Friends,
Rarely these days am I moved to react to what comes out of the
TCAN board and Dave Lavalley. However, so many of you have forwarded
copies of George Fiske’s recent email letter and asked
me to tell it like it is… that I feel compelled to respond.
George Fiske states how happy he is with the response to the
Fall performance book: “We appreciate all your suggestions
for artists you'd like to see, and are happy we were able to
schedule many of them”. What he omitted to say is that
virtually all of the acts that are coming into TCAN had already
been booked by yours truly- until and including Vance Gilbert
in January and even one more – my super favorite Chris
Smither in September of 2005.
Concerning the TCAN’s upcoming board of electors fiasco,
(where can I go to register to vote) please know that the TCAN
board is choosing the people who get to vote and that people
who felt strongly enough about the wrongdoing of the TCAN board
to take a stand as TCANites, are not going to be considered.
They were told at the outreach committee meetings that they
“Need not apply”. Any claim of democratic action
is ridiculous - as one incredulous supporter put it - "It
sounds more like Bulgeria that America".
The board has spent
lots of time intimating – without actually saying the
words - that my actions were reprehensible as the executive
director of TCAN, saying to all that ask ‘we can't talk
about it – but it was really bad’. It WAS really
bad, folks. It wasn't immoral, it wasn't illegal, but it was
extremely unproductive and contentious. I am proud of the
battles I fought for what I believed and still believe was
right for the success of TCAN and the TCAN community.
Here are some examples of the battles I fought – and
the reasons why the board says that I am so BAD!
Where’s the Gallery?
Just before the construction of the firehouse, the board wanted
to build TCAN but we not have sufficient funding to complete
the whole project. In their haste to move to the new location,
a plan was voted that would allow TCAN to move to the new
building with occupancy only on the first floor. This meant
putting all the bathrooms on the first floor (where the gallery
is today), virtually eliminating the gallery and the lobby
(where in heck would the moms sit while their kids were in
theater or dance school), and reducing the number of seats
available for performance from 290 to 240. – I won this
one.
Our Name – TCAN!
The board voted to rename the Center “The Center for
Arts” – dropping the word Natick and by doing
so, turning its back in the town that supported it, making
it difficult to understand who was talking (imagine a person
in Newton or Southborough getting a mailing from “The
Center for Arts”), generally insulting every other hard
working art center in the state and eliminating the brand
“TCAN”, which we spent SO much time developing.
I turned this one around too, not before fending off another
movement to change the name to “TCAM – The Center
for Arts in MetroWest” – this in spite of the
fact that that there is a “Performing Arts Center of
MetroWest” already (a great though smaller organization
located in Framingham that specializes on teaching music and
dance.) I argued that “just because we’re bigger,
it doesn't give us the RIGHT!”
Tasteful
Recognition
The
capital campaign involved many heated discussions relative
to how and in what forum donors should be recognized. In some
cases, decisions were made which had not been approved by
the full Board. These were issues of fairness as well as good
taste in appropriately recognizing significant donors while
still retaining the character of our small lobby area.
For example,
Part of the capital campaign involved selling sidewalk bricks
to arts center supporters with the text of their choice (within
space limits) engraved on the brick. Some bricks were engraved
with the names of people who never contributed. There was
never a provision for Craig Ross – or any other single
board member – to do this upon his or her own authority.
This was unfair to those who contributed. I won this one for
bricks going forward.
I was successful in keeping the plaques in the firehouse from
being garishly oversized. The Middlesex Savings bank plaque
was originally going to be 12 by 18 inches – rather
than the tasteful 5 by 7 that it is. I’ll never forget
calling Craig and saying – “come on over - we
can work this out” – and having him hang up on
me. I also spent a tremendous amount of time saving the lobby/gallery
from morphing into what I termed “the cemetery look”.
They wanted to – and have since - usurped one of the
last best art walls to put plaques in bricks celebrating $100
donations. I knew and know that – with a little imagination
- we could create an attractive display in the main hall to
credit these generous folks and keep the visual artists only
on-site gallery [somewhat]whole.
Due process and business sense
I opposed the hiring (without due process) of a fundraiser
without advertising the position (as outlined by our TCAN
Personnel Policy) and for far too much money for the size
of our organization. The figure is 40K per year for 20 hrs
a week. I underline - I didn’t have a problem with the
hiring a fundraiser – only with the process.
And
now and Finally…
It is interesting to me that the board’s stated mission
has been “to serve the community through the arts”
It has now become “to come to know, understand, and
accept each other through art.” - They’re learning
to talk the talk – now they should learn to walk the
walk. In a few emails, I won’t be surprised if their
stated mission statement becomes the one I started with and
carry with me “The Arts are a rich form of communication
that allows us to meet, understand and accept each other”.
All of the above might be attributed to a basic difference
in philosophy. My belief is that priorities in an art center
are people and art and that commerce was a happy secondary
consequence – and not the other way around. Financial
success is indeed important, but it is not the foundation
of community. I would suggest that respect for the people
who have already given (in time and money) would be more effective
way to garner support for the operation and for further capital
projects than selling $100 lottery tickets.
TCAN was very strong - financially and spiritually - when
it was stolen from the community that created it. It will
not be strong again until it has returned to the hands of
that community. - Many of whom ask “why must we build
two art centers when Fiske and Lavalley never built even one?”
If you haven't done so already, please sign our petition that
calls for free fair elections of the Board of Directors by
the membership. http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/TCAN/
The road to justice is a long one but that does not mean
it’s not worth traveling.
Thank
you for reading
- Michael Moran
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