Agent K might even face an uphill battle in Terre Haute.
Remember the ‘90s movie “Men In Black”? Agent K, masterfully played in deadpan fashion by Tommy Lee Jones, used a “neuralyzer” to wipe out specific memories of average people who saw aliens, which the Men In Black secretly managed. The agent’s neuralyzer resembled a pen but flashed a blinding light in the witnesses’ eyes, blotting out their recollections of extraterrestrials.
Some longtime Hauteans let memories of the city’s past ills — those that gave it labels such as Sin City, Nowhere USA and the Land of a Thousand Smells — taint their view of Terre Haute’s present and future potential. Agent K and his neuralyzer would have their work cut out for them here, trying to eradicate such jaded thoughts.
The city has a chance to earn a transformational distinction. Its downtown could become a state-recognized “cultural arts district.” That’s a big deal in terms of economic development.
It tells prospective companies and employees, those looking for a place to locate, that the town offers fun, unique sights and activities. It gives the searchers an extra, validated reason to stay, and out-of-towners a reason to make a day trip. It puts Terre Haute on the tourism maps, literally.
A cultural arts district designation isn’t easily earned. Only five Hoosier towns feature a district certified by the Indiana Arts Commission — Bloomington, Carmel and West Lafayette/Lafayette (chosen in 2010), and Columbus and Nashville (selected in 2012). Nashville applied more than once. Other towns have tried and not made the cut.
Terre Haute is close — as in the finish-line looms within eyesight — but not yet ready.
An Arts Commission consultant spent nearly 14 months helping an energetic core of residents assess Terre Haute’s readiness to operate its cultural arts district — an area defined by the City Council in 2012 that spans the Seventh Street Arts Corridor from Tippecanoe to Poplar — at a high level, daily, monthly, yearly. That expert, Miah Michaelsen, knows a center of cultural energy when she sees it. Michaelsen serves as the city of Bloomington’s assistant economic development director for the arts in addition to her state duties. “Her findings and recommendations are golden, if not platinum,” said Pat Martin, chief planner for the city of Terre Haute.
She found plenty of evidence of cultural vitality here. On the checklist for state designation, Michaelsen found positives on nearly every point. The arts and events organizers and participants exhibit enthusiasm and want growth. An adequate number of festivals, arts outlets and markets exist. The possibilities for sharp storefronts, more streetscape elements and new businesses are strong. Plans to develop additional, diverse programs are in place.
Check. Check. Check. And check.
But Michaelsen recommended that Terre Haute wait to take the final step, a formal application for state recognition of the local cultural arts district. The city isn’t ready, she determined in her report, finalized a couple weeks ago. It needs to identify an entity that would manage the district, coordinating events, marketing the city’s current attractions, developing new offerings, and recruiting new arts and entertainment providers. Steady, reliable funding for such management must be identified, too. Designating Terre Haute’s cultural arts district without guidance and funding clarified would doom it to fail.
Terre Haute also needs more street events, and easier access to those for pedestrians and bicyclists. Foot traffic is “minimal,” Michaelsen’s report stated, and too few bike racks and park benches exist.
And there’s one other obstacle Michaelsen detected. A surprising number of people express a defeatist outlook about the town, based on old failings. “Terre Haute would be well-served by becoming its own best cheerleader,” Michaelsen said in a phone interview last week. Instead, she suggests people “try to see it as someone coming in from the outside, and if they do, they’ll see it’s a charming place.”
Yes, that’s Michaelsen impression. “It’s a charming place, and I’m a fan,” she said. “It’s sort of become an adopted community I’m invested in. It’s a charming place with possibilities all over it.”
Terre Haute. Charming. That’s a newcomer’s view. Be honest. When’s the last time you called Terre Haute “charming”?
The other shortcomings on the Indiana Arts Commission’s cultural district criteria list can be overcome. Martin, an active force in the effort to develop the district, shared Michaelsen’s report with Mayor Duke Bennett last week, along with ideas for identifying an entity to manage it and ways to fund it. They also discussed ways to make the downtown friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists. On Friday, the mayor said by email, “I will be taking the report under advisement and carefully reviewing the consultant’s recommendations to determine how we might move forward.”
Martin said the effort to elevate the downtown’s cultural and arts menu to state-recognized level won’t “die on the vine.” The goal, he said, is to be ready to submit an application for state designation in 2016, the next opportunity. Michaelsen absolutely wants the momentum continued, so Terre Haute’s already culturally rich district reaches that plateau “organically.” The final line of her report made that clear: “It is the consultant’s observation that if the [local] team keeps the betterment of the city, via the betterment of the arts and cultural community, as its primary goal, that the establishment of a successful cultural arts district is well within its grasp.”
With the key pieces already here, Terre Haute can indeed pull this off. As long as Hauteans believe in their community.
Better call Agent K, just in case.