Art Ache: McAllen Yearns to Become a Community of Culture. So What’s Holding It Back?

By MARC B. GELLER
The [McAllen] Monitor
22 August 2006

McAllen has a ballet company, a symphony orchestra, an opera company, a downtown theater and an art museum. What it generally lacks is a well-developed market for the opportunities and experiences these offer.

That was one of several findings presented in the 16-page report Austin consultant Ann Daly recently prepared as part of an “arts assessment” for the McAllen Chamber of Commerce.

The assessment focused on answering two key questions relating to arts and culture in the City of Palms: What are the cultural sector’s assets? And how can the cultural sector develop?

Daly’s analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats yielded a gloomy current picture but also highlighted the city’s abundant potential.

“As a whole, the cultural sector is highly fragmented and largely invisible to the public eye,” she wrote. “Most cultural organizations are in the start-up or emerging phase of development.”

“Similarly, the audience/market is undeveloped. Mexican culture and informal arts do not appear to be part of the self-identified arts community.”

In addition to the analysis, the consultant also came up with a list of recommendations for the city, based in part on a survey of arts organizations focus groups conducted with the arts community and interviews with city leaders and selected stakeholders in the arts community.

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