To: Susan Booth

From: John Burl Smith, Reporter

Re: Telephone Interview/Questions

Date: October 15, 2001

Like most local artists, I greeted your arrival with great interest. Accordingly, I thought beginning a relationship with a proposal as an interview format would close the gaps in knowledge quickly. My name is John Burl Smith, roving reporter for The DISH. Among other things, I am an idea development specialist for Intuit Creative Ideas Manifested (ICIM) Inc. The 1997 brainchild of Yohannes Sharriff Smith, our mission is to manifest creative ideas through art in under-served communities. ICIM's goal is to use the collective energies of young black artists to educate and enrich their communities, while developing a viable economic vehicle for individual artists. This concept is coordinated by the Atlanta Vibe Repertory Company, as part of ICIM's community outreach commitment. Our organizing principle is all artists need opportunities to develop their craft and some entity must make productive use of the large pool of creative talent.

The play, About Jem, is one of several projects searching for funding. It epitomizes what Atlanta artists have done without support from the established arts community. Black artists are asking for funds to improve and expand what we are already doing. Every project on the drawing board will never be funded, however, certainly, more can be done based on the current paltry level of funding. About Jem is a part of a concept proposal that brings together the most successful efforts of the ATL Vibe. I hope we have the opportunity to explore this concept fully.

The idea behind this interview is twofold. First, introduce you to the Atlanta Vibe and the level of artistry on display in Atlanta's black community, while gaining a measure of insight about how you see your role with the Alliance Theater. More specifically, we wish to know how you plan to "change the status quo," which has been alluded to by local arts movers and shakes as a major goal of your leadership at Alliance. Secondly, we wish to provide The DISH readers with a sense of what to expect under your directorship in the face of tremendous uncertainty regarding the role of black artists in Atlanta.

Telephone interviewing is not my best modus operandi; therefore, I thought a prepared list of questions would allow us to feel our way to a mutual comfort level. When one has not had a face-to-face, a telephone interview is like talking to someone behind bars; it lacks the personal touch. I hope this list of questions will get us closer to the things we really want to know and say regarding the production I propose and your willingness to help present it to Atlanta. Below are the questions...

1. I have spent the last five years working with young artists in Atlanta and across America. One resounding question dominates their perspective, "Why is it so difficult for black artists to get projects funded?" Do you agree or disagree with the premise of the question?

2. Do you feel they have a point?

3. Did you encounter this perception in your former position?

4. Do you consider this perception a problem?

5. How do you plan to change this perception for Atlanta's black artists?

6. Do you feel there is a significant cultural difference between Atlanta and other major art centers of the world?

7. Do you consider not being from the south an advantage or disadvantage?

8. How do you see the role of art in the educational process of communities?

9. Do you buy into the notion special efforts should be made to carry art into under-served communities?

10. What are your thoughts on the general absence of art in impoverished or other under-served communities?

11. Does a community have an obligation to educate the poor about art and its impact on human development?

12. Do you believe outreach should be a goal of the arts' community?

13. What is your approach to arts outreach programing?

14. Do you feel community theater adds real value to arts' education?

15. What are your most important criteria for funding arts projects?

16. Do you use the same criteria when considering a major stage production, as you do considering a performance for community theater?

17. What obligation, if any, do you feel major arts funding groups have to fund community arts' outreach efforts?

18. Should such groups provide seed money for struggling community-based arts education efforts that enrich under-served residents?

19. Do you consider artists public servants or independent entrepreneurs?

20. Do you subscribe to the notion arts funding groups should use 501(3)(c) nonprofit status as a litmus test when giving grants?

21. What obligation do you feel the Atlanta arts community owes black artists for years of denying opportunity based on race under segregation?

I appreciate your job demands and time constraints, I have been away from my computer for several days or I would have gotten this to you sooner. If the lateness of the hour poses any problem in addressing these questions, I will be more than glad to reschedule our telephone conversation to allow you adequate time. E-mail me at icim@bellsouth.net, or telephone me at 404-244-6023. If time is not a factor, I will call at 10:00 A.M. as scheduled on October 17, 2001. Thanks again for your time...John Burl Smith