Kruzan Shares Vision for Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2006

For more information, contact:
Danise Alano, Assistant Director of Economic Development, City of Bloomington, 349-3477
Maria K. Heslin, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349-3569

[image:2125,left]Bloomington, IN -- At a news conference today, Mayor Mark Kruzan outlined his vision for BEAD - the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District - that the City of Bloomington plans to develop downtown.

"Arts and entertainment is a multimillion dollar industry in Bloomington and BEAD has the potential to increase that figure dramatically and truly make downtown Bloomington a vital arts destination throughout the region," Kruzan said.

"Our intent is that the district strengthen the efforts of already successful organizations, businesses and individual artists, while providing opportunities for the nurturing, marketing and development of new creative enterprises," he added.

BEAD will feature a thriving arts, music, theater and museum scene anchored by many strong, established cultural institutions, growing commercial and retail businesses, restaurants and residences. The district will be located downtown, from Seventh Street to the north to 3rd Street at the south, and West Kirkwood Avenue (to Waldron Street) on the west to Washington Street on the east.

The district will be marked by several distinct character areas:

• Boutique - retail ranging from rug stores and tattoo parlors to restaurants and galleries.
• Show - performance venues including Buskirk-Chumley Theater, John Waldron Arts Center, Bluebird Nightclub and the Courthouse Square.
• Festival Streets - three separate streets to provide infrastructure to facilitate festival delivery.
• Arts Row - on West Kirkwood Avenue, an eclectic mix of art shops, boutiques, restaurants and live/work space.
• B-Line Trail "Artery" - the City's new downtown trail that is being designed and developed features at least 10 different opportunities for art on both public and private spaces.
• Youth - an area that will be designated for youth entertainment and arts projects.
• Opportunity - the section of the district that has the greatest opportunity for new developments of artist live/work space, incubator/performance/rehearsal space and retail possibilities.

Each area will have a special flavor of its own, and will feature particular signage, visual themes and other possible amenities to help visitors know what area they are exploring.

"The City is creating the district for several reasons," Kruzan said. "Our goal is to focus creative enterprise downtown and enhance Bloomington's economic vitality. We want to expand the community's creative capacity and market downtown Bloomington as a vibrant and thriving entertainment and arts destination to both residents and visitors."

Kruzan said BEAD also will help broaden public access to the arts, foster those that make their living with their craft, and ensure sustained growth in Bloomington's creative industries for their long term economic development.

The mayor outlined plans the City has to make the district become a reality:

• Provide leadership and develop the BEAD strategic plan.
• Develop the B-Line Trail as a true "Artery" through the heart of the district.
• Facilitate pedestrian traffic and way-finding.
• Provide festival infrastructure.
• Develop "Artnerships," arts-related partnerships to engage in collaboration and funding of public arts projects.
• Emphasize Community Character through signage, paint, color scheme, banners and infrastructure improvements in BEAD.
• Identify programs and opportunities to enhance district members' success.
• Identify and pursue economic incentives, which may include zoning, financing, fee waivers, tax incentives, business stewardship/incubation and City ombudsman.
• Pursue public/private project to develop artist studio space.

Kruzan credited the internal team that has spearheaded the development of BEAD. Led by Danise Alano, Assistant Director of Economic Development, the BEAD team includes Ron Walker, Director of Economic Development; Maria Heslin, Communications Director; Scott Robinson, Long Range/Transportation Manager, and some indispensable interns from Indiana University. Kruzan thanked the team for months of research, planning, creativity, and for meeting with various community sectors to gain further insights and ideas.

"BEAD is currently a City-led initiative," Kruzan said. "As it progresses we will determine what the best model of leadership will be. There are multiple models of management for arts districts across the U.S., with different ones being successful based upon an area's particular needs, strengths, partners and opportunities."

Kruzan also credited the more than 60 individuals from various segments of the community who attended focus groups with the City team over the past several weeks.

"The passion that community members and Indiana University staff and leadership have for our strong entertainment and arts sector has been an overwhelming theme throughout our consultations with the community as we have worked to develop this vision for BEAD," Kruzan said.

The next step in the development of BEAD will be a public meeting on Tuesday, May 23, hosted by the Bloomington Area Arts Council. The meeting will take place in the City Hall Atrium from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be provided and public input is encouraged.

Kruzan said a series of announcements will be made over the next several months as the district continues to develop.

"We have a lot of exciting ideas we are eager to pursue," Kruzan said. "We're eager to unveil the plans in detail to the public, because BEAD will thrive only with the enthusiasm and strong support of our residents, artists, entertainers, venue owners, museum visitors, educational institutions and art lovers.

"Bloomingtonians have long been advocates and originators of the arts," he said, "so I look forward to BEAD becoming a destination for residents and visitors young, old and everything in between to enjoy for decades to come."

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