How much of an impact does the arts have in a town like Austin? Officials and volunteers are hoping to find out with the upcoming 4th Avenue Fest on Wednesday.

All arts events and the municipal swimming pool are free and open to the public. Family-friendly events are also planned at Mill Pond Park starting at 5 p.m. along with fun chalk art for kids and adults at the Austin Public Library. The MacPhail Music Interactive Percussion Experience is also happening at 5:15 p.m. with public participation encouraged at Horace Austin Park, which is found between the library and the pool.

Later in the evening at 6:30 p.m. the Austin Community Band Concert will start in the pool parking lot with free ice cream treats for attendees, along with a free special performance at 7:30 p.m. by La Victoria Mariachi Band from Los Angeles in the Historic Paramount Theatre.

How 4th Avenue Fest came to be

Holly Wallace, city planning and zoning administrator, said that 4th Avenue Fest came directly from a project that was launched in 2017 by Forecast Public Art’s pilot project, which aimed to make the public art projects more economically feasible for smaller communities.

Forecast selected five southern Minnesota cities to beta test and pilot a “Public Art and Placemaking Tool for City Planners,” which included Austin, Winona, Red Wing, Mankato and Rochester.

“We come from a variety of backgrounds, and not all of us are trained in art or planning an event,” Wallace added.

The focus of the pilot project was about improving the health of residents (both physical and mental), the local economy, community well-being, social cohesion and healthy environment. Wallace, who led Austin’s public art team, said the event aligned with Austin’s 2014 Downtown Master Plan, which sought to develop a 4th Avenue Cultural Corridor.

The 2016 Comprehensive Plan also included specific policies that aim to fortify support and cooperation between the  city and Austin Area Commission for the Arts, and also explore the role that arts have in the community.

What will be measured

During the event, volunteers will approach attendees to ask quick questions about what they want to see happen for the arts in Austin. The questions were still being created as of Monday, according to Wallace.

With increased interest in the construction of the city’s $35 million recreation center, the Austin Public Library and the Historic Paramount Theatre, Wallace hoped that garnering responses about what the residents envisioned for the cultural corridor will come from 4th Avenue Fest.

“We’re really hoping that this will lead to some more events along 4th Avenue that was included in our downtown plan in that area,” she said. “I think this has been a nice springboard. There’s many aspirations happening in the community, but we have limited resources to implement those goals. It can take five years, ten years, but we’re hoping for sooner than later.”

The biggest challenge that Wallace experienced in trying to gain responses, was mostly from the lack of involvement from individuals. With 4th Avenue Fest, she’s already gained some interest from the community in attending.

However, Wallace hopes to diversify the responses from the community in order to gauge what the community really wants for their arts.

“The more answers we get, the better,” she added.