Sharing Culture

 Sharing and celebrating one's culture is a beautiful thing. But what if the offer to share or celebrate are rejected? 

 I had to ask myself that question lately. After more than a quarter of a century of volunteerism and a passion for the arts, I reflected on my time and had to ask myself...did I waste my time? Did anyone really care?  Why didn't it catch on? 

Back in the late 80's I became friends with another woman who would end up changing my life and the direction of my life. Her name was Zenobia West. She was about 25 years my senior. We hit of off immediately. I discovered later that she was an accomplished musician. She could play every instrument, but the Cello was her favorite.  

 

Together, she and I and a few other folks in town founded an organization in an effort to share and celebrate our local culture. We named it Cultural Crossroads of Minden. Zenobia and I would eventually become the driving force for the organization. Most folks spent some time with the organization, but most would move on to something else. We hung in there. Little did I know that Zenobia had plans for the organization that would include eventually donating her family property for the purpose of building a cultural center for the city.  

In 1999, after we had received our federal status as a 501c3 nonprofit, she donated her old family home and four acres located in an historic district of Minden to Cultural Crossroads of Minden, Inc. The lot on the corner of East Union and Highway 80 had been vacant and for the most part abandoned for more than 25 years. The house had been empty since 1971 following the death of Zenobia's Aunt Treebie. We accepted the property almost sight unseen. As the President of the organization at that time, I had already bought into her dream, and it was easy sell to the board. 

In 2000, after receiving a grant from the United States Army (that's another story that I have already shared), we began chipping away at what would eventually be known as the Moess (Mace) Center for the Arts and City Farm AKA The Farm. 

Fast forward to 2018 and nearly 20 years on the property, we made some progress thanks to a variety of grants and corporate partners willing to invest in the promotion of the arts. Our focus on the children of the community would be our calling card and it would be the driving force behind our community led board of directors. 

As the oldest and longest serving member of that board, I can look back with some pride, some sadness and some regret. I guess anyone would say that. But I do think that it is my perspective after serving all those years that may offer the best insight as to what happened to the dream. 

After 25 years of struggling with securing funding, finding resources and finding volunteers, I have to say that I wonder if this is really what Minden wanted?  I knew it is what we needed?  But now that I can look back, did the citizenry or the leadership of Minden really want it?  I can remember a meeting I had with the mayor who boldly told me that 'he didn't like my farm and he didn't like where it was.' The four-acre estate that Zenobia so proudly donated was located in a black neighborhood of Minden. While it sat on a prime piece of property, it was still considered 'over there.'  We would hear folks tell us from time to time that they didn't feel comfortable traveling to 'that side of town.' 

Minden's population is almost half and half. Half African American. Half Caucasian. Many of us who served on the board knew that we were fighting a long history of prejudices.  We had established an arts festival known as the Spring Arts Festival that included a healthy relationship with our area schools and school board.
Children would be bussed in for the two-day festival that prided itself in exposing children to the arts and offering many hands-on art activities not included in the school's curriculum.  

After securing the property, we moved the four-year-old festival to The Farm. I can remember clearly, many of the mothers telling me that they would not be participating if the event was moved. It broke my heart to hear that.  But I knew that this is where it needed to be.

The festival would go through some changes including a name change. We dropped the Spring Arts Festival and adopted ChickenStock as our new name with a new mascot, the Funky Chickens.  Over the years, we saw the attendance fluctuate. But for the most part, it stayed pretty steady. Those who came once, would return with a renewed appreciation for the little four acres in a black neighborhood. 

We went through some growing pains as an organization as most do. But what we didn't see was a growing appreciation from the leadership of the city. It remained a constant battle to be included as a prominent and important feature of Minden. During a brainstorming session conducted by the city to create a vision for Minden's future, many civic leaders, council members, community leaders and elected officials were invited to participate by invitation. Cultural Crossroads was not included. I wiggled my way in and took a seat at the table as if we had been invited. I guess I should have figured it out then, but I wouldn't let myself see that after some 25 years, we were still not accepted as a valid and viable part of the City of Minden.  I refused to entertain the idea that maybe it was me.  (And that is still a question I ask myself.)

In 2018, I retired as an art teacher and as the volunteer administrator for Cultural Crossroads. For more than 25 years, I wrote the grants. I secured most of the funding from foundations, corporate partners, arts councils. Upon retiring, I left the organization with a healthy bank account and a board of directors that I felt could continue the work and carry out Zenobia's Dream.  Finding funding wasn't always easy. And I did have some willing volunteers but after they saw what was involved, most left me with the thankless job. And I can't blame them. Grant writing sucks. 

So, it's 2021. We have just experienced a pandemic. The festival we celebrated for 24 years, died on the 25th year. With no one willing to take the reins or serve on the committee to organize the 25th year, it died. A new board of directors and new officers took on the task of trying to reorganize and reignite a passion to continue the work to 'unite all people through the arts.'  

The Black Lives Matter movement nationally has magnified the divide that already existed here and in other areas of the nation. 

So, the struggle for that beautiful little Farm is real. The revenue streams have dried up. The volunteers are few and far between. 

Looking back, I did see a moment in our city's history that I now believe played a bigger role is our inability to see a future in Minden. During a reelection campaign for the mayor who 'didn't like my farm or where it was,' an invitation was made to help him with his reelection campaign, and it could possibly include some much-needed support from the city. I accepted the challenge. I was tasked with writing a project that would including bringing the arts to downtown Minden.  I wrote the program for City Artworks. I included a five-year plan that not only included an operational budget for City Artworks but some paid administrative assistance from Cultural Crossroads.

While the plan was accepted by the city council, Cultural Crossroads, again, was not included. That decision would eventually further divide the city....divide the arts....and divide community involvement.  The council awarded City Artworks through Minden Main Street with an annual boost of $80,000. No funds were reserved nor awarded to Cultural Crossroads. My intellectual property was stolen. I could have screamed foul, but I didn't.  I moved on but not before trying to explain to some council members whom I thought would listen, but the deed was done. And no one made any attempt to right the wrong. 

So, here we are the spring of 2021, and we would normally be in the middle of our festival season and getting ready to share the arts with hundreds of children. The Farm sits practically empty now. The new part time executive director works for less than what she's worth to try to hold it together and maintain the four- acre estate. The property which now includes a pavilion, a barn, a modest farmhouse and sheds, multiple gardens a recently constructed studio space are seeing some neglect. The grounds are a chore by themselves. 

I visited the Farm this week for the first time in a couple of years. The grounds were beautiful. Clover had taken over and all the white blossoms managed to hide some of the neglected areas. I had gotten permission to dig up some of the Parrot Lillies that I figured needed thinning.  In defense of the fairly new executive director, I knew what it looked like before. I knew every nook and cranny of that place. I remembered planting many of the various garden beds with plants that I knew would multiply and come back each year. Everything was busting out of its borders. Which I didn't mind. Some unwanted trees were coming up in some of the beds. And the tree that hung over the pond had rotted and had fallen over. I knew that it was more than one person could manage. But then, that made me sad, too, because I remember being out there on many occasions all by myself because no volunteers showed up on workday. 

So, did Minden ever really want The Farm?  Did Minden every really treasure it? or was it just something that was offered for those willing to take it while it was offered but not willing to work to keep it? 

 Sharing and celebrating one's culture is still a beautiful thing. 

 What's it worth to you? 

Written on May 5, 2021