Arts Commission Benefited Oxnard

* I would like to respond to your June 11 article “Council May Dissolve a Hopelessly Divided Arts Advisory Group.”

The accusation by a single, uninformed detractor that the commission was “out of touch” has no basis in fact. One need only look at the accomplishments that have been made by the commission in the past 15 years. Not the least of those accomplishments is the fact that the Oxnard Performing Arts Center and the Carnegie Art Museum are both still open and serving the citizens of Ventura County, in the face of mounting financial pressures at all levels of city government.

The Art in Public Places Committee was created under the auspices of the Cultural & Fine Arts Commission, and this committee has been responsible for overseeing the county’s largest and most significant public art program. Thirty-three artworks have been completed for the public to enjoy and others are under consideration--all at no cost to the public.

Under the commission’s tenure, the city art collection was greatly increased by soliciting donations, with the collection currently appraised at more than $1 million. When the collections of the world-class Doheny Library in Camarillo were put on the auction block in 1985, the commission rallied and raised $10,000 to buy artwork that would stay in the county as a portion of its cultural heritage. It was the only public body in the county to step forward and take such action.

Through the years, the commission provided many citizens opportunities to participate. With few exceptions, I enjoyed excellent working relationships with these commissioners. Few disagreements were ever encountered among the seven members, so your headline would not be an accurate description. Any differences were handled courteously and in a spirit of cooperation, until the appointment of one openly disruptive commissioner last year who attended all of one meeting.

Such a public commission has inherent limitations, however, and times have changed. Public funding for the arts is increasingly augmented by private organizations. These nonprofit organizations are able to qualify for funding by foundations, while city arts commissions are not.

While there is a vital role for local governments to play in maintaining basic cultural facilities, innovative programming is being developed by these nonprofit groups, which lessens the city’s financial burden while still providing outstanding cultural opportunities. It will be the collective voices of these nonprofit boards that will articulate the cultural needs of the area and keep the city council informed.

The disbanding of the Oxnard Cultural & Fine Arts Commission should not be viewed as a setback, but as a step forward in realizing a more mature, sophisticated community that has made significant progress in the cultural arena, and is on track to grow with the times.

ANDREW C. VOTH

Cultural Advisor, City of Oxnard