Meeting Notes

Artist Relocation Program Meeting
Wednesday 10 December 2008
Economic Development - Fire Station 1 505 NE Monroe St

Sculpture Walk Program - Sioux Falls - Possible program for Peoria

The committee discussed the Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sculpture Walk Program with Jim Clark <Jim.Clark@xcelenergy.com> 605 366 1265.  He helped initiate and develop on this program, and he is beginning a consulting program to try to expand the program. Jim would work with the volunteers to help them establish and run the program.

the program was largely created and staffed by volunteers.  The City did provide the mounting blocks.  Volunteers located sponsors, and raised funds by selling sculptures.  The program brings lots of people into downtown Sioux Falls.

This is a very nice program where sculptors submit their work to the City. The City works with the sculptors to temporarily set the sculptures on the sidewalk in downtown. People come to see the sculptures. People can purchase the sculptures, and can also vote for their favorite sculpture, which the City then purchases and display permanently.

Michelle and Joe Richey and Craig Hullinger have visited the Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk, and it is a very nice asset and attraction to their the City. It might be a very good fit for us.

Clark noted that they are in their 6th year. They have decided to develop Alliance Partnerships (franchises) in selected progressive communities in different parts of the country. Peoria is one of those communities. They would help establish a Sculpture Walk type program for Peoria.

More info on the Sculpture Walk below

www.sculpturewalksiouxfalls.com

___________________


more City of Peoria info at:

http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/

http://www.peoriaed.blogspot.com/

HOME PURCHASE ASSISTANCE
FOR THE FIRST TIME HOME BUYER
PEORIA, ILLINOIS

The City of Peoria, the State of Illinois, the Federal Government, and private agencies have numerous programs to help people buy their first home. A low and moderate income person or family could be eligible for down payment assistance of up to $20,000, a Federal tax credit of $7,500, a low interest loan, and up to $20,000 to help rehabilitate a home. A person of any income level can get the Federal Tax Credit.

Income Limits 2008 for Rehab Program – Some programs have different limits

1 person - $35,550; 2 - $40,550, 3 - $45,650, 4 - $50,700, 5 - $54,750, 6 - $58,800

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/

http://movetopeoria.blogspot.com/

http://cityofpeoria.blogspot.com/search?q=home+purchase

http://buseybank.com/mortgagelend.asp

For assistance with City of Peoria down payment assistance and residential rehabilitation programs, contact Neighborhood Development, Twin Towers, Room 402, 494-8656.

For Mortgages, IDHA Trust, and FHLB Grants, call Karen Scott at Busey Bank 309 683 2305.

From: Jacob Grant <thepottershouse33@yahoo.com>

Date: Thu, Dec 4, 2008

Subject: Artist Gift Show And Sale-Peoria Art Guild

Hello Everyone!

I will be participating in the Peoria Art Guild's Artist Gift Show and Sale this Saturday (December 6th). There will be several other artists there, besides myself. Most gifts sold at this show by the participating artists are under $50.

For information on The Peoria Art Guild, or this event, visit:

www.peoriaartguild.org

Please come support the arts by doing some of your Christmas shopping here!

Tell all your friends. Feel free to forward this to anyone you know. I hope to see you there!

Jacob Grant

P.S. With the economy on the brinks these days, one of the great things about shopping from local artists is you are supporting the local economy!

Artist Relocation Program Meeting

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Economic Development - Fire Station 1 505 NE Monroe St

Agenda - Sculpture Walk Program - Sioux Falls - Possible program for Peoria

Our next meeting will be held to discuss the Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sculpture Walk Program. This is a very nice program where sculptors submit their work to the City. The City works with the sculptors to temporarily set the sculptures on the sidewalk in downtown. People come to see the sculptures. People can purchase the sculptures, and can also vote for their favorite sculpture, which the City then purchases and display permanently.

Michelle and Joe Richey and I have visited the Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk, and it is a very nice asset and attraction to their the City. It might be a very good fit for us.
"Jim Clark" <Jim.Clark@xcelenergy.com> 605 366 1265 worked on this program, and he is beginning a consulting program to try to expand the program. We will conduct a conference call with him, and discuss this as a possibility for Peoria.

I think our Riverfront would be an excellent choice, connecting back and around the future Museum and Caterpillar Visitor Center.

Please feel free to invite anyone who might be interested.
_______________________________
Craig, Great talking to you this morning and look forward to our conference call on Dec. 10th.

Jim Clark

Here is some information on SculptureWalk

www.sculpturewalksiouxfalls.com

We're going into our 6th year and have decided it would be a good time to develop Alliance Partnerships (franchises) in selected progressive communities in different parts of the country. Peoria is one of those communities. There may be 6 to 8 others spread out in the west, east, and south. This would establish SculptureWalk as the national premier sculpture program in the country and would attract more visitors than normal to the SculptureWalk communities to see the sculptures. SculptureWalk would be more of a destination point than it already is because of the national visibility and high quality image from show to show. And, there would be other advantages to the communities, for the artists, and visitors. I and others would help you through every aspect of the program to make it easy, to avoid problems, barriers, and risks, and to maintain the highest quality in your program over time. One of our goals in Sioux Falls is to improve the quality of the program every year. Our improvements would be also be yours and vice versa.
I can safely say everyone is happy with the program. I know that over our 5 year history not one of our city councilors have had even one complaint about the program.
During the summer months, during the week and on weekends, the downtown is full of SculptureWalkers with their brochures. We go through about 30,000 brochures during the summer. When the weather is nice, the rest of the year is also busy, including Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

We also have a sculpture lease program, and a 15 sculpture indoor program at Avera McKennan Hospital. You can view the hospital program on their website. I believe it shows up on the left side of the page.

I have attached artist testimonials and the sales and lease record. Over time many sculptures have been purchased and have gone to different sites around the community. This is another great aspect of the program.

The other testimonials I sent you are hard copy and I don't have a saved copy to send. You could fax to the others?

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
Jim

___________________


more City of Peoria info at:


http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/

http://www.peoriaed.blogspot.com/





-- Craig Harlan Hullinger AICPDirector of Economic Development City of PeoriaEconomic Development Department419 Fulton Street Suite 403Peoria, IL 61602309 494-8639www.peoriaed.blogspot.compeoriadevelopment.comHullingerc@gmail.com

Check out Cincinnati, 3CDC

http://www.3cdc.org

The development organization in Cincinnati, 3CDC, is the one I mentioned today, and their website is: http://www.3cdc.org. I specifically think the "over-the-rhine" part of this development project is comparable to Peoria.

It was really good to hear all about the Arts Partners' efforts today. I look forward to see what develops and possibly even participating in therelocation efforts.

Take care,

Liz
Elizabeth Kauffman
Director of Galleries, Exhibitions, and Collections
Department of Art
Slane College of Communications and Fine Art
Bradley University

Artist Relocation - Next Meeting

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Artist Relocation - Next Meeting

Wednesday November 12, 2008

10:00 am

Lakeview Museum

Agenda

1. Update on Riverfront Museum Project - Jim Richerson

2. Report on Paducah Site Visit - Joe and Michelle Richey

3. Retail Committee Report

4. Other

_________________

http://www.paducaharts.com/

Artist District - Paducah, Kentucky

Paducah, Kentucky Site Visit

Michelle and Joe Richey and Craig Hullinger visited the Paducah, Kentucky Arts District, and met with planners and administrators of their Artist Relocation Program. The City looked great, and showcased their efforts very well. The program is very successful.

As you can see from the following pictures, Paducah is very different then Peoria. Both are River Cities, but the City, region, and central business district are much smaller than Peoria. The Arts District is primarily single family homes, and is easy walking distance from the downtown.

Streetscape - Paducah, Kentucky

Floodwall Art - Paducah, Kentucky

Flood Wall with Art - Paducah, Illinois

Paducah Trip Cancelled

No one RSVP'd for the Paducah trip, so we will cancel for Wed Oct 15, 2008. We will try again on 17 October. Please RSVP to me if you wish to go that day.

Site Visit - Paducah Kentucky Artist Relocation Program

We will drive to Paducah, Kentucky to take a

first hand look at their Artist Relocation Program.

Meet in the Parking lot of Fire Station 1 at 505 NE Monroe Street at 07:00 am on Wednesday 15, 2008.

We anticipate the drive to Paducah will take about 5 hours. We will spend two hours with the City of Paducah Planning Department, tour their Arts District, share lunch, and then return. We plan to return by about 12 hours later, at 7:00 pm.

If you wish to come please RSVP with Craig Hullinger at Hullingerc@gmail.com. If you are driving on your own you can meet us at the Paducah Planning Department.

________________________

The Next Regular meeting of the Artist Relocation Group is set for 10:00 AM at the Lakeview Museum on November 12, 2008.

MEETING NOTES
ARTIST RELOCATION PROGRAM
TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2008 AT 10:00 AM
CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER 305 S. WATER STREET

Attendees

Suzette Boulais
William Butler
Craig Hullinger
Doug Leunig
Scott Marshall
Jerry Nutt
Greg Rastaster
Sharon Reed
Michele Richey
Joe Richey
Janet Whitcomb
Mitch Williams

1. Introductions

2. Possible Arts District - Pros / Cons

The Committee discussed the possibility of creating an arts district. There is an advantage of having a focused arts district on the waterfront and near downtown. On the other hand, there are numerous artists outside of this area. The issue needs further discussion.

The team from the EDC retail committee is conducting a research project. They will identify the existing location of outside art and sculpture, and also identify the locations of artists.

The Committee noted that the ideas developed by the committee needed to be put into a plan. The input from artists need to be included.

The Paducah program was discussed. Their situation was much different than Peoria. Paducah is much smaller. Their arts district was primarily single family homes just south of the downtown. The city had acquired a number of empty homes. They sold the homes to artists for a $1.00. Local banks made large loans to the artists to rehab the buildings.

Much of the area occupied by artists in Peoria is in large loft buildings, many of them too large for an artist to buy and rehab. Joe and Michelle Richey noted that a coop of artists could be developed to purchase and rehab buildings.

All parties agreed that more marketing dollars were needed. Hullinger noted that we are in this for the long term – this budget year would be very tight, but future years may result in more marketing funds. He also noted that the City Council is very focused on helping the Heart of Peoria redevelop. This includes getting reinvestment in older neighborhoods, including artists.

The Committee discussed the possibility of including a guideline in the Comprehensive Plan calling for a 1% of the cost of construction of new commercial and industrial buildings to be devoted to public art. Janet Witcomb moved and Scott Marshall seconded a motion proposing to the Planning commission that they include a suggestion that companies provide 1% of the cost of construction of new commercial and industrial buildings to be devoted to public art. Unanimous. This proposal will be provided to the Planning Commission for their consideration.

3. Possible future major events - Discussion

The City of Peoria has a great internationally known slogan, “Does it Play in Peoria?”, but does not have an internationally known event. The Committee will consider the possible development of such an event, with an arts theme. The possibility of developing a series of plays based on the theme “Play in Peoria” was discussed.

4. Paducah Site Visit - 7:00 am City Hall Parking Lot - 5 hours to, 2 hours at Paducah,
5 hours back, return approximately 7:00 pm.

The Committee discussed several possible dates for the trip to Paducah. One group will travel to Paducah on a Friday, either September 26, or October 3 or 10. A second group may visit on a Saturday. The Paducah situation is much different then Peoria, nevertheless it is the best known program in the country.

5. RFP - for services to run Artist Relocation Program

Hullinger noted that Economic Development could issue an RFP for services to implement the Artist Relocation program. We can only devote $5,000 to this effort this year.

6. Incentives available

FIRST TIME HOME BUYER - MODERATE INCOME

(These programs are complicated - research carefully)

http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com

– Search for Housing

For the Homebuyer

Down Payment assistance - Up to $10,000

Housing Rehabilitation in assistance – Up to $20,000

Contact Neighborhood Development,

Twin Towers, Room 402 309-494-8656

Federal Tax Credit - Up to $7,500

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com

HUB Zone – Federal and Major Company preference

http://hubzonepeoria.blogspot.com

For the Developer

Enterprise Zone – No sales tax on building Material

http://peoriaenterprisezone.blogspot.com

Tax increment Financing–Future property taxes for development

http://peoriatif.blogspot.com

Historic Tax Credits for rehabbing buildings older than 36 years

http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/tax

General Info

http://www.peoriaed.blogspot.com

7. Next Meeting

The next meeting will be the trip to Paducah. The next regular meeting is tentatively scheduled for 09:00 Wednesday on November 12, 2008 at the Lakeview Museum, where the Museum leadership will be asked to tell us about the current museum art programs, and the proposed new Museum.

Agenda

Proposed Artist Relocation Program

Peoria, Illinois

Tuesday 16 September 2008 at 10:00 am

Contemporary Art Center at 305 S Water Street

1. Introductions

2. Possible Arts District - Pros / Cons

3. Possible future major events - Discussion

4. Paducah Site Visit - October 15, 2008 - 7:00 am City Hall Parking Lot - 5 hours to, 2 hours at Paducah, 5 hours back, return approximately 7:00 pm.

5. RFP - for services to run Artist Relocation Program

6. Incentives available - Artist Relocation

http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/

ARTIST RELOCATION PEORIA

INCENTIVES FOR ARTISTS IN PEORIA

http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com

For the Artist

(These programs are complicated - research carefully)

First Time Homebuyer - $7,500 Tax Credit

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/

First time Homebuyer – Up to $10,000 down payment assistance

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pSt1ivzaCLuN5M0iZgBtABg

http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/index.php?module=resourcesmodule&action=view&id=2860

or contact the Neighborhood Development, Twin Towers, Room 402, 494-8656

Housing Rehabilitation – Up to $20,000 in assistance

http://cityofpeoria.blogspot.com/2008/08/great-opportunities-for-first-time-home.html

HUB Zone Credit – Federal and Major company preference

http://hubzonepeoria.blogspot.com/

For the Developer

Enterprise Zone – No sales tax on building Material

http://peoriaenterprisezone.blogspot.com/

Tax increment Financing – Some future property taxes to development

http://peoriatif.blogspot.com/

Historic Tax Credits for rehabbing buildings older than 36 years

http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/tax/

_____________________________

General Info

http://www.peoriaed.blogspot.com/

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/
____________________________________________
City of Peoria programs to help home buyers are shown on the links below:_

__Housing Rehabilitation Form
_http://peoria-economicdevelopmentbrochure.googlegroups.com/web/Housing+Rehab+Assistance.pdf?gda=HM26ak4AAADxMfXAjK1PoH5J7dG-s92HWHM-Hv-y7EVJtPs3bt3-PzTm_ZvMObkuEqxsWgECLfy0wbPh2gH66hjbzJPkxB0j47Cl1bPl-23V2XOW7kn5sQ&gsc=itXsPQsAAADycVE8hdXy7Z6ni1TmxbzU_/web/Housing+Rehab+Assistance.pdf?gda=HM26ak4AAADxMfXAjK1PoH5J7dG-s92HWHM-Hv-y7EVJtPs3bt3-PzTm_ZvMObkuEqxsWgECLfy0wbPh2gH66hjbzJPkxB0j47Cl1bPl-23V2XOW7kn5sQ&gsc=itXsPQsAAADycVE8hdXy7Z6ni1TmxbzU
_http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pSt1ivzaCLuM6joTj2dnQWg_
For development and management of residential rehabilitation programs in community development areas, including loans and grants, contact Neighborhood Development, Twin Towers, Room 402, 494-8656._Or contact your local banker.

City of Aurora Invitation

The City of Aurora, Illinois, invites people to their Art Walk

Please join us on Friday, September 12, 2008 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for our art walk. We're hoping to make this a quarterly event… Visit

http://www.auroraartwalk.com/

for details. Hope to see you there!!!

For those of you who are poetry lovers, I'll be channeling Emily Dickinson at Eyeland Optical, 26 E. Downer Place.

kfc Karen F. Christensen
City of Aurora
Downtown Development Division
1 S. Broadway, Aurora, IL 60505
630-844-3670; 630-906-7430 (fax)
kchristensen@aurora-il.org

http://www.blogger.com/www.aurora-downtown.org

Please take our Customer Satisfaction Survey:

http://www.aurora-il.org/communitydevelopment/customer_survey.php

Tour of RiverFront LoftsSunday, October 5, 2008

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Includes lofts at 401 Water, Maxam Quarters

http://www.peoriariverfront.com/index.php?section=1

Nice article in the Peoria Journal Star about artist oriented development in a nearby community.

http://www.pjstar.com/features/x627090932/Revived-Glory

Great Time for a Young Artist to Buy a First home

The City of Peoria, the State of Illinois, and the Federal Government have numerous programs to help people buy their first home. Depending on your income and the location of the home, you could be eligible for downpayment assistance of up to $10,000, a Federal tax credit of $7,500, a low interest loan, and funds to help you rehabilitate an older home. SUCH A DEAL !!!

_______________________________

Up to $7,500 Federal tax credit for qualified first-time homebuyers. Act soon. If you're looking for a new home, there's reason to act now! Congress has just approveda tax credit to help first-time homebuyers (or those who have not owned a home within the past three years).

Click below to learn more. The credit is a federal tax credit subject to qualifications, conditions and restrictions and repayment of the tax credit is required. The credit is only available for a limited time. Details are set forth in PL 110-289 and general information is available at:

www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com


City of Peoria programs to help home buyers are shown on the link below:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pSt1ivzaCLuN5M0iZgBtABg

http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/index.php?module=resourcesmodule&action=view&id=2860

Contact the City of Peoria Planning Department for more information 309 494 8600

Or contact your local banker.

_

Meeting Notes - Artist Relocation Program

10:00 am Wednesday 13 August 2008
Bradley University
Caterpillar Global Communications Center
834 N. Duryea

Attendees

Suzette Boulais
Marc Burnett
William Butler
Jacob Grant
Bobby Gray
Sally Hanley
Dr. Jeffrey Huberman
Craig Hullinger
Paul Krainak
Tracy Jackson
Tory Jennetten
Doug Leunig
Ross McIntosh
Jerry McNiel
Jessica Moroz
Paul Murray
Michele Richey
Stephen Stone
Hiram Torasson
Mitch Williams

Introductions

Paducah, Kentucky Artist Relocation Program

The Committee discussed the potential Artist Relocation Program via conference call with City Planner Ben Peterson of the City of Paducah. The Paducah program is the best known program in the midwest. Peterson explained the Paducah process.

They started their program in 2000. It took about 1.5 years to get it underway. They attracted about 5 to 10 artists in the first 1.5 years.

They have attracted approximately 75 artists over the life of their program. About 60 of those artists are still in the community. They have 20 to 25 art galleries, many of them an adjunct to the artist home.

The Arts District is composed of many older homes next to downtown Paducah. Many of the homes were built from 1850 to 1910. The area includes about 25 blocks.

They have no firm definition of artist. The City does not care if they are full or part time, but they must live in Paducah if they acquire the home for $1.00. They prefer their artists to own the homes.

Most of the incentives were provided by local banks, who provided up to 300% financing for the rehabilitation of older homes. The City had acquired a number of older homes in very bad condition. They sold these homes to artists for $1.00.

They started the program with $40,000. The City has invested about $3.5 million total in the area over the life of the program. They have seen about $30,000,000 in private money invested. They believe that they have about a 1 to 11 ratio of public to private money invested. The succesful redevelopment of this area has also helped the development of the adjacent downtown.

About 1/3 of the City investment was for marketing, 1/3 for infrastructure, and 1/3 for everything else. Paducah has a population of 26,000, while the region has a total of about 100,000 people.

They draw visitors from around the Midwest. They draw a fair number of visitors from Chicago. Visitors from St Louis, Memphis, and Nashville are also important.

Property taxes are very low in Kentucky. In the early stages of the program an abatement of the 6% sales tax was employed, but this is no longer in place.

Revitalization of the neighborhood is now complete. Future efforts involve improving signage, streetscape, and more marketing.

The average age of their arriving artists was about 45 years old. Some of them were retirees establishing a second career.

Most artists prefer a space in which to live, to work, and for a small shop. The most desired homes had about 2,500 square feet. Homes range in size from 900 to 6,000 square feet.

Saturday is the biggest day for traffic and sales. The community also focuses on the second Saturday of each month as a marketing “focus” day. Most sales of art are to out of town visitors.

One of the difficulties in developing the district was to build consensus and keep focus.

Peterson agreed to meet with the Peoria Committee on Wednesday October 15, 2008. Participants should meet at the City Hall parking lot at 419 Fulton St at 07:00 am. The drive to Paducah takes about 5 hours. We will spend two hours with Peterson looking at the district and having lunch, with the return estimated at 7:00 pm+-. RSVP to Craig Hullinger at 309 494 8639.

Peoria Artist Relocation Program

Hullinger briefed the Committee on City programs at:

http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/

http://Peoriaed.blogspot.com/

Hullinger noted that everyone was encouraged to post to the blog in an effort to build understanding and interest in the program.

The city has a number of programs to help redevelop older neighborhoods. Some of these programs are aimed to help first time homebuyers afford homes in Peoria. These programs provide assistance for down payments, low interest loans, housing rehabilitation. Banks have information on most of these programs. They are summarized on the page below:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pSt1ivzaCLuN5M0iZgBtABg

Many of these programs could help attract artists to our city.

The City also has a number of other programs, including low interest loans to start businesses, Enterprise Zone incentives, and TIF incentives. These programs are explained on the City Economic Development Blogs under:

www.Peoriaed.blogspot.com

under TIF, Warehouse District, Incentives, and Enterprise Zone.

The Committee discussed areas of focus for artist relocation. The consensus was that the Warehouse District had the highest concentration of artists. The Warehouse District is very different than the Paducah Arts District, which is largely composed of single family homes. The size of the Warehouse District buildings sometimes requires a professional developer.

The committee discussed concerns about crime and poor infrastructure. More effort is needed on code enforcement and public safety.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 16 September 2008 at 10:00 am at the Contemporary Art Center at 305 S Water Street.

55

Welcome Alvin Reiss

Alvin H. Reiss, perhaps the most prolific writer on the business of the arts, will be in Peoria from September 3rd through September 5th hosted by the Department of Theatre Arts at Bradley University. "Skip" Reiss has traveled the world as an advocate for the arts, playing an irreplaceable and fascinating role in the bringing the worlds of business, tourism, and the arts together. He is the editor and publisher of Arts Management, a journal he co-founded with Alvin Toffler in 1962, as well as the author of six books, hundreds of magazine articles, and numerous studies and reports.

He also runs an annual national seminar in Chicago called "Focus on Cultural Tourism;" and writes a monthly column, "Arts Agenda" for Travel Weekly. Skip will be meeting with local Arts groups, business leaders and government officials on Friday, September 5th from 8 AM to 10 AM at the Radisson Hotel on Western Avenue to share his insights into future trends in a session called "The Road Ahead is Paved with the Arts."

Please join ArtsPartners and Bradley University Theatre for this dynamic discussion.

To RSVP, call ArtsPartners at 676.2787 or email admin@artspartners.net.

Agenda

Proposed Artist Relocation Program
Peoria, Illinois

10:00 am Wednesday 13 August 2008
Bradley University
Caterpillar Global Communications Center - 834 N. Duryea

Park across the street in the Visitor Center parking lot. When you come in the front door turn right. The video conference room, GCC 124, is the first door to the right.

Anyone interested in this issue is invited to attend.

1. Introductions

2. Conference call with Ben Peterson and Steve Irvine from the Paducah Planning Department about their successful program.

http://www.paducaharts.com/

3. Discussion of next steps for the Peoria program

http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/

Artist Relocation Programs

http://www.paducaharts.com/

http://www.artistrelocationproject.com/

http://www.relocatemetoindiana.com/indiana/BrownCounty-Indiana-relo.html

Sculpture Walk Program

Check out the Sculpture Walk Program in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sculpture Walk is a great program of bringing outdoor sculptures that are displayed all year in their downtown. Artists put their sculptures in the program for one year, and all sculptures are presented to the public for sale. Artists can win awards.The Sculpture Walk Team are volunteers.

At the end of the year citizens vote for their favorite sculpture. The city buys and permanently mounts that sculpture. Then, the process starts over again.

It is a great way to promote art, and to bring people to the central city.

http://www.sculpturewalksiouxfalls.com/

8

ARTS Image Gallery

The Artist's Image Gallery showcases the work of Peoria area artists. The Bohemian Art Society is an independent arts group whose mission is to work as a team for the enhancement of the arts, the enrichment of its members, and the development of future artists.

Click on the links below:

Bohemian Art Society Member's Gallery

http://www.artspartners.net/index.php?section=21

There are a number of programs to help first time home buyers, including artists, afford homes in Peoria.

Local Banks have information on most of these programs. They are summarized on the page below:

Home Purchase Programs Summary

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pSt1ivzaCLuN5M0iZgBtABg

For more information contact the Peoria Planning Department at:

456 Fulton Street, Suite 402
Peoria, Illinois 61602
309 494 8600

Sculptures of Peoria

You can download a very nice brochure with photos
of the great sculpture of Peoria on the link below:

http://www.artspartners.net/index.php?section=44

http://www.artspartners.net

Photos of Peoria

Some Photographs of the City

http://picasaweb.google.com/peoriamaps

Artists - Please send us links of photos or sketches

of your work that you want publicized

The Prairie Center of the Arts

The Prairie Center of the Arts is a great resource for artists who may be considering coming to Peoria. They are a member of the national Alliance of Artists Communities.

http://www.prairiecenterofthearts.org/

Move your Art Studio and Home to Peoria

“Just outside Chicago, there’s a place called Illinois.” The State of Illinois developed this catchy slogan for it’s tourism marketing program to encourage Chicago-area residents to visit the Illinois south and west of Chicago, instead of visiting Wisconsin and Michigan. The strategy aimed to keep tourism and the dollars it generates in Illinois. And of course the City of Peoria works hard to make sure that Peoria gets it share of tourism

The strategy need not stop at tourism, though. There are many good reasons why an artist might choose to locate her studio / home in Peoria.

Outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, the cost of home ownership and renting is much more affordable. The cost of doing business is also much less. Congestion, often cited as a quality-of-life issue, is virtually non-existent: “rush hour” in smaller communities is often the “rush minute”. Demographic trends indicate that the problem is only going to get worse in Northeast Illinois. Of Illinois’ population of 12 million people, 8 million citizens live in or around Chicago. By 2030, Illinois is projected to grow over 15%, but of the 2 million more people living here, most will be living in or near metro Chicago.

While growth is encouraging, it also comes with associated costs. Both Chicago and Illinois would be better off if some of the projected growth occurred in other Illinois communities. The addition of two million more people to the Chicago area will create more traffic congestion and air pollution. This will require increased capital expenditure at the federal, state and local levels as the transportation, protective and educational infrastructures swell to accommodate this growth. The increase in taxes need to manage this growth is rarely appreciated by citizens.Illinois communities outside of Chicagoland could accommodate and welcome this growth.

Many communities are at best experiencing moderate growth, while many more are losing population. These smaller communities often have housing stock, roads, schools, and other infrastructure that have capacity sufficient to the task.This potential is illustrated by comparing two large metropolitan areas in Illinois. The moderately-growing Peoria metropolitan area is the second largest metro area in Illinois. However, as the following table demonstrates, there are significant advantages to locating or relocating “downstate”:

Chicago / PeoriaMedian Home Price[1]$ 274,700 / $ 114,900

Average Commute Time (2000)[2]35 minutes / 20 minutes

“Cost of Doing Business” Rank[3]90th / 47th

Cost of Living Index Composite[4]103.9 / 96.9

Student-Teacher Ratio[5]16.40 / 14.40

Relocating Businesses and Employees to Peoria

More and more people are controlling their own job location. Artists are certainly part of this movement. The Internet permits more people to work remotely. Telecommuting allows mobile professionals to flee large, congested metro areas and work and live in a pleasant environment. Free lance writers, advertising executives, entrepreneurs, artists, computer experts and even salespeople are typical of employees who often have control of their work location.

Jack Manahan is a perfect example. Manahan left the Chicago suburbs for Peoria. As a home-based computer consultant to government, he simply drives 10 minutes to the airport when he needs to visit a client. "I saved half the cost of my auto insurance and got a much nicer home in Peoria when I left Chicago. And the rush hour is much less than in Chicago. Peoria is a pleasant place to live and work, without the hassle of a really big city. "Long gone is the requirement for manufacturers, agencies, sales forces and consulting companies to be located in a large metropolitan area. In fact, the cost of doing so might well outweigh the benefits. The same connectivity that permits telecommuting allows business leaders the flexibility to move their entire company to smaller, more attractive communities where both the quality of life and the cost of doing business are better. The marketplace is no longer local – it is global and requires little more than a strong technology and transportation infrastructure. This trend is accelerating and will likely continue to be popular, especially as congestion increases.

Our Riverfront neighborhoods provide great locations for artists live/work space. The homes are affordable, and several developers are working on developing artist space. The Warehouse District http://www.warehousedistrict.blogspot.com/ provides great opportunities for lofts. Renaissance Park http://www.renaissanceparkpeoria.com/ is a great neighborhood suitable for artists.

The neighborhoods close to downtown are also close to our beautiful river and lake, and our downtown is filled with great sculpture. And the entire area is in the HUB zone, http://hubzone.blogspot.com/. The HUB Zone provides that the Federal Government and many companies such as Caterpillar and John Deere will give preference to Hub Zone based companies, including artists.

More Info at

http://www.peoriaed.blogspot.com

Anyone have a spare $1,000,000 to build this fountain?

More info on:

http://peoriafountains.blogspot.com/

Anyone have a better idea? Please send it. And a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Which by the way, it would be nice to have some illustrations / photos generated by local artists on this blog. You can join and post them yourself, or send them to me and I will post. Thanks.

Sculpture Center

I would appreciate everyones opinion on this, but I think that Peoria has far more outdoor sculpture than any other Illinois City other than Chicago. I am familiar with Joliet, Elgin, Aurora, Rockford, Waukegan, and Naperville. They are all larger then Peoria, but I think their outdoor sculpture is much more limited than ours.

Anyone out there know for sure?

Thanks

Clarksville, Missouri

I found a couple of websites for you to check out. The interesting thing about Clarksville is that they are similar to Peoria in that they are:

1. A river town

2. Located on a National Scenic Byway

3. Considered a premiere spot for nature tourism

Below are the websites with some info:

http://www.clarksvillemo.com/index.html

http://www.greatriverroad.com/hannibal/clarksville.htm

Anaise Berry
Director
Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway
www.illinoisriverroad.org

Meeting Notes - Artist Relocation Program

Tuesday, July 8 at 10:00 am
Economic Development Council - 100 SW Water Street in Peoria

Attendees

Anaise Berry
Suzette Boulais
Marc Burnett
Jacob Grant
Sally Hanley
Dr. Jeffrey Huberman
Craig Hullinger
Tory Jennetten
Doug Leunig
Jessica Moroz
Michele Richey
Chris Setti
Ryan Spain
Stephen Stone
Mitch Williams

The Committee discussed the potential Artist Relocation Program. All persons interested in promoting the arts are invited to participate in the effort to create an effective program. A number of individuals have proposed that we start a program similar to the successful program in Paducah, Kentucky. The program is summarized on their web page at: http://www.paducaharts.com/

The Paducah program was briefly discussed. The City will sponsor a drive down to look at Paducah in October, tentatively Wednesday, October 1, 2008.

Doug Leunig stated that he believes that the development of the downtown Riverfront Museum and Caterpillar Visitor Center is essential to attracting artists to relocate to Peoria. Without a concrete representation of our deep commitment to creative endeavors, any hype that promotes the artistic advantages of relocating in Peoria will be viewed suspiciously by outside artists as lacking substance.

Leunig stated that there are several differences between Paducah and Peoria. First of all Paducah was a blank slate with little or no existing artistic community. There were no signs of neglect or apathy toward an artistic community. If anything the opposite was true in their desire to build a place that favors artists they were welcoming creative types with open arms. Paducah committed to make their community an environment healthy for artists to choose to live in. They did this not because they wanted to fill empty house, but because they believed in the power of the arts to enhance their community. One of the symbols of their commitment was to build the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center. The building serves a similar capacity as the Peoria Civic Center Theater but with an important twist. It was built with a mission to enrich and inspire the community. This statement taken from the Carson Center website speaks volumes about the intent and motivation of the people of Paducah. "By their nature, the arts embrace people of all income levels and cultural backgrounds; they eliminate traditional barriers and stimulate creative thinking that stimulates dialog and open communication, and accepts the notion that there are many ways to solve the same problems."

Leunig stated that there are many ways to solve Peoria's problems. We have begun the process by considering one solution that worked for one very different community from our own. He suggested that we use the talents of our citizens, starting with the concerned core of people that we are, to come up with solutions to fit Peoria's needs. We should begin with a list of objectives on which to focus. Are we selling real estate or are we enhancing our community? Do we want to educate our citizen's to the value of creativity or do we want new artists opening and filing new galleries? What do we want to do with existing Peoria artists to help them become more successful? What can local artists do to fill the void left by Sharon Reed's departure from District 150? Can we enrich the lives of our children without the passion that creativity instills? Leunig stated that he resolutely believes that we can and will find answers to the questions that need solutions. Everybody wants to live meaningful lives and this challenge offers us an opportunity to accomplish something greater than what we can as individuals.

The City has created a blog at http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/ summarizing some of the programs that help individuals purchase homes with assistance from government with downpayment and lower interest rates. Other programs of interest can be found at http://Peoriaed.blogspot.com/ .

These programs are aimed at moderate income first home buyers, but would work well for artists just starting out. These programs could be shaped to appeal to artists. Other programs such as TIF and the Enterprise Zone could also help, although these are more appropriate for developers. City staff are working with developers who are interested in creating artist live / work space.

There are limited funds for developing an artist relocation program. The Economic Development Department of Peoria could provide $4,950 for the first year. We are looking for other sources in the community to provide additional funding. If anyone knows of anyone who might be interested with funding, please let them know. Economic Development does not have much time to put into this effort, so would likely use an Request for Proposal process to find an organization or individual who would create the program.

The Committee discussed areas where concentrations of artists were located. These include Water Street, the Prairie Center for the Arts, Peoria Heights, ICC, and Bradley University.The Committee noted that the community must support the arts for any program to be successful. The development of the downtown Museum and CAT visitor Center would be helpful.

The Committee discussed possible marketing and advertising efforts. The Committee also discussed the merits of meeting Mark Barone. Mark helped create the Paducah program, and is now a consultant working for communities who want to develop similar programs.

The Committee discussed what brings artists to Peoria. An attractive community with lower cost housing and interesting architectural character are some of the strengths. The ICC and Bradley University programs educate a large number of artists, few of whom stay in Peoria. They prefer larger cities with bigger art communities.San Antonio was discussed as a community that has created some good programs.

The next meeting is tentatively set for August 13, 2008 at 10:00 am at Bradley University. City Economic Development staff will try to line up Mark Barone or others familiar with the Paducah programs to discuss their efforts with the committee via video teleconference. Please invite anyone who would be interested and be of help in starting the program. For more information visit:

http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/

Meeting Notice - Proposed Artist Relocation Program

Meeting Notice - Proposed Artist Relocation Program
Tuesday, July 8 at 10:00 am
Economic Development Council office located at 100 SW Water Street in Peoria

Persons interested in promoting the arts are invited to an open discussion on the subject of starting an artist relocation program in Peoria. A number of individuals have proposed that we start a program similar to the successful program in Paducah, Kentucky. http://www.paducaharts.com/

The city has a number of programs currently in operation that could help artists relocate to Peoria. There are programs that help with down payments and low interest loans for persons of moderate income. These programs could be shaped to appeal to artists. Other programs such as TIF and the Enterprise Zone could help.

There are limited funds for developing an artist relocation program. The Economic Development Department of Peoria could provide $4,950 for the first year. We are looking for other sources in the community to provide additional funding.
Please invite anyone who would be interested and be of help in starting the program.
For more information visit: http://artistrelocation.blogspot.com/


AGENDA

1. Introductions

2. Possible Funding Sources

3. Who manages the program - Request for Proposal

4. Other

Home Purchase Assistance Programs

The City of Peoria is looking for a few good artists. The city is developing an Artist Relocation Program. We want artists to move into our great community, and help us redevelop our new avante garde neighborhoods near our thriving downtown. We want quality artists everywhere, creating a lovely dynamic creative neighborhood designed by artists for artists.

We have some great redeveloping neighborhoods where an artist can find a work-live loft at an affordable cost. We have programs that provide help for artists to purchase and rehabilitate old warehouses. And we have developers who are rehabbing space designed to house artist studios and residences.

Take a look at:

All our programs http://www.peoriaed.blogspot.com/

Photos http://picasaweb.google.com/peoriamaps

Renaissance Park http://www.renaissanceparkpeoria.com/

Warehouse http://www.warehousedistrict.blogspot.com/

Outdoor Sculpture http://www.artspartners.net/

Home buying assistance http://www.reachillinois.org/employers.asp?id=187

Affordable Homes http://www.eppraisal.com/NationalMSA.aspx

Great Rentals http://zerlaproperties.com/

______________________________________

Check out the Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sculpture program at:

http://www.sculpturewalksiouxfalls.com/