Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Esparza.
Hi Laura, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
A year and a half ago I decided to retire from the City of Austin where I had worked for 17 years running the City’s museums and Cultural Centers. I had 11 institutions with a staff of 173. I had received a budget cut that was going to hurt the artists that we worked with; permanent City staff would still have their jobs but the many artists, musicians and performers that we worked with would not. I felt that it was time to devote my energy to addressing a long-time issue in Austin–the lack of private and business funding for the arts. I took over a 115 year old non-profit that had become dormant during Covid-19, Art Alliance Austin. They were better known for two events: Fiesta which was a big event in Austin through the 1950’s to the 1970’s and Art City Austin. The organization had long supported artists as part of their mission and, as many Local Arts Agencies have the word Alliance in their title, I thought it was an appropriate name for the new iteration of the organization.
A Local Arts Agency is a type of funder that also serves as a champion and advocate for the arts. There are more than 4500 in the U.S. but Austin did not have one. I worked for a very successful Local Arts Agency in San Jose, CA, now called Silicon Valley Creates. Their work inspired me to create A3.
A3 was founded to raise awareness and raise funds in support of Austin’s arts ecosystem. In our first year, we were able to fund all of the projects that we set out to support through private donations and grants. But it was very hard work to raise our first $100,000. We were also able to revive a new, more authentic Fiesta and publish a book called A Perfect Storm: Austin Arts Today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Raising money is very hard in Austin, Texas, especially for the arts. I like to say that Austin has a bad habit of not valuing the very thing that makes this city attractive to families, businesses and tourists. The arts have no safety net here in that the arts have only one main source of funding: the City of Austin. There is one corporation that supports the arts with a specific fund and one grant from our Community Foundation. There are no foundations specifically devoted to supporting the arts and still no Business Council for the Arts.. In a city that is this wealthy and successful, it’s a crying shame. But it is a trend that has been relentless for many decades. I want to change this trend. I want every Austinite to recognize and act upon the value of creativity in their families, in their community and in their lives.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For 20 years I directed plays in theaters across the U.S., and Europe. At 40, I decided to go into museum work and became a curator and museum and cultural center director. I came to Austin in 2007 to take a job with the City of Austin, directing the City’s museums and cultural centers. I’ve lived in nine different cities across the country, working in my profession. I specialized in building cultural facilities: museums, theaters and cultural centers as a client representative. I’m proud of participating in the building and opening of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center and the Asian American Resource Center. I am also proud of planning and implementing the restoration of the Susannah Dickinson Museum, the George Washington Carver Museum’s Genealogy Center and the Elizabet Ney Museum. I am also very proud of the partnership that I formed with the Zilker Theater Productions to renovate the Zilker Hillside Theater and make it a usable theater. There are several other buildings that I planned alongside architects that I hope that Austin will be able to enjoy in the future: a new Dougherty Arts Center and a new theater at the Asian American Resource Center.
What sets me apart from others is the breadth of my skills in the arts: theater, museum work, arts administration, and now foundation work.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can support our fund by making a contribution on our website at A3Austin.org. You can also sign up for the newsletter by sending an email to laura@A3Austin.org. Our book is also available for purchase on our website.
Pricing:
- $30
Contact Info:
- Website: https://A3Austin.org
- Facebook: A3 Art Alliance Austin
Image Credits
All photos by Laura Esparza
