THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE MADISON TIMES WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WI Department of Tourism

Cultural tourism and multiculturalism

by Jonathan Gramling

Part 2 of 2

Genyne Edwards, the deputy secretary of the WI Dept. of Tourism, is at the forefront of Wisconsin's initiative to be relevant to the cultural tourism trade. "Cultural tourism is near and dear to my heart," Edwards said in an interview at her office that overlooks the back of the Overture Center. "It's important to recognize that cultural tourism is very broad and we approach it extremely broadly. We understand that arts and heritage are a part of cultural tourism and have always been the mainstay of what we promote here. But in some ways, multicultural tourism is also a tie into that because of some of our emphasis on ethnic locations around the state."

Edwards feels that Wisconsin has a bad rap when it comes to being seen as an attraction for multicultural tourists. Symbolically, as the first African American to hold her position at Tourism, Edwards is trying to change that. "I have become a face for Wisconsin's tourism and as a person of color, which is pretty significant," Edwards reflected. "Maybe that message will resonate with a person of color, an African American or a Latino, and they'll say 'People of color live in Wisconsin? Wow, who knew!' Hopefully, that makes them dig deeper because I think we do suffer from a perception problem if you look at the way the state is perceived. If you know really what this state has represented in the history of the Underground Railroad and all of the other significant things that have happened in Wisconsin, that story is rarely told."

Edwards feels that performing arts venues need to closely plan their performing arts seasons so that they attract the widest audiences possible, including the multicultural tourist. "They definitely need to consider whom they are bringing in and what kind of audience it is going to draw," Edwards said. "I think about my two years here in Madison. The performances I went to at the Madison Civic Center were performances with diverse casts. Quite honestly, I went to an African performance. I went to The Piano Lesson. Those were the performances I decided to go to. Similarly, since the Overture Center has opened, the plays or performances I had an interest in were Terrance Blanchard, jazz, trumpet, a guy who has worked on Spike Lee movies and has a rich history from the New York-Harlem area. When these venues are trying to ensure they are bringing in tourists and touching a diverse audience, the programming piece really needs to be strong and some thought has to be placed on how a multicultural traveler or multicultural tourist or multicultural community member might be attracted to the program."

There are a number of venues in Wisconsin that have been successful in doing this, according to Edwards. "The Milwaukee Art Museum is going to host a one-of-a-kind display of sculpture from the 19th century era, a Brazilian artist named Degas," Edwards said. "That's huge. It's going to be composed of some of his finished and unfinished works. It's only a handful of cities that is going to host the exhibit including Mexico City, Rochester, New York, and San Diego. So, we are in good company."

Also, the Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan is going to host a performance by a Paris-based musician featuring Eastern European gypsy and Jewish cultures. That's in February. 'The Goongoo Peas' are going to be there February 13.  I think the Kohler Art Center has done a really great job of offering a variety of different cultures. Every year, they have a really strong programming series that has a variety of things. In March, they are going to have a tap dance, a lot of which was inspired by Gregory Hines. That's pretty cool."

The Goongoo Peas, a Caribbean a Capella vocal group, is from Madison. As venues from around the state feature a multicultural repertoire, they allow multicultural groups like the Goongoo Peas to survive more as local artists. The same holds true for multicultural venues. "It's really important that we support the smaller venues," Edwards said. "An example of that here in Madison is the Madison Center for the Cultural Arts and the great work that Hanah Jon Taylor and Susan Fox are doing to really give an alternative space for artists who are just starting out or need a space to practice or give demonstrations. I think there are examples of those kinds of efforts around the state, the smaller, lesser known venues that are doing really good work and they are rarely showcased just because they either don't have the marketing budget to do so or they aren't large enough to be on the radar of the traveling public. Another example of that is the Greer Oaks Gallery in Milwaukee. It is a visual arts space owned by Calvin Greer. He has an old Victorian house that he has remodeled and provides space for African American artists to exhibit. They have a number of show coming up. They just had a jazz show that kicked off last week Friday that will run through December. It's such a unique space and is one of the few venues that African American visual artists have to showcase their work."

And as these venues and performing arts groups survive and flourish, it also means that a regional area like Madison will be able to attract and retain a cosmopolitan workforce and citizenry. "Quality of life is really directly tied to the cultural tourism product because if you think of where a young person wants to live, work, and play, they typically want to be in a place that is diverse and has a diverse number of offerings to suit their tastes," Edwards observed. "Our research shows that people want to live in a place where they know they can take in a museum or they want to have adequate restaurant and nightlife options. They want to be in a community where there are some things that resemble them. They want to be in a community that has a diverse group of people and a diverse group of offerings."

The interest in culture and history as a part of the vacation package will only continue to grow. "81 percent of U.S. adults who traveled in the past year are considered to be historical-cultural travelers," Edwards emphasized. "That interest in history is only going to grow. The Civil War and all of the history reenactments is really growing. Next year, we also have the celebration of the Joshua Glover and the Underground Railroad and its significance from Milwaukee and Racine."

Multiculturalism tourism will continue to be a vital component of cultural tourism as the state of Wisconsin seeks to attract a diverse citizenry to fuel its growth well into the 21st century. It is a force that can fuel a continuing cycles of development, both culturally and economically. The arts can shape economic development strategies as the Overture Center and other venues aptly show. And the multicultural tourist will become an important force in that growth.