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Random people, random topics, talking on random sidewalks in the City of Saginaw, Michigan.
SWT_Tony Serra_audio_v1
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Phil: [00:00:00] We're rolling. We're ready to rock and roll. Tony, are you ready to rock and roll? Let's have a conversation. Woo! Tony, Sarah, Sidewalk Talks. Take one
Phil: You like how official that is? That is,
Tony: it's really incredible.
Phil: Yeah, does it change the energy, though? Does it make it feel too formal?
Tony: No, not at all.
Phil: Okay, good. 'Cause that's always my fear, 'cause we're like, you have a great vibe, and then you hit that thing, and then-
Tony: It, it would be different if it was digital.
Phil: Oh, that's true.
Tony: Yeah, 'cause then I'd feel like we were really in the big time. Yeah. No,
Phil: this is so janky. Like, look at this.
Tony: Not at all. I mean, at least you have it.
Phil: That's true. It, it is kind of nice. Sets the scene. You, uh, Andy Warhol in Saginaw right now. He's here. He's here. Tell me about this exhibition, 'cause it opened last night.
Tony: Sure thing.
Phil: Tell me about it.
Tony: Uh, Andy Warhol and the Image Machine at the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens opened last night, uh, is open through September 19th And we are so proud to have been able to [00:01:00] curate in-house through all of our partnerships and relationships that have been built over many years, uh, and the amazing team we have at the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens-
Phil: Yeah
Tony: to bring a show right into our doors.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Um, it, uh, it's an amazing show too. It's, it's an intimate look at Andy's career, and sort of the four phases of his career, uh, from sort of his early sort of, um, product work, uh, all the way into sort of the last phase of his life where he really started to get into celebrity- Mm-hmm
Tony: and fame and image making. Um, and, and the way that the show came together is one of the things that I think is most interesting.
Phil: Tell me about it.
Tony: So, uh, the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens has a frame shop. Not a lot of people know about that.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Um, and it's an incredible frame shop because it's a museum quality frame shop.
Phil: Uh-huh.
Tony: And so our framer, uh, Tim Verduzco, he's one of the-
Phil: Tim, you're the man ...
Tony: [00:02:00] the best.
Phil: Yeah, he was one of my ear- like early on interviewees. I went down in the basement- Is that right? ... and talked to Tim. You know
Tony: him? That's great. Mm-hmm. Uh, so f- he's not just a framer. He's also our preparator, which is a f- fancy term in the museum industry for the guy who helps hang the show, right?
Tony: Um, so Tim was checking his email and, uh, he received an email from London, England. And it says, "We are looking for somebody to frame an Andy Warhol piece," and he thinks it's spam.
Phil: 100%.
Tony: Right? Please click this link. Right. Right. Uh, nonetheless, he replied, and it turns out it was legit.
Phil: Wow.
Tony: What it was is a, a, a broker over in England had sold an Andy Warhol piece to a local collector, and that local collector was looking for someplace local to him to have that piece framed.
Tony: Uh, they sent it over to us. Tim took care of it in the world-class way that he does. Yeah. Um, and of course, because he [00:03:00] did such a great job, the collector was like, "You know, I think I might do a couple more of these." So-
Phil: I might get a couple more War- Warhols framed, you know? We ... Sure.
Tony: Um-
Phil: It's a Saturday.
Tony: Nonetheless, uh, it, it turned into additional conversations and projects. Um- Mm-hmm ... and ultimately the question was asked- Can we bring an Andy Warhol show to the Saginaw Art Museum? And with a whole lot, I mean, it, a year-
Phil: Yeah ...
Tony: of conversations and writing letters to different institutions across the state, visiting, uh, you know, really building relationships and trust.
Phil: Uh-huh.
Tony: Um, but also really importantly, leveraging our accreditation status. You know, last year the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens renewed its 10-year accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums, uh, which is really important because only the top 3% of museums in the country have that.
Phil: Wow. Yeah, 'cause you [00:04:00] don't just pick up the phone and call somebody and say, "Hey, can I get some Andy Warhols?"
Phil: And they're like, "Yeah, we'll send it over." Sure. No problem. Like, you gotta be legit. You gotta know what you're doing.
Tony: You have to be fabulous stewards- Yeah ... of the pieces- Yeah ... and take care of them properly, right? Um, so we were able to, uh, broker some deals with the Flint Institute of Arts, Cranbrook Art Museum, uh, private collectors, and put together a intimate- Wild
Tony: look at, at the Andy Warhol life cycle.
Phil: Wild. Yeah. It, it, it is very intimate, and when I was up, up there with, uh, Ben Champagne-
Tony: Mm-hmm ...
Phil: doing the story, that's what really struck me is like you, you can go to MoMA and you can go to DIA and, and really ha- like, you walk into like the Kresge and it's like this giant- Yeah
Phil: you know, ceiling with skylights, and it like, it's a really big, impressive building. Sure. Um, and you can have that experience, um, or you can go upstairs at the Saginaw Art Museum and literally be inches away from Andy Warhol.
Tony: Absolutely.
Phil: And, and then that's what I really love about that is it's, it's a different kind of experience, and [00:05:00] honestly, like one that Saginaw hasn't had in, in a long time in that way, to be able to touch both incredible art and also history in that same experience
Tony: Completely.
Tony: It's, it is an intimate experience. Yeah. You can, uh, you know, you can show up on any given, you know, random weekday afternoon and probably have the gallery mostly to yourself.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, real quick. Mm-hmm,
Phil: please.
Tony: Uh, substantial shout-out to Ben Champagne- Yeah ... for his work-
Phil: Yep ...
Tony: putting it all together. Uh, as the associate curator, he has done an amazing job of creating this entire show, promoting the show, and candidly just, uh, taking people through the show- Yep
Tony: and making it, you know, deepening their appreciation for it.
Phil: He, he was up, when I was talking to him, he was, like, almost shaking. He was so excited. Yeah. He was just, like, looking around. He's like, "I, like, this museum has, has never been this good." Like, "This is the, this is the best." Like, he was just, like, stuttering.
Phil: He was so excited- Well- ... about the show. ...
Tony: it's a [00:06:00] testament to the entire museum team.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Um-
Phil: Good job, folks.
Tony: Yep. See, I come from performing arts.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Right? So, uh, assuming the role of executive director of Temple Arts, I said to the team on day one.
Phil: Yep. "
Tony: Guys, I come from the land of theater."
Phil: Mm-hmm. "
Tony: I am not a museum expert.
Tony: I want to learn everything there is to learn about your craft, and do everything I can to support you in what you do so well."
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Um, and that's all I'm doing, is just supporting these folks that are already so good at what they do. Uh, and of course, now we've got Andy Warhol.
Phil: Yeah. Yeah, you do come from performing arts.
Phil: You're, you're one of the, the few people I know to play both Sweeney Todd, Dracula, and Jesus.
Tony: That's a great call-out. Thank you for that. Uh, yeah. I do,
Phil: I do a little bit of research.
Tony: Yeah, for sure. Um, I appreciate that. And, uh- You have a
Phil: hangnail on your left big toe.
Tony: I don't have that.
Phil: He [00:07:00] doesn't have... That's a lie.
Phil: That's not true. Um- It's his right toe.
Tony: I was gonna say, you know, I've got a, a, an affinity for the villain, but I mean, then you add Jesus into it,
Phil: so. Yeah, uh, yeah, it's a nice-
Tony: Yeah ...
Phil: one of my, my, my, my questions I had playing around in my head was, uh, what do those three have in common? And I was like, "No, we're not gonna go there."
Tony: Oh, gosh. Um- ... in many cases, just a lot of hair.
Phil: Yes. Yeah, fair.
Tony: That's really it.
Phil: Tell me about- Let, let's, let's do a big top level because people know the temple- Yeah ... people know the museum. You're the director of Temple Arts. Correct. Tell me about Temple Arts. What is that? And then we'll talk about you, just to give everybody a little intro.
Tony: Sure. Absolutely. So Temple Arts, uh, created in 2020, um, is the merger of the Temple Theatre and the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens. Um, prior to that, they were both independent 501[c][3] nonprofit arts organizations in the community, and have been functioning for many, many years. Yeah. [00:08:00] Um, but there is power in collective, um, in collaboration and, uh, and a, and a bunch of efficiencies- Yeah
Tony: that, uh, were created both in terms of sharing, uh, team members, uh, between the both of the venues, um, and the ability to pr- cross-promote, uh, and, and build community. Especially in a
Phil: relatively small community- Yes ... too. Like, it's not... We're, we're not Detroit Metro where you've got huge amounts of resources, and people, and manpower- Sure
Phil: and all of these things. Like, we, we have limited resources because we're smaller. Sure. It makes sense to, to, like you said, be efficient about that.
Tony: Yeah, absolutely, especially when you're talking about a nonprofit arts organization. Yeah.
Phil: True.
Tony: Um, and when the majority of the income that we are using to perpetuate our business and, and, uh, these organizations, uh, is coming from contributions from viewers like you.
Tony: And what that means is we have to be really, really good stewards- Yeah ... of all of those finances.
Phil: Yep.
Tony: Uh, and so [00:09:00] sharing resources and being efficient is a part of being a good steward of, of those contributions.
Phil: Yeah. It makes a, a lot of sense from a contribution perspective because now you don't have the art museum and the, and Temple going to the same donors, organizations and saying, "Hey, can you help us?
Phil: Hey, can you help us?" It's like- Twice ... well, yeah. The, well, the museum was here yesterday, and I just gave them my money. Right. And then like, "Oh, everybody's sad." You can go as Temple Arts and say, "We are Temple Arts. We're-" You bet ... "curating culture."
Tony: You bet. You, you make one contribution-
Phil: Yeah ...
Tony: and we will make sure that the field trip that you wanna impact- Yeah
Tony: is to see both places.
Phil: Yeah. Wonderful.
Tony: Yeah.
Phil: Um, thi- this is a fun conversation for me 'cause, uh, many times people sit down on the sidewalk with me and they... Like, I know them previously from stories or whatever, and this is really the first time that we've ever sat down and met. Brilliant. So I'm, I'm curious, like w- What, w- who are you and how did you end up here?
Tony: Um, my name is [00:10:00] Tony Serra. I- I am a Saginaw native. Yeah. Um, I was brought here when I was five years old. Um, I'm a graduate of Nouvelle Catholic Central, and- What
Phil: year did you graduate?
Tony: 2005.
Phil: I was, uh, Michigan Lutheran Seminary at, uh, '03.
Tony: Oh, right.
Phil: Yeah. You guys crushed us in the Red Feather game.
Tony: Well, things that I wasn't involved in.
Tony: Football. But you know what? This is interesting. My, my father, on the other hand, he was an assistant football coach- Oh, really? ... the entire time, so he had a hand in it. Uh, I was the drum major in the marching band up in the, in the bleachers. How funny. So. Yeah. Yeah, arts through and through for me. Um, I, uh, I was forcibly...
Tony: Everyone, um, at St. Thomas Aquinas was forcibly required to do the eighth grade play. Prior to that, I didn't- Oh, really? I didn't know that theater, drama, acting, whatever, it was, uh, even a thing. I'd never sung in a choir before. Uh, I was sincerely just a, a piano player and an alto sax, uh, in the band.
Phil: Awesome.
Tony: Um, but after that experience [00:11:00] I didn't know what I wanted to do in high school. I, I really, honestly, I'm an avid golfer, and I wanted to be on the golf team so bad. Yeah. So I tried out for the golf team, and I didn't make it. I, I'm not a great golfer. I just like
Phil: it. That's fine. So- Enjoyment is okay.
Tony: Right, right. Uh, so and my f- uh, my freshman year of high school I didn't have golf in the fall, and a buddy of mine said, "Well, come audition for the fall play. We're doing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It'll be fun." Yeah. I said, "All right. We'll do it." And, uh, it, it took off from there. It- The bug bit.
Phil: It's so funny.
Phil: Like, we- Yeah ... we, we share this experience 'cause I was at MLS. Yeah. And I, like, I was a musician. I play the pipe organ. Oh. And I, and I wa- Like, I was interested, but I wasn't necessarily interested in theater. Sure. And so I didn't do anything my, my... I think it was my freshman year. And, um, sophomore year we were doing Midsummer Night's Dream, and one of my friends was going to an audition, and he needed somebody to audition with.
Phil: Like, he had to go in a [00:12:00] pair. And he had, like, waited until the last minute to, like, find somebody, and as he's walking to his audition, he just yells to the commons, like, "Like, I need somebody." And he picked me, and I had to read for Lysander. Mm-hmm. And so I went in there, and I told the director, I was like, "Just so you know, like, I'm not actually trying out for this."
Phil: And so we tried out, and then like two weeks later somebody comes up to me, like, um, like, "You made the play." And I looked, and I was like... Lysander. It's like, wait a second. I didn't do that. And it was, it was amazing. Like, it was just- Oh, yeah ... one of the best, like, being forced into that experience. What,
Tony: and what a great Sh- you know, Shakespearean- Yeah
Tony: show to kind of break into.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Um, so anyways, I, I, I did that, you know, uh, that first show in high school, and the bug bit. And, uh, from there I was like, "Okay, I can't get enough of this." Yeah. I now, I branched out to Pit-In Balcony, Bay City Players, Midland Center for the Arts. I couldn't fill my calendar enough with, uh, theater experiences.
Tony: Um, got to a point where I needed to figure out if I was gonna [00:13:00] go to school to be a pilot, which was what I always wanted to do- Wow ... um, or if I was gonna try and pursue theater. And so I, I actually made a deal with my biology teacher in high school. She s- she saw me checking out Western Michigan University because they have a great aviation program.
Tony: She says, "What are you up to?" I said, "Well, I'm looking at the aviation program." She says, "You, you, you need to go into theater." So I made a deal with her. I said, "Here's what I'll do." Musical theater program at Western only accepts a handful of people a year. I think it's six guys and six girls. I don't know if that's still the case, but at the time it was.
Tony: Oh, wow. So it's a highly competitive program. Yeah. So I said, "Here's the deal. I'll, I'll go and I'll audition, but when I don't make it, I wanna be a pilot." Well, the rest is history because I did. I got in. I was very, very, very fortunate, um, and spent, uh, spent my time in college at Western learning the craft, and then eventually off to New York.
Tony: And, um, after about a year in New York, I got a call that there was a summer stock theater over in, in Michigan [00:14:00] City, Indiana, uh, that needed somebody to run, run lead on all of their summer stock productions. So we're talking a different production every two weeks. Yeah. Uh, six shows in three months type of thing.
Tony: And I just ran at that opportunity because it allowed me to not just stretch out the acting muscle-
Phil: Yeah ...
Tony: uh, but also, uh, take care of set building and production itself, and the building and grounds. Get into the whole facility side of my life. Um, and that was really a formative experience. I spent two seasons there.
Tony: Um, and at the end of it, uh, part of the, the deal was that they offered room and board, right? Mm-hmm. So I got to live in a 10 by 12 cabin that didn't have plumbing. I had to go up to the main theater for that. Yes. Right? Uh, so after two years of, of living in a 10 by 12 cabin, I decided it was time for me to, to move on.
Tony: And, um, I came back to Saginaw, and I spent a couple of weeks at my parents' place. And eventually, I got a phone call- At the Temple Theatre [00:15:00] was looking for some help. So I dusted off my resume and ran in here, and I said, "Hey, I'm interested in coming to help and, and, and, you know, be a part of this." Uh, and after some conversations, I was hired to be, uh, operations coordinator in 2011.
Tony: Okay. Um, October 20- 2011. Uh, so from there I... We're here, right in front of the- Yeah ... the box office that I spent really my first full-time, full, full-time job, um, was in this building.
Phil: Huh.
Tony: And, um, truly learned a lot in that process as well. And I mean, summer stock is one thing, but this is a legitimate building.
Tony: Yeah. Right. Legitimate venue. Right. Um, so learned a lot about, uh, ticketing and learned about, uh, you know, the guest experience, managing shows. Uh, w- at the time, we built the Leopard Lounge Comedy Club- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... which was a lot of fun. Um, worked an awful lot of weddings and, and really just kinda got entrenched in what it means to operate a building like this and foster the guests' [00:16:00] experience and make sure that, uh, at some point the community had some really cool entertainment to come out and enjoy.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, but I knew at that point that I, I needed to develop my career, uh, beyond operations, because I, I at that point had aspirations of really, you know, doing this and, and wanting to be an arts administrator.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, and one of the biggest things that comes along with being an arts administrator is trying to figure out how to raise money.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: And so there was an opportunity up in Midland at Midland Center for the Arts, uh, as the donor relations manager. And I applied for that, and, uh, they were, they were willing to give me a shot. Uh, and so in that I was able to entrench myself in grant writing and, you know, not- donor relations and, uh, understanding and learning our, our local foundations and, um, what it means to, you know, pursue a sponsorship and to build memberships for, for the museum in Midland.
Tony: Um, and then eventually they decided that [00:17:00] they wanted to add to my plate the entire volunteer management experience. Mm-hmm. Uh, and then eventually the entire front of house operations, including the hospitality program over there. So, um, that also, you know, five years of, of time at Midland Center for the Arts led to just more growth, more experiences, um, and a deepening of my operational skills.
Tony: A little birdie at Midland Center for the Arts, the, the ticket office manager at the time, um, mentioned, uh, she, she had connections in Detroit. She came from, uh, the Red Wings.
Phil: Hmm.
Tony: She had, uh, been selling tickets for the Red Wings for many years, and, uh, one of her pals down there mentioned that the Fox is looking for a director of operations.
Tony: And so she tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hey, I, I think you need to look at something here." Mm-hmm.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: And, uh, if you've ever been to the Fox Theater, you, you, you kinda know- Oh ... that's the cream of the crop.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Right?
Phil: Yep.
Tony: Um, no slight on, on our, on our old gal here.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Um, but the Fox is an [00:18:00] amazing place, and so I, I leapt at the opportunity to even apply, right?
Tony: Uh, the fact that I got a reply email to that shocked me.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, and over the course of about a three-month-long interview process, I was able to, to get them to believe that I was their guy, and then that journey started.
Phil: Hmm.
Tony: Uh, moved down to, uh, the Detroit area with my family. At that point, I had a one-year-old, and, uh, and was basically newly married at the point.
Tony: Um, and, um, what a journey that was.
Phil: Mm-hmm. I
Tony: mean, you're talking about the seventh busiest theater on Planet Earth, uh, with over 200 events a year in a 5,000-seat theater, uh, the second-largest theater in the country- Mm-hmm ... next to Radio City Music Hall. Um, and at the time, 313 Presents, uh, which is a, a joint venture between, uh, the Pistons owner and, um, uh, Chris Ilitch, the, the owner of the Fox, [00:19:00] they had just come online as the Palace had closed, and Joe Louis Arena had closed- Hmm
Tony: and Little Caesars Arena had opened. Uh, so the programming landscape was brand new, um, and it really was an exciting time to be joining that organization. Um, uh, a- and, and the things I experienced are kind of everything you imagine, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, everything from 30 shows of Sesame Street Live, where you're watching, you know, three to five and seven-year-olds come through the doors and look up and just go, "Wow To, um, you know, the, the other end of the spectrum where you've got Tony Bennett on stage, uh, in his final concerts- Mm-hmm.
Tony: Mm-hmm ... uh, in his life. Um, so the, the whole ga- and Greta Van Fleet. Three shows of Greta Van Fleet. I gotta say, one of my favorite concerts that I've been a part of- Awesome ... in my entire life. So, um, after The Fox, though, um, I actually got recruited by the, the Ilitch family to run, [00:20:00] um, point on their world headquarters for Little Caesars Pizza.
Phil: Mm.
Tony: So they, they hired me to become director of facilities and events for Little Caesars Pizza. So I spent two years after my five at The Fox, um, in corporate pizza.
Phil: Hmm.
Tony: Which-
Phil: Wild ...
Tony: was a wild ride.
Phil: From the stage to the slice. That's
Tony: exa- Yes, 100%. Um, also an amazing experience. Yeah. Uh, not just because it was a shift of gears, um, but really, I mean, it's...
Tony: that's major corporate America. Mm-hmm. And I'm coming from the arts world, right? Mm-hmm. And, and, and the non-profit arts world, largely speaking, before that. Uh, so to become, uh, a, a, a part of that machine, uh, was... it, it took a, an immense amount of adjustment, right- Right. Yeah ... to, to sort of button up and, and not be the, the artsy dude, right?
Tony: Um, but at the same time, bring the artsy dude to corporate America and [00:21:00] actually get 'em to loosen up a little bit. Yeah. Uh, we threw parties. We had such a great time. Um, you know, uh, their global business conference that they do every year in Las Vegas, we, we'd throw some, some great parties, and one of my favorite closed, you know, closed loop, um, stories is that my first concert ever, my mom, she, uh, she took me to the Palace to see the Backstreet Boys.
Tony: Right? No judgment, guys.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Right.
Phil: We all sing those songs still.
Tony: We all do, right? Nonetheless, um, as I closed out my career at Little Caesars, the last show I did for them, we had the Backstreet Boys. And I got to meet the guys, so I felt like, man, what a, what a whole circle experience there. Yeah. Um-
Phil: What a way to go out.
Tony: Right. But it was at that point that I had already, um, begun the process of, uh, talking to Temple Arts.
Phil: Hmm.
Tony: And, um, [00:22:00] that, you know, again, it, I was very fortunate to have people call me, uh, when, when things come up, and someone called and said, "Hey, there's an opportunity." Executive director, Temple Arts. It's the new organization.
Tony: It includes the museum. It's, it's, uh, it's really got a lot of momentum right now, and it's, it's a great time to join the organization. And I thought, "Well, yeah." And it's interesting 'cause my, my wife and I, uh, about a year before that came up, we had actually considered moving back to Saginaw. Oh, really? And that's because, um, it's where my in-laws live, right?
Tony: So we've got family here. Um, and she was pregnant, and we were thinking maybe with, with our second, right? And we were thinking maybe we, we wanna raise these, these boys at home.
Phil: Mm.
Tony: Right?
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Metro Detroit is great. Don't get me wrong. Yep. Um, there's so many amazing [00:23:00] things about Metro Detroit. Um- But if you've been a Sag, you know, in Saginaw your life, uh, and, and raised kids, y- you, you know that there's something special about this community.
Phil: Indeed.
Tony: And, um, and we couldn't deny that as we were looking at, you know, having the, that second child. Uh, we did hold off and, uh, we stayed put and, um, and then the phone call happens, and it's like, well, now, now we have to. Now- Mm-hmm ... now there's
Phil: no
Tony: denying it. Mm-hmm. This is, this is the whole universe pushing us in that direction.
Tony: So, um, I leapt at it and, um, I'm so glad I did.
Phil: I'm glad that you did, too. I'm glad that, that you did, too. The, uh, uh, what you said about the temple and the museum, uh, having momentum- Mm-hmm ... is absolutely the truth. I mean, when I started doing this work, 2019, and just to see y- the progression of the temple and the, and the museum just in that time has really been incredible.
Phil: I mean, you look at, uh, the shows [00:24:00] that the temple is having over the last couple years, and, like, these aren't just big names, but these are some of the biggest names. I mean, like, like I'm sitting across from Thor at, um, at a restaurant, and he's like, "Yo, Yo Ma." Yeah. And I'm like- Yeah ... "What?" Like, "What?" It's just...
Phil: Yeah, and then- Yeah ... like, thinking comedy and thinking, like, o- I'm looking at the poster. You got Green Sky, Bl- Bl- Bluegrass, and- Yeah ... like, like, not just big names for Saginaw, but big names for the earth. Nope. And there's so much momentum.
Tony: So true. Uh, so real quick.
Phil: Yes, please.
Tony: Um, we have to give a shout-out to Thor Rasmussen as the associate director- Yeah
Tony: of the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: And Sarah Lamlin, the associate director here of the Temple Theatre. Those two are the reason that momentum happened. I didn't do it. I wasn't here. Yeah. Right? Yep. They are the ones that pushed the snowball down the hill, and it's beginning to build. Good job, Thor and Sarah.
Tony: Absolutely. We love
Phil: you.
Tony: Absolutely.
Phil: Yeah. Yeah.
Tony: Um, and Sarah in particular, speaking to the shows, um, she's built some [00:25:00] amazing relationships out there in the industry, right? You ... It is a very quaint sort of industry. It's a, it's a very people-driven industry- Yes ... right? So it's- And
Phil: it's about connections ...
Tony: it's relationships, right?
Tony: Yep,
Phil: yep, yep.
Tony: So if the agent doesn't like you, they're not gonna give you the show. Yep. But if they do like you, they might bring you the show you never expected.
Phil: Yep.
Tony: And Sarah is very liked.
Phil: Yeah, they're like, "Here's this, here's this huge name," and they're, they're, they're- Yes ... at the height of their career, and they really wanna get back to their roots and play small venues.
Phil: Like, "Here you go." Yeah. And you're like, "What?" 100%. And they always have huge, huge names. Then how, like, h- how do you then walk into this position and say there's so much momentum, where do you wanna direct the momentum? How do you wanna build? Like, what, like, what is your, your vision for continuing the momentum, increasing it in your role?
Tony: Well, certainly You wanna make sure that you maintain, right? You never wanna dip after you've reached this, this height that we're at, right? I actually just [00:26:00] said the other day, "I wanna plateau at the top," right?
Phil: Yeah, yeah.
Tony: Um Yeah. We all do, right? Um, but how do we, how do we build upon it? I think it's about expanding the network.
Phil: Mm.
Tony: It's about growing the community, right? It's about making sure that there's access for people to get into the buildings in the first place. Yep. Uh, and it's about making sure that people choose to include the arts, temple arts, um, into their lives, right? Uh, it's a conscious choice whether or not you're going to stay at home and watch Netflix, or if you're gonna come out to a live performance.
Tony: And for me, that is really the goal. We can have fabulous, fabulous performances on stage. Uh, but if there's still one ticket left to sell or one seat open or, you know, one more, uh, set of square feet in the gallery that's not filled, w- we can still grow.
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: Right? So it's about making, [00:27:00] making sure that we're deepening the impact in the region and in the state,
Phil: right?
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: I, I wanna,
Phil: uh, play the other side of the spectrum of what you said, because here we are talking about- Huge names, bigger names, building the connections Mm-hmm But at the same time, one of the things that impresses me the most about the museum and the temple is, uh, another word that you said. Hey baby, how are you?
Phil: Kareem, my boy. Um, second, uh... There we go.
Tony: Hello.
Phil: Um, w- one of the things that I love so much is access. You said the word access. Yes. And, um, just r- like, reaching into the community and trying to be reflective, and like, what is, what is not just interesting to us within arts and culture, but what is interesting to our community, and how do we get them in here- Mm-hmm
Phil: in really profound ways? And so there's, there's three things that I want you to just give me, like, the 60-second explanation of. Okay. Um, Arts for All, s- uh, Seats for Students-
Tony: Yep ...
Phil: and then the arts camp that just went on. [00:28:00]
Tony: Oh, Youth Arts Festival. Yeah. We'll go on backwards.
Phil: Yeah, yes
Tony: please. Youth, Youth Arts Festival.
Tony: Uh, Katie Melins, our museum, um, services and education manager, is such a gem.
Phil: Mm.
Tony: She has experience across the country at museums, and has brought her talents back home similarly, right?
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, and has developed an educational experience and an outreach experience for the young, uh, you know, the young people of the region, uh, that truly...
Tony: And I'm, I'm speaking, uh... Last night, a former curator at the DIA said, "Your education program is one of the best I've ever seen."
Phil: Yeah.
Tony: That's huge. Yes. So, um, Katie, uh, she, she completely created the Youth Arts Festival. It was its second year this past year. Previously, it was only at the Seguin Art Museum.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, and it allowed opportunities for kids to exercise their visual arts, showcase their visual arts, but also some [00:29:00] performing arts. So there was, you know, bands and musical performances and all kinds of fun over there. This year we decided if we're gonna do performance, let's do it over here- Mm-hmm
Tony: at the theater, right?
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, and so we had over the, the course of two days, over 150 students were involved.
Phil: I d- I drove by and it was hopping out here.
Tony: Oh,
Phil: yeah. Like, there, there were kids everywhere.
Tony: Everywhere. Yeah. For sure. So that's just 150 students. We had over 300 people, uh, stop by just to watch and enjoy it, and we had three floors of ac- you know, activities in this r- uh, building alone.
Tony: So people were hopping all over from show to show over the course of the day.
Phil: Awesome.
Tony: Uh, we had CMU's animation program here. Fun. And for them to be able to showcase on what was at s- at one point the largest screen north of Detroit, that was special for them.
Phil: Yep.
Tony: Um, so the way I like to see things like that, w- when you're making memories for these kids for the rest of their lives.
Tony: Yeah. They will remember when they stood on stage at the Temple Theatre and, you know, performed that, uh, [00:30:00] that bit from Mamma Mia.
Phil: Yep.
Tony: Uh, they'll, they'll remember that forever.
Phil: Yeah, so parents of creative, theatrical, musical, artistic children, tap in to that. Oh, yeah. Like, put that on your radar for, for next year because like, like you said, it, it's not just an activity, it's a very high-level, beautiful, amazing activity.
Tony: 100%.
Phil: Yeah. Experience.
Tony: It's extremely well-organized. Katie does a great job- Yes ... with it. Um, it's definitely a, a worthwhile experience.
Phil: As long as we're talking about kids, tell me about Seats for Students.
Tony: So yeah, Seats for Students. Uh, so that's, um, an initiative through, uh, for the Temple Theatre. Um, you know, this past March we had, uh, you mentioned Yo-Yo Ma.
Tony: Well, w- to speak to world-class artists, we had Joshua Bell and the Academy of St. Martin's in the Fields. Uh, if you're unfamiliar, Joshua Bell is probably considered one of the top three violinists alive.
Phil: Yeah. Uh- I watched Red Violin, like, 50 times when I was a music [00:31:00] major in- ... in two weeks. Sure. And he, he was, uh, the violinist, the playing the, the actual soundtrack of that, so.
Tony: Truly. Yeah. Uh, he's an incredible talent. And for us to have him at Saginaw was remarkable. Um, and I thought, "Gosh, I'll never forget when I was young and I had discovered the theater," and it was just across the way over at what was once called Heritage Theater.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, and I'll never forget, we were, my mom and I, we were watching Beauty and the Beast, the old classic, and after, uh, the first act, the, the Beast had finished his big number, and I walked out and, and at intermission I looked at my mom and I said, "This is what I wanna do."
Tony: Um- Hmm ... and for me, experiencing the best can be very formative.
Phil: Yep.
Tony: So how do I share this world-class violinist with young people who are entering the craft or studying the craft, [00:32:00] and show them, "If you keep with it, you can do that"? So we, uh, we raised the idea, and, uh, we were very fortunate to, uh, to gain a partner in, uh, Wart Rivet Group.
Tony: Uh, they were, uh, very generous in sponsoring the Seats for Students program to bring, um, 62, 62 youth musicians and an accompanying adult, uh, to that Joshua Bell concert- Mm ... for them to experience something that after I saw the show, you guys, this, this concert was unbelievable.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Uh, it's something to say the guy's really good.
Tony: Mm-hmm. But when you actually experience it, it act- it is, is moving. Yep. It's very moving.
Phil: Yep.
Tony: Um, and, uh, the buzz f- within the building was r- was very palpable that evening.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: Um, it was very true that, you know, there were kids everywhere. And, and when you think about going to a live symphony orchestra, it's not necessarily kids that you think of, not that you shouldn't.[00:33:00]
Tony: Mm-hmm. But, um-
Phil: Mm-hmm ...
Tony: but it was really wonderful to see that much youth in the building that night and, uh, for, for those kids to, to have that memory and that experience and to- Yeah ... hopefully to, to aspire to more.
Phil: Yeah. It could potentially be a life-changing-
Tony: Correct ...
Phil: experience. Tell me about Arts for All.
Tony: Arts for All. That's a program that started, uh, prior to my arrival. Uh, 2023, um, Arts for All became the initiative, uh, in the Saginaw Area Public Schools, uh, that allows students K through 12 to come to the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens with their family, or to the Temple Theatre Silver Screen Series with their family And get in for free
Phil: Hmm
Tony: Just say, "Hey, I'm a student at the Saginaw Area Public Schools."
Tony: Now, that expanded, and it became Saginaw and Midland Public Schools. And then just six months ago, we expanded it further to include Bay Arenac Public Schools. Yep. Yeah. So now we are across the entire, um, Tri-City [00:34:00] area. Um, and we got 40,000 students that have access for free to the Saginaw Art Museum and Gardens and the Temple Theatre's Silver Screen Series with their families.
Phil: Hmm.
Tony: So it's, it's truly one of the greatest- Yeah ... non-membership memberships we have.
Phil: That, that's so incredible to me because it's more than just, like, you get one free student ticket, but you've got to pay X, Y, Z. No. It, it understands, like, you have a family and so th- like, they should be able to be there.
Phil: Sure. And that really demonstrates so much about how Temple Arts is community first in that sometimes the museum, arts, culture world comes across as very exclusionary. Right. Like, well, like, you, you have to pay this amount of money. You have to be able to understand this kind of art, and it, it comes across as very elite, uh, elitist.
Tony: Sure.
Phil: And, um, here you are saying, like, "No, 40,000 kids in this region [00:35:00] and their families have free access to this because we understand how important that is."
Tony: We understand it, and we're so grateful that our funding partners also understand it. Yeah. Yeah. Because this can't happen- Sure ... for free-
Phil: Yep ...
Tony: truly, right?
Phil: The math has to work. Exactly. Like, the idea can work, but the math has to back it up, and- Exactly ... they make the math work.
Tony: Yes, indeed.
Phil: Last question for you. Sure. Um, you started here. You ended up other places. You ended up in Detroit, 5,000-seat theater, you know, all the stats that you listed. You came back to the Temple, and a lot of folks would look at that and say, like, like, "Why?"
Phil: Like, "Why would you come back?" Like, here you are, 5,000, like, this, quote, world-class theater, like the top, the pinnacle of the mountain. Like, why would you ever come back here? To you, what is the opportunity here at Temple Arts?
Tony: Well, I was gonna give you a snarky answer and say [00:36:00] I came back for the Tony's Steak sandwiches.
Tony: They
Phil: are quite good.
Tony: They are the best. Um, but, um, 5,000 seats is a lot of seats, Phil. You know, the Dow Event Center b- behind us, the arena, has I think 5,500.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: So w- you know, it- for me, one of the things that became disappointing about the Fox, and it's hard to say that- Yeah ... um, is that it felt transactional.
Phil: Mm.
Tony: Right? Um, you know, you're bringing in big names for sure and, and, uh, people are excited to be there for sure, and the houses are full for sure. But what you don't see is the same people come in-
Phil: Mm ...
Tony: day after day. And so there's no sense of community.
Phil: Mm.
Tony: Um, the community that exists there is really the staff, and they're a beautiful staff.
Tony: Mm-hmm. But, um, to be a part of this community and a, a more intimate venue, I, I see [00:37:00] it just by being a part of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra five-concert series or the Saginaw Choral Society series. People come back.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: And it, it actually becomes, uh, a matter of recognizing the ticket taker when you come through- Mm-hmm
Tony: and saying, you know, "How's it going?" to the usher that's in your section with, with your season subscription, right?
Phil: Mm-hmm. Nancy Borchard, thank you. You're always my usher. Absolutely. See you all the time. Yes. Smiling face.
Tony: Yes. So, uh, for me, I think that was what I was yearning for again, um, because I, I had experienced it, right?
Tony: Mm-hmm. I had, I had, uh, I had the experience of recognizing when people come through and understanding that you're making a deeper impact than just the transactional entertainment piece for that night. Mm-hmm. You, you truly, as I mentioned earlier, you are- they are inviting the organization into their lives.
Tony: And, um, [00:38:00] for me, that is the opportunity. It's to build some kind of larger community and- You know, a, a culture within Saginaw that the arts matter and they enrich our lives. Um, and, and with so much, you know, doom and gloom and all the other stuff that we've got out in, in the world on social media and in general, whatever it is, um, escapism is still alive and well here at Temple Arts.
Tony: Mm-hmm. And you can do it alongside your friends and family.
Phil: Mm.
Tony: Which to me is the greatest way to do it.
Phil: Mm-hmm.
Tony: So it means a lot to me to be able to be a part of something that's a lot more intimate.
Phil: Yeah. Well, you, you brought up, uh, impact, and I just wanna thank you for the impact that you're, you've already made and you will make in the future.
Phil: And then I just wanna extend that to everybody involved in Temple Arts- Amen ... from, from the funders to the staff to the volunteers to any, but to the, the people who come and support with tickets and [00:39:00] experiences and things like that. It just, uh, it's one of the great crown jewels of the community of Saginaw, and it, it makes a very, very deep impact on, on the city of Saginaw.
Phil: So I wanna thank you so much, Tony.
Tony: Thank you, Phil. I couldn't have said that any better myself.
Phil: You're amazing. Thank you so much.
Tony: As are you. Thank you
Phil: Thank you, my dude