Representations
“No warranty or representation is made that any of the projected values or results contained in this study will actually be achieved”. So reads the disclaimer on page I-1 of the Economic Potential of a New Art Museum for Davenport report by Thomas Martin, dated August 2000. The copy I was handed upon arrival already had the Executive Summary ripped out of it, but the annual attendance estimate for a new downtown art museum of 182,000 remained on page VI-6, underlined by someone. The average annual attendance of the Davenport Museum of Art from the decade prior of “just under 33,000” on page V-1 had no such underlining. How art museum attendance was to increase six fold is not neatly answered in the copy of the report I was provided. Perhaps it’s in the Executive Summary.
As Tim Schiffer arrived as the third Executive Director of the Figge in its first decade, I stopped by his office to welcome him. The office, like all of the Figge, has a serenity about it. It may be the best office in town, with enormous windows showcasing the Mississippi River gliding past. When the casino leaves, the view will be even better. It reminded me of a forest preserve office I visited early in my career, with a glorious view of a pristine meadow, backed by a forest. I had a very strange conversation with the occupant of that office, who informed me his job was to keep that view just the way it was. If that meant keeping taxpayers who funded the forest preserve district out of the preserves, so be it.
Tim and I talked about the serenity of his workplace. He suffers no delusions similar to the occupant of the forest preserve office, and wants the Figge to be a well visited, well supported community asset. But the math is rather stark. An annual visitor target of 182,000 is 500 visitors a day, every day. If you want to take a holiday, you need 1,000 visitors the next day you’re open to keep up. Tim assured me his Board was focused on the future and was undertaking a strategic planning effort. I wished him well, and suggested the Figge proactively welcome the Creative Arts Academy into its cavernous spaces. A couple hundred middle and high school artists, every day, would put a huge dent in the attendance target, and help with that serenity problem.
Today, Figge representatives will have an informal discussion with the City Council at a 5:30 pm worksession. I’ve supplied the Council with a memo that outlines nine ideas for partnering with the Figge to achieve its aspirational potential. The recent Americans for the Arts study, and the 2003 resolution which provides the Figge with $21.5 million in cash and an art collection insured for $16 million, was also provided. I hope the Figge reps arrive with their own ideas, and Mr. Martin’s projections become reality.
