Fine arts: the next frontier of Round Rock

Fine arts: the next frontier of Round Rock

Written by Eric Pulsifer Friday, 06 June 2008

For further information, check out these links:

• Round Rock Chamber of Commerce fine arts survey
• Round Rock Symphony
• Williamson County Art Guild
• Greater Round Rock Community Foundation

 

Round Rock City Councilman Rufus Honeycutt admits he does not have much artistic talent but he does know its value. In April, Honeycutt established a $15,000 endowment with the Greater Round Rock Community Foundation to promote the development of arts and culture in Round Rock.

“From an economic development standpoint, having arts and cultural activities in your community is seen as a real boost to companies moving into the area, and it’s the one thing missing from our arsenal whenever we recruit businesses,” he said. “From a local citizen’s standpoint, appreciation of the arts builds civility in your citizens.”

Honeycutt is part of a committee recently created by the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the city to enhance the arts and cultural offerings in the city. The Round Rock Arts and Cultural Council is the first step; establishing a permanent arts council is the next. The ultimate goal is to establish and encourage events around the city, leading to increased tourism, economic growth and cultural development.

The council and the city prepared an online survey to identify the need and interest in visual and performing arts in Round Rock.

“There’s just not an abundance of arts and cultural activities here. What we’re trying to do in the survey is see what all is out there and what level of interest folks have in enhancing the arts and cultural offerings in Round Rock,” said chamber president Charlie Dromgoole.

Honeycutt said somewhere during the rapid growth of Round Rock, the development of an arts community was neglected, but that as the city’s expansion continues the absence will become noticeable.

“Before, there was nothing to really support it. Now we’ve got a population getting close to 100,000 and it’s time to really start considering it,” Honeycutt said. “If we don’t start working on it, it won’t happen.”

While Honeycutt does not expect Round Rock to replace Austin or San Antonio’s extensive offerings, he said the city should find its own niche and support its growth.

The Round Rock Symphony

The newly formed Round Rock Symphony is expected to begin performing this fall. Music director Silas Huff believes the community will eventually support the orchestra, but said he has been under-whelmed by the amount of support thus far.

“Unfortunately, our art is hindered by [lack of] money, so financially what we’ll be able to do depends on that,” he said. “I think after we start doing performances, the community is going to see what we’re all about and throw a little support our way.”

Huff said he hopes the symphony in Round Rock will give residents an alternative to driving to Austin for a night on the town.

“This is going to give Round Rockers a reason to stay in Round Rock and spend their money in their home city,” Huff said. “No one just goes to the symphony on a Saturday night. They also have dinner, then they have a concert, then they take dessert or drinks or coffee. On any given night when someone goes to a symphony concert, they’re actually investing in their community, which is good for everyone.”

Huff said Round Rock has many of the aspects of a good community — schools, housing, hospitals and a sports team — but is missing an arts community.

“Round Rock is set to grow exponentially in the next couple of years and it needs all the things that a city its size and growing should have.”

In the studio

Patricia Lyle is a studio artist who works with oils and teaches painting classes at her studio in Round Rock. She has lived in the city for 10 years and served on a task force assembled in 2006 to take inventory of venues, events and artists in the area to advise the city council.

“I found out there are a lot of groups in Round Rock that are wanting this to happen,” she said. “Right now they have to go somewhere else to find that, but I don’t see why we can’t have it right here where we live.”

Lyle is optimistic about the latest developments and hopes the efforts will gain more support from citizens and the city.

“People have been thinking about this for a while but now we’re actually working on it. Now there’s some action,” she said. “It takes a community commitment to do something this big.”

Many local artists like Lyle are members of the Williamson County Art Guild. The Georgetown-based nonprofit has more than 200 members around the county and holds art shows and exhibits and offers scholarships to college-bound high school seniors.

Guild president and artist Fred Bolgen is working in Georgetown to continue growing the town’s burgeoning arts scene, something he considers vital to the health of his community.

“We’re getting known for that,” Bolgen said. “Georgetown is really geared up in this direction. It’s really what’s keeping this community alive almost.”

On the stage

Round Rock ISD fine arts director Jim Van Zandt said that finding arts and cultural events to involve students in is easy thanks to the area’s proximity to Austin: the symphony frequently gives in-school performances and field trips to the Austin Museum of Art to expose students to the visual arts.

“I think a continuous and sequential involvement in fine arts programs gives students a passion for learning. It gives them a reason to come to school and stay in school,” Van Zandt said.

At the Texas State University Round Rock Higher Education Center, a more arts-interested city could lead to a new fine arts facility available for public use. A member of the Arts and Cultural Council and RRHEC director, Edna Rehbein said the school’s master plan has always included an area designated for fine arts use but that it is still several years away.

“We know that as the university goes forward, there will definitely need to be some kind of performance center there. It’s just not clear what kind and how far into the future we will have to wait.”

The school is funded by the state legislature and fine arts are usually not a top priority, but Rehbein said that community interest could speed the process up.

“In order for us to fund something like that, it would really be beneficial if we could go into a partnership with the community or a private donor,” Rehbein said. “We are definitely interested in getting a venue like that in the area and it would be great to have it on our property.”

The school district is fortunate to have as much as it does, Van Zandt said, but additional performing space would help relieve over-booking at the Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center, which averages more than 200 performances during the school year alone.

The tight schedule at the Performing Arts Center often leads to multiple events scheduled for the same day. Providing a venue for the district’s young artists would be impossible, if not for local churches and businesses providing space when needed. These donated venues are also used for plays, the Williamson County Symphony and the Round Rock Community Choir, which cannot find time on the center’s crowded calendar.

“The community opens its doors for those kinds of things,” Van Zandt said. “We’re very blessed actually.”

Benefits of fine arts to a community

Tourism: Tourists attending art events generated $103 billion for communities across the U.S. in 2005.

Education: A study done by the University of California Irvine found a link between music and human intelligence.

Economy: The nonprofit arts and culture industry supports 5.7 million jobs nationwide and contributes to economic development.

Community: From art exhibits to the symphony, the arts bring people together and improve quality of life.

Sources: Association of Performing Arts Presenters and the Texas Commission on the Arts

Round Rock fine arts venues

• Round Rock Amphitheater
  • Opened in 2007
  • Rents for $150 for four hours for residents or $250 for nonresidents
  • Managed by the City of Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department
  • A grassy outdoor performance space that hosts the Round Rock Concert Series
  • 218-5499
• RRISD Performing Arts Center
  • Opened in 1999
  • Rents for $300 an hour for the main stage or $100 an hour for the black box theater; averages more than 200 performances during the school year alone
  • 1,500 seats at the main stage, room for up to 200 people in the black box theater
  • www.rrisdpac.org
• Sam Bass Community Theatre
  • Current location opened in 1981
  • Currently not available for rental
  • Seating: 55
  • The Sam Bass Community Theatre is a nonprofit organization, run solely by volunteers
  • Six to eight four-week productions annually
  • www.sambasstheatre.org
• First United Methodist Church
  • Sanctuary opened in 2003
  • Rents for $2,300 a day
  • 4,000-member church offers partnerships and discounts for community groups
  • Seats 1,100 to 1,400
  • 255-3336
  • www.fumc-rr.org