{"id":5974,"date":"2016-07-13T16:05:50","date_gmt":"2016-07-13T16:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.artinfo.com\/blunotes\/?p=5974"},"modified":"2016-07-13T16:05:50","modified_gmt":"2016-07-13T16:05:50","slug":"will-new-orleans-master-plan-include-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/13\/will-new-orleans-master-plan-include-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Will New Orleans' Master Plan Include Culture?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Join_MaCCNO\"<\/a>To love New Orleans is to love its culture.
\nTo love New Orleans culture\u2014to experience it, explore it, study it, dive in and swim in it, as I have done for more than decade; or, more importantly, to live it, as so many of the musicians, culture-bearers and born-and-bred natives I\u2019ve written about do\u2014is to wonder about its place in its city.
\nOften, it’s to\u00a0shake your head, sigh, and sometimes cry out in disgust or anger.
\nTo demand understanding and respect.
\nTo pine for reasonable solutions and compassionate support.
\nTo take action.
\nIf you\u2019ve been reading me, you know that I\u2019ve been questioning, urging and challenging the powers that be in New Orleans for quite some time about\u00a0the curious and damaging tensions between this storied city and the culture that is at the heart of its\u00a0story\u2014I’ve been demanding that they rethink and reform the city\u2019s cultural policy (or its lack thereof).
\nIn this 2010 piece<\/a> for Truthdig,\u00a0not long after Mitch Landrieu was elected mayor, I asked:<\/p>\n

Why not revisit the full scope of cultural policy that is at odds with New Orleans\u2019 true identity? Why not open the door to a more sensible approach to zoning, and why not give a place at the policy table to musicians and culture-bearers so prominently featured in the tourism ads?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this 2015 Wall Street Journal essay<\/a>,\u00a0I placed such concerns in the context of a swiftly gentrifying city whose culture now faced new threats:<\/p>\n

This year, the New Orleans City Council has the chance to craft policies that nurture culture and remove it from the cross hairs of controversy. If it can\u2019t strike the right balance, that next brass band may not find its audience on a streetcorner. And that city like no other may start to sound and feel a bit more like every place else.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And in that piece, I quoted Jordan Hirsch, who formerly headed the nonprofit Sweet Home New Orleans:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we were once focused on simply getting musicians home,\u201d he said, \u201cthe job now is to create equitable policies that assure a sustainable cultural community.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These days another nonprofit organization, The Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO)<\/strong>, has led the charge in terms of building awareness about the context for New Orleans culture, and in mobilizing both culture-bearers and culture lovers around issues that matter most. MACCNO was born of informal 2012 lunchtime meetings at a club owned by trumpeter Kermit Ruffins. Early on, the group helped spark protes<\/a>t when an urgent call to action was needed.
\nI\u2019ve written about MaCCNO many times in many contexts (here\u2019s a blog piece<\/a> about the group\u2019s second anniversary).
\nMore recently, MaCCNO has grown into a vital source of information and an infrastructure for the kind of enlightened change New Orleans culture demands. Here’s what Ethan Ellestad, MaCCNO’s executive director, told me recently in an email:<\/p>\n

Nearing our 4th Anniversary, we are finally in a time where we can begin to proactively work for new, culture friendly policies, rather than simply push back against harmful ordinances or music-averse neighborhood organizations. However, as the pace of change in New Orleans continues to accelerate, we are now working on how to address larger, systemic problems that affect the cultural community\u2014such as the need for affordable housing or reliable public transit\u2014while still continuing our work to support neighborhood music venues, and protect the rights of street performers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today, I received an email from MaCCNO about\u00a0a planned update to the city\u2019s Master Plan<\/strong>\u2014 a comprehensive guide for the development of the City adopted in 2010<\/a>,
\n\u201cShockingly and shamefully, there is no chapter dedicated to the City\u2019s culture,” the email explained. “Indeed, it is hardly mentioned throughout this document.\u201d
\n(For the full letter, go here<\/a>.)
\nAs the letter explains: “We have a chance to correct this oversight, and we encourage all members of the cultural community to offer text amendments to the document, which are being accepted until July 29th (you can download the application here<\/a>). MaCCNO will also be submitting proposed amendments, which we will post on our website. In the fall, the City Planning Commission will be holding hearings on these amendments, and the City Council will vote on final passage in the Spring.
\nI’m going to propose an amendment or two. And I hope to be at some of those Fall hearings. I’ll be writing more about these issues soon. (One good way to keep up is clarinetist Evan Christopher<\/strong>‘s indispensable column, “MAC-Notes<\/strong>” at the Nolavie.com website. (Here<\/a>‘s Christopher’s dissection of\u00a0the city’s claims regarding tourism dollars.)
\nWhile I\u2019m on that subject, I\u2019m happy to note that MACCNO has begun to attract the funding and support it so richly deserves. The organization is looking to hire an Experienced Organizer\/Community Engagement Professional.\u00a0If you\u2019re that person, or you know someone who might be, go here<\/a>.
\n 
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\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To love New Orleans is to love its culture. To love New Orleans culture\u2014to experience it, explore it, study it, dive in and swim in it, as I have done for more than decade; or, more importantly, to live it, as so many of the musicians, culture-bearers and born-and-bred natives I\u2019ve written about do\u2014is to … <\/p>\n

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