an editorial by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 15 November 2016
On November 5th, word went out from the Board of the Fremont Arts Council (FAC) that the November 8th monthly public meeting of the volunteer-driven community organization had been cancelled. The meeting would have taken place on election night, and Board President Susan Harper wrote through the FAC Yahoo Group that, “The election is very important to many of us and so we leave that time alone with respect.”
She’d responded to a concern about planning for the next FAC event: the Feast of the Winter Solstice traditionally takes place on December 21st. At this time, the next publically scheduled FAC meeting will take place December 13th, eight days before the party.
There is no need to question whether or not the Feast will happen. FAC members and volunteers excel, based on past performances, at pulling off events at the last moment. At the FAC October 11th meeting, they confirmed the plans for the annual Trolloween celebration on October 31st. Volunteers had stepped up to organize Trolloween even though Maque daVis, who produced it for 24 of the last 26 years, had to be out-of-town. The volunteers acknowledged it would be scaled down, as was the 2016 Solstice Parade (done in less time than usual) and the 2015 Winter Feast (ditto.) And Trolloween did take place. As to how it went, well that report might have been given at the November meeting.
The Joys Of The Past Visited On The Present
The Feast isn’t the biggest of the six annual FAC events, but it is the most intimate. It started as a dinner among friends, most of whom had met through the arts organization, and building a brand new parade. Attendance and interest in the Feast grew and grew, and with a lot of empty warehouses in the neighborhood then (the 1980s) the organizers moved it in to whichever one they could get free (or cheap.) This gave them an empty space to transform into whatever kind of celebration they wanted.
This wealth of space transformed the Feast into a grand undertaking, with elements added over the years that require a heavy load of work by volunteers. (Read about the Feast elements in a Fremocentrist column from December 2013.) At the October meeting, an attendee commented on how he wants to keep it a quiet, friendly potluck supper, and ritual, and another voiced her preference for a dance party with music and light. No discussion, or decision, developed because everyone agreed that it depends on what kind of space the the FAC leadership find this year.
The November meeting might have provided another opportunity to discuss potential sites and share insights on what could be done with what might be available. Instead, according to the messages from Harper, they would hold a “smaller meeting of the Board on Monday evening,” with no further date/time information given, to discuss Feast planning and direction.
Direction is important. Last year, the venue for the Winter Feast didn’t get finalized until early December, allowing a little over two weeks for decorating, planning and ticket sales. The FAC came through, as they do, and put on an impressive celebration given the haste. Yet, such last minute efforts have worn out some volunteers.
‘We’ve Always Done It That Way’
The FAC of the early days and the FAC of the Feast in the warehouse had similar people in common, but they were different organizations. The first was a scrappy collection of young people thrown together by a common effort to build a Parade out of nothing. The second had similar character (still scrappy) but with dozens more volunteers (the reason for the larger space,) and more money (raised by several years of successful parades, and fundraisers.) Neither had grand expectations built up over years.
Today, FAC volunteers not only have to do what their predecessors did – sometimes without knowing what that looked like – but they often are held to a peak of performance standards based on the recollections of others. This year’s Feast will be expected not only to happen, but to meet and/or exceed the favorites of the past…
…with fewer volunteers. The FAC Board has shrunk, and those who volunteer today often come with already full schedules of their own. Many local organizations feel this shrinking of volunteer energy. The FAC leadership have talked about how difficult it has gotten to engage volunteers in building Solstice Parade floats and ensembles, over weeks, when decorating a bicycle and covering yourself in body paint takes only a few hours and still gets you ‘In!’
The FAC also has funding issues. Efforts to rally the organization, and make it more accountable and responsible, are moving slowly – if at all. On November 4th, the leadership hosted a ‘Future Shaping’ event, at Hale’s Ales Brewery, promoted by direct e-mail and Facebook, and not through the Yahoo Group. Again, without a November meeting, any insight into how this went, or if it might lead to donors feeling more confidence – and more open fisted – is lost.
Matching Resources To Results
The FAC needs volunteers – to come in, give their own energy and direction to the non-profit and help shape a future based on its present, not on the past experiences. At the October meeting, discussion on Trolloween detoured through names developed, and defined, over 15 years ago, long before most current volunteers had been involved.
The FAC is an entirely independent arts organization that has the freedom to be whatever it needs to be, based on the resources it has, the tools available and the people who want to work it. At this moment, it resembles the old person refusing to part with the silver candlesticks that have sat on the mantelpiece for a lifetime, even as the family suffers and starves.
Please consider getting involved and giving your insight on what you can contribute. Members, potential donors and potential volunteers need to speak now and inform the FAC leadership on what they need from this non-profit – and what they will give to get it.
On December 8th, the next FAC general meeting will take place – at 7:10p at The Powerhouse. It is likely to a meeting all about last-minute Feast planning. On January 10th, 2017, the FAC will, hopefully, meet again, same time, same place, with more freedom to make plans for the next traditional events of the year (the Petit Troll parade on February 26th, May Day on May 1st and the Solstice Parade on June 17th.)
Please consider participating, and helping shape the present and future of this wonderfully unique organization. For more information, visit the FAC website or Facebook page – or attend the Dec 8th and Jan 10th meetings!
Related Articles
- Features Of The FAC Feast
- by Kirby Lindsay, December 13, 2013
- Why I Love Fremont, This Week: Forever Young
- by Kirby Lindsay, July 10, 2013
- FAC Election Results… Positive Steps?
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, March 21, 2016
Related FAC Event Articles
- When Fremont Went To Hell (Trolloween)
- by Kirby Lindsay, November 16, 2009
- Fremont Feast Marks Winter Solstice
- by Kirby Lindsay, December 30, 1998 in The Seattle Press
- Petit Troll lets The Good Times, And Tiny Floats, Roll!
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, February 4, 2016
- The FAC Weave A May Day Celebration
- by Kirby Lindsay, April 23, 2012
- How To Build A Solstice Parade
- by Kirby Lindsay, May 16, 2011
©2016 Kirby Laney. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.