The Music Commission has signaled it intends to ask the city to waive fees and streamline the administrative processes involved in allowing small community groups to hold arts and music events in local parks facilities.
Last week’s meeting included discussion prompted by a request from the Sunday Sessions arts and wellness group to ask the city to waive fees for its monthly gatherings held in parks around the city. The group promotes a combination of music and creative pursuits as well as wellness activities such as yoga and guided breath work in locations such as Zilker Park.
The Sunday Sessions request referenced the fees required by the Austin Center for Events (ACE) as a financial barrier for the events that are free to attend. It also invoked the resolution from earlier this year, connected by the city’s move to preserve the Blues on the Green concert series, that called for the city to encourage greater use of city facilities for cultural gatherings organized by small community groups.
The request, which was not voted on, also sought exploration of ways to reduce the administrative oversight needed for small gatherings “to ensure continued access to free, open-to-the-public events that promote cultural inclusivity and community engagement in Austin.”
Commission members were supportive of the concept of making city spaces more available for small community and cultural gatherings but opted to hold off on making a request to City Council on behalf of one specific group.
Commissioner Anne-Charlotte Patterson said she’s pursuing talks with Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, who pushed the Blues on the Green resolution, about how to enact the steps that called for increased community access. She also suggested collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Department and the Parks and Recreation Board on the effort.
“I do think that there’s a need to understand how the process of using our park and recreation spaces for community groups can be streamlined somewhat,” she said. “I would love for this commission to put forth a broad recommendation, not just for Sunday Sessions. … I really appreciate how their organizer has led on this. But I would like for our group to create a broader recommendation, and that should probably happen in tandem with the parks board as well.”
Commissioner Pedro Carvalho, who co-owns the Far Out Lounge live music venue, said the ACE application process for special events can be laborious and overwhelming even for those who are familiar with all of the steps and processes.
“Especially for reoccurring events, once you go through the process the first time … once you apply for one ACE permit and you have the same event, you have to do the entire application process again,” he said. “There is no template that you can just kind of click and say it’s literally the same infrastructure, the same event in the same space.”
Pedro Villalobos, chair of the Parks and Recreation Board, told the Austin Monitor that financial considerations about staff needs during events and the availability of any parks spaces or facilities are the two main concerns he could foresee with the effort, along with making sure there is wide access and consideration given to all community groups.
“I’m always in favor of making sure that we’re showcasing local talent that exists here in Austin and making sure that we’re doing everything that we can to be supportive of local musicians and local artists and giving them space that they can perform and so that they’re also able to practice and hone their craft,” he said. “The question always comes down to mechanically how does it work, and making sure that everyone has access to this program or everyone has an equal opportunity to do this and that the process feels open and transparent.”
Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.
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Austin Music Commission: The Austin Music Commission guides city practices on music development issues, including the SxSW music festival.
City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department: The city department responsible for the city's park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
