Re: The Southwest Museum: What Victory Looks Like

From: Nicole Possert

To: Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council, Northeast LA Community

June 26, 2007

Please post this as a response to the asncalert/nelalist posting entitled "The Southwest Museum:  A Shared Responsibility" by two individuals.  Below please find the actual document, "What Victory Looks Like," created back in 2005 -- a long time before Autry refused further dialogue/negotiations and presented their most recent (September 2006) plan to change the name and use of the historic Southwest Museum and ignore the community's overwhelming support (and evidence from their own experts) for a vibrant museum future.

Everyone can actually read for themselves that the Coalition's "What Victory Looks Like" did not produce any meaningful results -- not one bullet point in our document was actually agreed upon by Autry.

This is why the Coalition has continued to partner with our elected officials to pursue a proactive resolution that actually invests in a future for NELA.
Who's litigating anything? Certainly not the Coalition... It seems the only people talking about litigation at the moment are Autry's propaganda machine and now this recent post from two individuals. This appears to be a tactic to distract us all from a meaningful solution now. Let's not be distracted!

Speaking of meaningful solutions -- we just had a great meeting with CM Huizar to move forward in positive dialogue with Autry. With his leadership, in concert with all our elected officials, work for a museum solution to bring economic investment to NELA is happening.

Thank you Councilmember Huizar!

Pre-mature expansion, huh? The expansion in our Alternative Plan was conceptualized to accommodate AUTRY's most recent decision to require a cultural/education center in this location instead of a museum. And, it also accommodates our own community's consistent support for new uses on the site that would be supported IF they helped make a economically viable museum displaying the Southwest Collection. We simply made a picture illustration to show that it is possible to address everyone¡¦s concerns/needs in a dynamic way.

The idea for an ampitheater was from Carol, so if that's no longer of interest, we can just remove that from the concept and that'll already reduce the price tag considerably.

We also addressed the myth that no expansion could ever happen on site because it was a historic monument, the LA Conservancy has indicated this plan is a viable historic preservation solution worthy of consideration. Just think of other "obsolete" or deficient historic structures "LA Central Library, Griffith Observatory, Natural History Museum" all of them expanded (or are in the processof) to address the issues.

I doubt that anyone thinks that a meager 3,200 sq feet of exhibition space will be a vibrant museum destination bringing economic development and tourists to NELA, serving our students and serve marketable space for repeat visitation.

Many art galleries are about that size or larger! If that small amount of space can make a successful museum destination, why then is Autry proposing a new replacement Southwest Museum in Griffith Part at 20,000 sq feet of display space? Why hasn't Autry performed a study to give us hard data and evidence that their education center plan is more economically viable than their previous continued museum use study by Brenda Levin (which concluded it was feasible and economically viable)? Where will the permanent exhibition galleries be that perform the much-desired function of educating our school children, that alone took up over 5,000 sq feet and, as Pam Hannah stated last week, could only accommodate 40-45,000 students/year due to space constraints.

Autry has always indicated that this location was deficient in exhibition space and parking so it's rather ironic that their latest idea put forward constricts display space to almost nothing and doesn't address parking. When something's space deficient, it seems good stewards take to the solution of expansion, not removal to a level of insignificance.

Let me be very clear -- the Alternative Plan was in response to Autry's lack of a museum plan and came about well after they rejected further negotiations last year. This plan has been vetted by our economic consultant, the historic preservation community and most importantly reflects what the Coalition has always been about, an economically viable MUSEUM destination. I dare say that Autry's museum in Griffith Park does not have the attendance numbers to justify a $150 million expansion in our public park. But, they
certainly are using the value of the Southwest Collection as leverage and collateral to raise money for an unnecessary relocation of the Southwest Museum to Griffith Park. Why not Northeast Los Angeles folks?

Everything at this moment in time is unfunded for NELA because Autry has not kept it's original promise to raise $150 million for BOTH locations. This is about equity and honoring your commitments.

It is a vision of what could be if we all worked together. Doesn't our community deserve it?

- Nicole Possert
aguild@pacbell.net