Austin Forms Red River Cultural District Task Force: Mayor Looks for a Path Forward for Downtown Music Venues
In Austin, Travis County, Texas, Mayor Kirk Watson announced on the City Council message board that the city and several local organizations will form a task force to watch over the Red River Cultural District, a downtown strip of venues that platform mostly local artists with near-constant music programming. Several venues have closed recently and the district's future looks uncertain. Watson wrote that for decades the City of Austin has been committed to sustaining and improving the Red River community, but "we aren't where we want to be or should be," adding that the easiness of old Austin is not the reality of new Austin.
The task force will be led by downtown strategy officer Jonathan Stone. Its members include Austin Economic Development, the city's Arts, Culture, Music & Entertainment department (ACME), the Austin Planning Department, the Red River Cultural District nonprofit, the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Music Venue Alliance, Rally Austin, the Pecan Street Owners Association, the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association and Waterloo Greenway. According to the mayor, the group's job is to "preserve a quality cultural district and encourage economic vitality in the area," and it will ultimately deliver a series of directives for action.
In an open letter in September, the Red River Cultural District asked the City to act on a series of recent closures, naming Koriente, Feels So Good, Empire Control Room & Garage, Marlow and Valhalla, and noting that Elysium and The 13th Floor were at risk after the building housing both was listed for sale. District executive director Nicole Klepadlo thanked Watson and Councilmember Zo Qadri for listening to the community, saying the hope is to build a future where Austin's independent music venues and cultural spaces "aren't simply fighting to survive, but have the support and protections they need to flourish for generations to come." (Compiled from CultureMap Austin, October 21, and the mayor's message-board post.)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Austin 红河文化区（Red River Cultural District）街景。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons 文件 Storefronts Red River Cultural District 2019.jpg，Larry D. Moore 摄，CC BY 4.0 授权
