Visions of Charlotte – David Taylor

David Taylor, President, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture
David Taylor was named president of the Harvey B. Gantt Center in July 2009. Prior to that, he served as chairman of the Afro-American Cultural Center’s Board from 2004 to 2006.

How is the first year of Charlotte’s new Cultural Campus going, and what is coming up?It’s going very well. Certainly with the opening of the Gantt Center, the opening of the Knight Theatre, and the Bechtler Museum, it has created some sense of synergy and life that didn’t exist prior to that. And with the anticipated opening of the Mint Museum in the fall, I think we will have one of the unique spaces in the region.

What successes has the Gantt Center seen in promoting African-American culture?
It’s been seeing visitors from across the country. From a tourism perspective, we’re seeing new traffic that we never saw before. Tourism certainly is a niche market that we continue to want to expand on. We think that’s driven largely by some of the unique and outstanding work that our curator, and our program and educational team, and I have put together. The first six months have really been phenomenal. I even get more excited about some of the outstanding exhibitions that are coming up. I think another important success is the community involvement. When we opened to the public, we had a crowd of over 10,000 people show up. You saw it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We had approximately 3,000 people come to the center to enjoy the programming. We saw multiple generations in our classroom or in our performance suite reliving or experiencing some cultural component of the lives of American and African American history in this country. The community is continuing to embrace the work of the Gantt Center, and we’re excited about upcoming efforts as we continue to expand our educational programs.

What still needs to happen? What’s missing?
More than anything it is continuing to build out relevant programming that people want to embrace. When we opened this facility it was really about us continuing to find really compelling cultural experiences that we present to people. I applaud the community for their effort in terms of supporting the Gantt Center. We certainly always need more and want more, but I think first and foremost it’s about us presenting compelling programming that people want to see, and we’ll continue to evaluate that everyday. What’s missing is those folks who haven’t visited yet. Make that investment and visit once. Connect some way. One of the opportunities we have is the diverse programming that lets us touch people, so we’re really excited about the ability to touch people through performance arts or education or book signings. We’re excited about continuing our responsibility to provide compelling programming.

Is the current economic downturn affecting arts funding, and can we expect to see changes in those trends over the next 12-24 months?
I would think things have been negatively impacted, but on the other hand I think corporations and individuals have continued to find ways to try to support the arts, and they should be commended for that. Certainly there have been cuts but, on the other hand, there has been great resolve to try to find positive solutions to continue to support organizations like ourselves, or arts initiatives in this community. At the end of the day, the corporate community should be commended, and so should individuals who continue to give financially when they certainly could easily say no. That commitment has really been an inspiration as we’ve opened our doors.

As Charlotte moves forward, what is the Gantt Center’s role in the African American community, and in the arts community?
They’re generally one and the same. Our goal is to promote African American art, culture and history in the community. There is really no American history without African American history. So at this time I think we have a sole responsibility of simply telling American history through the eyes of an African American experience.

Are there still arts opportunities left for the little guy in the Charlotte art scene?
There most certainly is, and I think organizations like us have a responsibility to be able to find ways to engage and empower the little person or the emerging artist that needs a relationship, and resources. Our plan is to continue to participate in that, because they’re so much a part of who we have been over the years.  It’s been part of us, you know, finding the small artist, and helping the emerging artist find their way. We must be involved with them and find ways to support them.

What can we expect to see in the arts the next couple of years?
As these institutions all come online, you will see in Charlotte some of the most unbelievable art and cultural experiences that you can see in any part of the United States.  I think this cultural campus will become a model to people trying to grow the arts in other communities, and I think what we’ve accomplished has been huge, and it will forever change the landscape of arts appreciation in Charlotte.

~Clay Whittaker