Faster Than Sound: City Council Supports Music-Focused Arts Facility on East 11th Street: Harold McMillan breaks down civic steps to the envisioned Kenny Dorham Center – Music

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Artists are painting murals in Kenny Dorham’s backyard in June 2020. (Photo by John Anderson)

In 2007, the Austin City Council created an African-American Heritage District in East Austin, home to historic institutions such as Huston-Tillotson University, Victory Grill, and the George Washington Carver Museum.

A stop along the National Chitlin ‘Circuit – a cluster of venues that hosted black musicians in the 1960s – the area used to be home to a thriving community of black-owned businesses and residents who have now been almost entirely evicted. Community leader Harold McMillan, who runs the Kenny Dorham’s Backyard district meeting and pioneered the concept of the cultural district, says the council’s resolution ultimately had no teeth 14 years ago. A resolution passed unanimously by the city council last week “reaffirms” the importance of the district with plans for increased city funding and the development of a music-oriented arts facility on the 1100s block of East 11th Street.

“This neighborhood is rich in a legacy of African American history, culture, heritage, entertainment and music,” McMillan told the Chronicle. “The city is not using this in a way that could lead to an upswing [Austin] as a whole, and certainly not in a way that would show the blacks of Central East Austin that they are ready to fix failed promises made years ago. “

The East Austin Creative Coalition, which McMillan founded in 2018, drew up plans for an art complex with an amphitheater, a recording studio, a rehearsal room, an art gallery, an indoor eatery / café and a museum, as well as affordable living space, some of which is reserved for artist residencies up to three years. The new resolution instructs city officials to obtain plans and cost estimates for the development of the “multi-story mixed-use development” that integrates street-level retail. The facility would be named Kenny Dorham Center, after the legendary jazz trumpeter who grew up near East 12th Street (see “Trumpet Colossus Kenny Dorham Towers,” Sept. 2018).

“They’re talking about over a decade we’ve got to this place where saying we have an African-American heritage district actually means something,” said Pro Tem Mayor Natasha Harper-Madison, who supported the resolution.

Kenny Dorham’s Backyard currently operates at Block 1100 on East 11th Street, hosting weekly programs, food trucks, and festivals. As a city owned property, McMillan has operated it on annual leases for the past 14 years as the property awaits potential development. The East Austin Creative Coalition dreamed up their own proposal for this revision and intelligently aligned their long-term goals with two promising urban funding programs to be awarded.

First up is the $ 12 million Creative Space Bond approved by voters for the acquisition and improvement of art centers in 2018. The new resolution instructs city officials to reconsider the January 2020 loan recommendations made by the Arts and Music Commissions for a multi-purpose facility that “should specifically address” “historical inequality” as a target for support, and also East Austin identified as one of several areas proposed by public input. While last week’s efforts won’t ensure the Kenny Dorham Center receives loan money, McMillan says the city guidelines are in line with the vision of the East Austin Creative Coalition.

“[The Kenny Dorham Center] it’s all about producing art, serving culture, preserving traditions and welcoming professionals from the creative industries into a single block that has magical, synergetic energy at play, ”adds McMillan. “We are talking about a generation investment here.”

Bond proposal timeline unknown, McMillan presented plans for the program’s preliminary information request last fall. Other properties mentioned in public discussions include the Doris Miller Auditorium and the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.

Next on the coalition’s radar is the Live Music Fund (LMF), which was founded in 2019 to support the local music economy based on a 2% tax hike for hotel customers. The Music Commission’s last July plan proposed an LMF events program that prioritizes grants between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000 for historically underserved artists and event organizers with TBA applications. Backed by hotel occupancy taxes, LMF dollars must be used to promote tourism – which, according to McMillan, fits in with the arts center’s plans, including an Austin Black Music Archive and the Kenny Dorham Museum.

At the very least, McMillan wants the district to appear on official city maps. Last week’s resolution also calls for improvements to the area’s landscape with signage, public art, and improvements to pedestrian safety. Working with other district organizations such as the African American Resource Advisory Commission and Six Square, the city will encourage entertainment and creative industries businesses to both move and stay in the district.

“For the group I work with, this district – which used to be the live music center on East 11th Street – is our last stand,” adds McMillan. “If we don’t manage to do this, I will not continue these arguments that I have had with city officials for 25 years. If not now, when?”

HAAM Day Telethon aims to crack $ 1 million

With lessons from a year of live streaming in the bag, the second remote edition of the HAAM Day offers a hodgepodge of viewing options. To meet an ambitious $ 1.2 million fundraising goal, tune into the Health Alliance for Austin Musician Facebook page and local TV channels CBS Austin, KVUE, CW Austin & KVBO this Tuesday, September 14th . The largest annual fundraiser by a nonprofit enables free or low-cost healthcare for Austin artists – open to any working musician, music teacher, or DJ who lives within 80 miles of the city.

With some sets streamed live from Waterloo Park’s new Moody Amphitheater, the over 100 line-up spoons includes Britt Daniel with Sweet Spirits Sabrina Ellis, Jimmie Vaughan, Black Pumas, Asleep at the Wheel, Charley Crockett, Bob Schneider, BLK ODYSSY and collaborative trio Marcia Ball, Carolyn Wonderland and Shelley King.

The nonprofit’s unique ability to expand every dollar donated to $ 7 for direct health services to musicians makes it a great candidate for support at myhaam.org. You will also find participating companies and an online auction. In addition to increased demand during the pandemic, the organization is also facing the recent retirement of CEO Reenie Collins after eight years, whose replacement is pending.

“Musicians need our help more than ever,” said Heather Ladage, CEO of HAAM, in a press release. “We do everything we can to support our musicians in these uncertain times. Since money is scarce, we want our members not to have to choose between food and medical care.”

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