NEO To Build Media Arts Center

Discussions at the NEO Excellence Roundtable on Film surfaced many areas where people want to pursue initiatives, but none had as much support as a "Media Arts Center".

Even without ever having seen a media arts center, I can picture what it looks like, offers the community, and adds to the economy.  To make this picture a reality, we need to help many community leaders see it clearly too. Let's start by throwing around some ideas - here's what we started with from the Roundtable notes [1]:

• Having a vibrant film industry creates visual outcomes - films and increasingly multimedia - that enlightens and transforms the community itself

• Need to make basic film making tools more accessible.
• Cameras are $1,000s
• Adequate computers and prefered software are expensive
• Could share many facilities - green screen - soundstage
• Loan or rental program

• Need media arts center
• Examples in Pittsburgh, Columbus
• Other examples
• What should a media arts center provide/be?
• Not just about film - all media - music for media?

• Quality power in = quality power out
• NEED TO RAISE THE BAR
• Cleveland can be source of quality films, but we need to have excellence in every segment of the industry, from K-12 and higher education to creative funding to technology support... along with talented film makers

David Reed of the Kent State Urban Design Collabortive pointed out they are working on some major projects in East Cleveland

• East Cleveland has some lowest cost space, including land bank properties. If you have a great idea that will need some land, then this is an opportunity

• Need to develop more opportunities in film for students - all ages - draw them into industry and keep them in town
• Film is not just film makers or actors - there are many interesting good paying jobs and related businesses supported

• From real estate and economic development perspective, the arts are part of urban sustainability and we need to help film industry grow

• Film is important part of community story telling

• Again, the issue is raised that many of the new technologies are expensive - barrier to entry - need lending and timesharing program
• Includes facilities for special effects, animation, etc.... this is where many of the jobs develop

• Computer labs need help bringing video resources into urban areas - need to bridge digital divide
• This is especially a problem in poorer parts of the community, where few individuals and organizations, schools and clubs have high end computing equipment, software and high bandwidth
• Some attendees expressed immediate needs for donations of adequate computers and software, like a G5 and Director, to run a video production lab at public schools and community centers - who can help out?
• East Cleveland would like help with this

• There are lots of mini-studios in town - many people here have artistic side down pat - need help on business development side

• The most frequently raised idea is a non-profit, cooperative Media Arts Center
• David Reed of Kent Urban Design Collaborative explained there is one-stop urban design center in Columbus that is very powerful - suggests same for film here
• Raises obvious question... is Kent providing that service in Cleveland, or planning to, or is there a way it may be created here... we ned this for matters such as the I-90 bridge and Flats/Lakefront planning... something driving more collaborative community engagement and understanding
• The new Dean of the Kent State University College of Architecture and Urban Design will be featured at the March 21 Excellence Roundtable, so we'll have a chance to explore this further then
• What are world-class examples of such Media Arts Centers in the world today? We need to find the best practices - visit them - interact with their planners and managers - become experts and package this for this community