UPLIFTING THE ARTS

AUDIENCE INTERVIEW

UPLIFTING the ARTS

SPOTLIGHTING METRO COUNCIL’S NEWEST MEMBERS

hen people think of Louisville, chances are the Kentucky Derby, Muhammad Ali, and bourbon are the first things that come to mind.W Below is our conversation with two of Louisville’s newest Metro Councilmembers.

But we also know that Louisville’s arts scene is among the largest in the nation.

Before the pandemic, Louisville’s arts and culture industry generated an eye-popping $462.5 million in economic activity annually, according to the latest data from 2017. Additionally, the Louisville’s arts industry supports 17,529 jobs, attracts a mammoth 9.2 million annual attendees, and generates $21.3 million in local and state government revenue.

This spring, live performances and public gatherings are slowly returning for the first time in a year. For Kentucky Shakespeare, it will be the first time since 2019 that they hold their

Spring Parks Tour series.

With 472 arts and culture venues and establishments in

Louisville, as well as 1,800+ artists living and working in our community, the impact of the pandemic on the arts scene cannot be overstated.

Fortunately, the Louisville Metro Council is taking proactive steps to support and invest in the city’s arts community. Audience Magazine recently had the opportunity to speak with newly elected Councilwoman Cassie Armstrong and Councilman

Jecorey Arthur about their interests in elevating the arts and culture in Louisville.

Councilwoman Armstrong is a lifelong Kentuckian. She was born into poverty to two young parents living in a trailer who couldn’t afford air conditioning. It was Armstrong’s community, including local government, that gave her the opportunity to grow and thrive. Thanks to those opportunities, she earned a scholarship to Yale College, graduated from Harvard University

Law School, and is now advocating for all the residents in

District 8.

At the age of 28, Councilman Arthur became Louisville’s youngest elected official in 2020. Prior to serving District 4, he was dubbed “Mr. Arthur — your new favorite music teacher,” by the New York Times for his service to over half a million students around the world in schools and community centers.

He is also an award-winning musician whose music has reached over 1 million listeners. How can investing in Louisville's arts and culture play a role in moving forward from the pandemic and improving racial equity?

Councilwoman Cassie Armstrong: So much has happened in our community over this past year, and so many people are struggling. I think art can play a role in helping us process and heal from this past year. It can also embody and help us think critically about our hopes and values for the future. We need art that uplifts us, challenges us, and brings us together — now more than ever.

Councilman Jecorey Arthur: Before the pandemic, our arts scene had over $460 million in economic impact. When we invest here, we get it back tenfold economically but even more so psychologically, spiritually, and culturally. As we invest here, we have to acknowledge the truth about American art — it is a product of the blood, sweat, and tears of slaves. All arts funding should reflect that. This means we have more Black ownership in the industry, more jobs in the industry, and more overall opportunity in the industry.

Can you tell us about how you are planning on continuing to support and elevate the arts? From a public servant standpoint, are there any initiatives in particular? Or, organizations that you are working with?

Armstrong: Right now, I'm working with Councilman Arthur to think about how we build out systems to make sure arts are a part of regular conversations we have in this city. We are looking at developing a permanent workgroup or other structure to allow us to explore arts-focused policies that would make sense for Louisville.

Since we don't have an official arts and culture committee at Metro Council (yet), we need to find ways to be intentional about making sure arts are a part of the ongoing conversation, and not something that only pops up from time to time. Arthur: We need to start an arts and culture committee for our Metro Council. This will give us a dedicated body of legislatures to make arts specific laws. On the service side, I'll be organizing citywide arts programming for neighborhoods that lack activities for young people. This will need partnerships — from government to grasstops to grassroots.

 Councilman Jecorey Arthur is an awarding-winning musician and teacher. He is pictured performing at a Fund for the Arts event.

Councilwoman Cassie Armstrong was elected in 2020. She represents District 8. Councilman Jacorey Arthur became Louisville’s youngest elected official in 2020. He represents Disctrict 4.

Councilman Arthur, you have a background in music and the arts and are still incredibly active and influential in the creative community. What inspired you to run for public office? Arthur: It was a natural journey from watching music, to making music, to teaching music, to organizing music, to just organizing. If you can organize a festival, you organize anything. And I think that's what politicians are or should be — community organizers. What role do the arts play in education? Building community? Arthur: All arts are core subjects that stimulate other core subjects. From history to science to physical education and every subject in between. Arts education is the best of all worlds. It is clear listening to both of you that the arts in Louisville will play a vital role in our economic, emotional, and physical recovery from the pandemic. Councilwoman Armstrong, can you tell us a little more about your background in public health? Armstrong: I have a master's degree in public health, which helped me understand how important it is to think about the holistic health of our communities. Health is a multifaceted concept, and implicates everything from our built environment, to our social service network, to the ways we build and support a sense of community. Health means everything from making sure we have sidewalks so people can walk and exercise to being intentional about disparity, inequity, and poverty in our communities.

Aside from your background in public health, you're also a lawyer and professor. What inspired you to run for public office? Did you grow up in Louisville? Armstrong: I grew up in Eastern Kentucky in a family that didn't have a lot of resources. But my family and my community sacrificed to create opportunities for me. That idea of the importance of community has stayed with me, and formed me. Local government is the closest to the people and the place where you can really know that the policies you pass have a tangible impact. For me, this work is about building and strengthening community.

You authored “Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains.” What was it like writing this book? Who do you hope it speaks to?

Armstrong: This book is my attempt to tell what I call an antibootstraps narrative. I was born without a lot of resources, and went on to graduate from Ivy League institutions. In some ways, that sounds like a "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" narrative. But these stories are never as simple as that, and I explore how it took three generations of women, supportive social structures, and more to give me the opportunities I've had. I loved writing the book, and I've loved being part of a community of writers after its publication. I'm currently working on my second book in my free time. For me, writing is an important outlet for stress, and lets me focus on something other than my day-to-day work on the council.

What is unique about Louisville's art scene?

Arthur: To a certain extent, us not having an identity helps create a unique one. We are a city of collaboration and surprises. My rap performances across the country with orchestras started right here at home with our very own Louisville Orchestra, and before that, with an orchestra that I made with friends in college. Fifty years from now when we look back on this era, I know we will have timeless art. Without art we can't truly reflect these times. I always say you can't spell “artifact” without art, and that's a fact.

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