targeted to the arts before, that’s the difference,” says Konop.

The point of investing in small business is economic revitalization, something Toledo badly needs. “Our economy is, right now, it’s on life support. We need to start looking at new ways to grow our economy and reinvent ourselves,” says Konop.

“The potential long-term economic impact is great for a relatively small investment in terms of making our community more attractive to young creative people. Then getting those people here and having them create jobs for the entire community and actually reinvigerating our economy,” Konop says, “We have a really strong base for an art community. For a community our size, we have a lot of talented artists, we have a great art museum, we have the glass pavilion, we have the Collingwood Arts Center, the Secor Studios, and we have a great base to work with. Hopefully, that [arts base and Art Assist] takes us to the level of Columbus, Ann Arbor, or Portland, Ore. I think we can aspire to that level of an arts scene.”

So, will Art Assist be the savior? Konop says no, referring to the program as a “shot in the arm” of the economic recovery process, but an important shot nonetheless. “Galleries actually employ hundreds of people in our community, so they’re not a small entity. They actually create jobs and help our economy. This helps galleries stay in business and grow,” he said, “The gallery owners are really the key. They will end up being the salespeople for the program.”

To date, only a few folks have taken advantage of the program, though Konop says it is likely that Artomatic 419 Lite (Sept. 15 and 16) could easily exhaust the program. “The program is only funded for up to 50 loans, this is a pilot program. Conceivably, I think at Artomatic we could potentially do 20 or 30 loans. If the program is successful in the pilot stages, we could potentially move on to make it bigger and more permenant,” he says.

To inquire about the Art Assist program, visit any Greater Toledo Area art gallery. During banking hours, loans can be applied for and approved over the phone. For details on the Art Assist program, contact Commissioner Konop’s office at 419-213-2155.

Leaders of the pact

Meet the dedicated eight who’ve accepted the challenge of making your city a better place

Robert Bell – Toledo Symphony

• Personal motto? Resist self absorption
• Hobbies outside of your organization? Wolves, dogs, running, reading, volunteer for Toledo Fire & Rescue(Museum and Health Plan), bird watching
• Who is one person, contemporary or historical, you admire? R.W. Emerson
• What is the value of the arts to a city like Toledo? The arts are an essential commentary and connecting point of life and humanity, necessary in general for a civilized society and for our community specifically.
• What is your vision for your organization? A sustainable,vibrant,fully professional orchestra thoroughly integrated in the region through outstanding perfomance activity and educational services.

Julie Champa – Citifest

• Personal motto? Don’t dwell on the problem, dwell on the solution. Under promise and over deliver. No good deed shall go unpunished.
• What was your major in college? Favorite course outside your major? Business Management. My favorite course outside of my major was First Aid. It was fun to bandage up my roommates.
• Favorite book? Movie? Recent favorite book...What to Expect when you’re Expecting and What to Expect in the First Year. Lately we have been into the Baby Einstein trilogy. Learning the Seasons, Discovering Neighborhood Animals and Baby Neptune.
• Hobbies outside of your organization: Raising my one-year-old son.
• What is the value of the arts to a city like Toledo? Arts play an integral role in economic development as a quality of life function. New business is attracted to a city with several arts and recreational offerings. Businesses are more likely to reside in a lively city that is culturally exciting.
• What is your vision for your organization? To have the resources both financial and other to produce large scale festivals and events for visitors and citizens of Northwest Ohio that make Toledoans proud of their City.

Kim Buehler – Toledo Jazz Society

• Personal motto? “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” This is a new one for me, and quite the challenge. Let’s just say I’m a work in progress!
• What did you want to be when you grew up? A back-up singer for Luther Vandross - don’t laugh – you want the truth, right?!
• Favorite book? Movie? The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield / Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• Who is one person, contemporary or historical, you admire? Not to sound cliché, but I’d have to say Oprah Winfrey. Her constant reassessment of herself and her life is inspiring to me. I think she really “gets” it.
• What is the value of the arts to a city like Toledo? The arts and culture are what make people want to “be” where they are. I think we are all coming to the realization that life is not just about what we do for a living. Finding that balance as individuals and as a community seems to be the focus of conversation for my family and friends. Having rich cultural offerings brings people to where you are and encourages them to spend time AND money!
• What is your vision for your organization? To continue to develop strong partnerships within our community and to use those partnerships to further our mission of increasing knowledge and awareness of jazz, America’s great contribution to culture and history.

Clyde Scoles – Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

• Personal motto? My personal motto is from T.S. Eliot: “The very existence of libraries, affords us the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of civilization.”
• What did you want to be when you grew up? Actually, I was entertaining the idea of either teaching or law.
• Hobbies outside of your organization? My hobbies are historical automobiles, weight lifting, tennis, running, and reading.
• What is the value of the arts to a city like Toledo? The value of the arts in Toledo is paramount in terms of giving people a wonderful means of expression with the ability to provide a venue for a passion and sense of creativity. The arts teach us literacy through theatre and dance to music and the visual arts. The arts bring us happiness as it enhances our lives in so many ways. And, the arts in any town go a long way in inspiring true economic development and value in any community that willingly supports the arts whether it is government or private industry.
• What is your vision for your organization? Grounded on a welcoming, safe and improved infrastructure with diverse collections, a dedicated and well-trained staff and innovative programming. The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library (T-LCPL) is poised for the future. We will continue to expand and enhance program partnerships. Increase usage and awareness. Help enlarge information access, navigation and education needs. Inform and educate Toledo residents about the incredible resources available as well as expand our outreach and marketing messages by linking with neighborhood, media, retail outlets, educational and cultural institutions, bringing our message to all of Lucas County and Northwest Ohio that (T-LCPL) is their first stop for information, entertainment and/or inspiration.

Don Bacigalupi – Toledo Museum of Art

• Personal motto? Work hard, be creative, breathe.
• What did you want to be when you grew up? A record producer or museum director
• Favorite book? Movie? Proust’s "Remembrances of Things Passed." "Imitation of Life" (Douglas Sirk, Director)
• What is the value of the arts to a city like Toledo? They are precisely what separates humans from all living things, and what every civilization leaves behind that defines it. They are the lifeblood of creativity in a city.
• What is your vision for your organization? We transform lives in our community, through the power, beauty, enlightenment and inspiration of art from all cultures and periods. We are the friendliest world-class museum on the planet.

Mari Davies – Toledo Ballet

• Personal motto? Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is looking.
• Who is one person, contemporary or historical, you admire? I was always in awe of Jacqueline Kennedy – she exhibited endless class and dignity as well as passion for the arts.
• Hobbies outside of your organization? I’m a voracious reader, love to ride my horse, and spend time in Maine where I kayak with the kids.
• What is the value of the arts to a city like Toledo? They can determine a city’s vitality. Portland, Maine, with a population of fewer than 100,000, has a very energetic arts community that makes the city a great destination. Maine College of Art & Design is downtown, which obviously brings young people to the city. A balance between athletic and arts events seems to fortify the vitality of any city as these two entities attract often different audiences, which in turn meets more needs for a greater number of community members.
• What is your vision for your organization? Toledo Ballet has taught ballet to area children for over 70 years. We have expanded our dance offerings way beyond ballet to meet the needs and desires of all age groups and tastes. We are committed to continuing to expand our community outreach programs and I’d love to see Toledo Ballet satellite studios in outlying communities in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan so that those residents have access to the highest quality of dance and performance education.

Marc Folk – Arts Commission of Greater Toledo

• Personal motto? Keep it moving
• Hobbies outside of your organization? DJing, making art
• Who is one person, contemporary or historical, you admire? KRS-ONE
• What is the value of the arts to a city like Toledo? The arts are invaluable to a city like Toledo and are intrinsic to the city’s revitalization.
• What is your vision for your organization? To continue to advance arts and culture in the greater Toledo community.

Renay Conlin – Toledo Opera

• Personal motto? “Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now!” from Goethe's "Faust"
• Who is the one person, contemporary or historical you admire? I admire Peter Gelb, General Director of the Metropolitan Opera for the incredible vision he brings to his position and his efforts to make opera accessible and available to everyone.
• What is your favorite book? My favorite movie is? My favorite book is "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy. My favorite movie is "Death in Venice."
• What is the importance of the arts to a city like Toledo? Imagine a city without the arts. It would be a bleak vista, devoid of color, life and excitement. The arts truly are the identity of our city, its soul. And opera is its voice.
• What is your vision for your organization? My vision for Toledo Opera is to present entertaining and exciting opera performances of the highest artistic quality to an ever increasing and diverse audience. Most people who say they don’t like opera, have never actually seen one! We find that when we can get someone new to attend – they absolutely love it. So, a large part of my vision is how to be more inviting and attractive to first-time opera attendees.