Phoenix’s greatest challenge isn’t finding talent. It’s isn’t finding motivated people. It isn’t finding get local creatives. It isn’t finding stuff to do.
It’s making them all work TOGETHER. Art Detour, a massively important, once-a-year event, is an opportunity to take the very best this city has to offer and show them all off to the public.
Problem is, no one wants to work together. There were exhibits at the Heard Museum, there were vendors on Roosevelt Row and there were exhibits in the Melrose District. While the sentiment was certainly there, who has the time or patience to travel that far from event to event? Why would event organizers cannibalize crowds from each other?
It’s time for this type of behavior to end. Museums, stop competing with local artists, you’re killing them. Roosevelt Row, stop pretending closing off one little street is going to make anyone want to come. Melrose, well, stop being so far away.
Band together. Advertise together. Make it a festival. Take some freaking OWNERSHIP. Put someone in charge. Stop making us trek from one place to another, diluting the time we could be spending buying your stuff.
We’re all on the same team. It’s time for every website, community group, comedy troupe, artist group and city organization to start acting like it.
My name is Tyler Hurst and I approve this message.
