Toledo Local Flavor:CITIZEN PROFILE
Marc Folk
Marc Folk is the Executive Director for the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo (ACGT). He joined the Arts Commission as an instructor with the Young Artist at Work Program in 1997 and in 2000 served as the program director. From 2000 to 2004 he served as the Coordinator for the City of Toledo's One Percent for Art Program and from 2004 to 2006 as the ACGT's Artistic Director. He holds a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Toledo and is former student of the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland.
He is committed to the development of arts and culture in Toledo and maintains an art studio downtown. In his spare time he deejays, gardens, works on home improvements and celebrates the recent birth of his son.
What are the goals and programs of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo?
The mission of the Arts Commission is to promote and develop the arts in the greater Toledo community. The programs of the Arts Commission are many and wide ranging. They include: Parkwood Gallery (which features the work of 100 local artists annually); City of Toledo's 1% for Art program (acquiring and conserving the city's public art collection); Young Artist at Work (YAAW); Ninth Congressional High School Art Competition; Art in TARTA: Artists/Creatives Meet & Greet Series; Artomatic 419 as well as many other services and special projects designed to enhance the local community.
Please describe your role at the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo.
As Executive Director I oversee the day to day operation of the organization. This September will be my tenth year working at the ACGT. I started as a college student teaching sculpture for the award winning Young Artist at Work Program in 1996. My role at the commission is to continue to move the organization forward in a progressive direction, proving the power of the arts as an agent of economic development and urban revitalization and asserting the relevance of the arts to both the general and artistic communities.
Artomatic 419 is coming soon (September 2006). For those who have yet to hear about the event, please tell us about Artomatic and how the public can get involved.
Artomatic 419 is the culmination of several years of work designed to fulfill the needs of the local creative community through education, networking, access to space, visibility and promotion. It will take place at 1717 Adams street and assist the goals of the Uptown District Association to establish an Arts and Entertainment Village. For the first four Saturdays of September, Artomatic 419 will feature the works of well over 100 local visual artists and 40 plus individual and group performances. During the week we will hold educational workshops to improve the professional practices of the local arts community. It will demonstrate to the community that we can be a vibrant city and play an important role to instill hope and vision within the local arts scene. It is something that will be talked about for years to come.
The best way for the public to get involved is to simply show up. If anyone is interested in getting more deeply involved simply visit www.artomatic419.com for details.
How have ACGT projects been supported by the Mayor and the City of Toledo?
The 1% for Art program, which we administer, is funded by the City of Toledo's capital improvement program. As administrators of this program (which is the oldest public art program in the state founded by local visionaries in the 1970's) we are responsible for the acquisition, conservation and education related to the city's public art program. This figure fluctuates annual based upon the income of the _% tax which funds this program. However, this funding is restricted to this program and our board and staff works diligently to raise money for all of our other programming.
Due to budget woes the city had removed all third party funding for arts and cultural organizations in past few years. This has been extremely challenging not only as a loss of financial support but it also affects the credibility of our cultural institutions when applying to external funding sources.
However, we are extremely thankful to Mayor Finkbeiner and the City of Toledo for contributing $20,000 to the 2006 Young Artists at Work Program. This is the first financial support we've received from the city in three years and allowed to add participants to the program and expand the vocational aspects of YAAW.
It's commonly recognized that the loss of arts and intellectual scenes in any city coincide with a decline for that city economically, etc. In your opinion how is Toledo doing?
Toledo is doing better in this area than I ever have seen it. Through things such as Artomatic 419 we are able to make this scene visible and demonstrate the power of the arts as tool of economic development. Another example of how this community is growing was demonstrated through our Meet & Greet series for local artists and creatives. Over the course of three events we have seen attendance grow from 200 to 500 to 1,000.
What could the city of Toledo do to help slow the "brain drain"?
Get a bigger plug!
No, in all seriousness it's a number of things. Enhance the schools. Improve job creation. Draw technology based businesses to the city.
More importantly help people realize how good it is here. There is a core need for a shift in regard within our citizens and their belief and negative perceptions of our community.
Greater support of the arts and cultural events is also a proven method for youth retention. One way the city could help support this would be through the creation of a designated area downtown that would be exempt of property and sales tax for the artists who moved there. It has been proven that centralizing an artistic community is the very first step in urban revitalization.
What's in store for Toledo in 2006; anything in particular you're looking forward to?
Raising my newborn son, Artomatic 419, the TMA's new Glass Pavilion, establishing a memorial to honor Art Tatum and growing the awareness of the area's amazing artistic community.
Beyond promoting arts in Toledo, you are an artist yourself. Are there any new projects or shows of your work coming up?
I'm currently working on a series of sock monkey paintings for my son's room. Other than that I have transferred my artistic talents to the administration of the Arts Commission and look to the city as a canvas ripe for growth and artistic development.
If you had a visitor in town who had never been to Toledo and you had 24 hours to show them the city, where would you take them?
Depending on the day of the week I take them to one of our amazing ethnic restaurants for lunch. Perhaps the Budapest, Ranya's, Tony Packo's or Taqueria Jalisco. Then the typical stuff tour the old west end, visit the museum or perhaps a hen's game depending on the time of year. Then to some of the amazing artists studios spaces that are being rehabbed downtown. From there to diner at another one of our amazing ethnic restaurants like the Beirut, Kotobuki or Tandor. Then to the Maumee Bay Brewing Company for a beer and if they still have energy, out to sample Toledo's nightlife.
Your favorite drink and where in Toledo to get it...
Either a Modelo with lime or a Jamesons on the rocks at Pub St. George on a Tuesday or Friday night when I deejay there with APB. Nothing fades a stressful work week than seeing 75 plus Toledo residents dancing and smiling to good music.
