Savannah isn't a food town, find more unity and three other local culture thoughts for 2023

Zach Dennis, Savannah Morning News
·7 min read

This is an opinion column by arts and entertainment editor Zach Dennis.

Call this a check-in rather than a set of resolutions.

Savannah is changing rapidly and will be even more morphed from the city we know today in five years. Can we stop it? Nope. The dye is cast. But that doesn't stop anyone from taking a pause, assessing the cultural future and doing what they can to make things better moving forward.

To say the culture scene is in trouble or failing seems dramatic, overall, the biggest observation I can make is that Savannah will have to find a way to bring together arts organizations as unified bodies rather than expecting the scene to improve amongst a series of silos.

Zach Dennis:Savannah's arts and culture scene is set to expand and evolve. We'll be here to document it.

New year, old challenges for Savannah:Here are 4 community resolutions for 2023

More:The Savannah Cultural Arts Center's Spotlight grant could open the door for local nonprofits

Here are four observations and how in 2023, we can work to push the arts scene forward:

Art groups, we have got to band together

Over the past year between the arts and culture section along with DO Savannah, we have covered the collection of impressive arts organizations scattered around the city. From institutional staples such as Telfair Museums and the Savannah Music Festival (SMF), to on-the-rise and new enterprises such as ARTS Southeast and The Collage, there are enough creatives to rival other Southeast cities.

An easy path lies ahead to elevate Savannah to the top of the Southeast, but one thing remains: we have got to develop better collaboration amongst these groups, both large and small.

Reaching the 'tipping point'?Here are 9 ways Savannah is cementing itself as an arts town

Savannah has the creative power to challenge other Southeast cultural scenes, but feels too dispersed. So many different spaces, talented creatives and untapped opportunities that could be cultivated by multiple groups coming together to work off one another in a unified event.

Recently, the Sulfur Street Fair has become the driving force for First Fridays anchored by a new exhibition at Sulfur Studios.
Recently, the Sulfur Street Fair has become the driving force for First Fridays anchored by a new exhibition at Sulfur Studios.

That should generally start at the top with leaders for Telfair and SMF already starting to work across the board with other organizations, but with the influx of recently established and grassroots organizations (such as Dog Days Presents in music and ARTS Southeast in visual arts), there is ample room to expand within other, non-downtown creative spaces.

One example that's already in place are First Fridays in Starland, which aren't housed by a singular operation but brought together a bit by Instagram account @StarlandFirstFridays to connect various organizations across the spectrum for one day.

'A magical time':A history of First Friday in Starland and how it shaped Savannah's hip district

A unifying force that can bring others together is key, but with the current set of arts leaders in the city, it doesn't seem impossible.

The City of Savannah needs to get into the public art business — now

An ordinance for public art could be crossing the threshold at City Hall soon for council members to consider, and even more importantly, on the desk of City Manager Jay Melder. At this point, the lack of public art in downtown Savannah is embarrassing, especially for a city and tourism industry that uses our local creatives to promote visiting.

To not have a designated district, zone or neighborhood filled with public art contradicts the point of Savannah being an arts hub.

Attempts made in the past with projects such as the Starland Mural Project and Fence Art Project have tried to forward this cause without the limitations of short-sighted bureaucracy. Other projects such as the Water Works Project at Enmarket Arena also show the potential for public art around the city, but is limited by the lack of foot traffic outside of the arena events.

Kudos to people like Jerome Meadows for leading the way with recent pieces at the Enmarket Arena and in Yamacraw Square, and organizations like the Small Business Association for their to-go cup program that brings a local artist piece to your drinking cup. But we need city leaders to jump on board also.

Raise a glass to Savannah art:Local artists needed for new to-go cup design

Every council member has vocally professed their love for the arts prior to being elected. Let's see if that was just talk as we head into another election cycle in 2023.

the Jerome Meadows sculpture "Of Communities and the Land and the Trees that Bear Witness to Them" at the enmarket Arena.
the Jerome Meadows sculpture "Of Communities and the Land and the Trees that Bear Witness to Them" at the enmarket Arena.

More creative music experiences

In this week's issue of Do Savannah, Christopher Berinato outlines the success of venues such as District Live, the Enmarket Arena and the Lodge of Sorrows for bringing live music back in full in Savannah this year. But how can we expand that?

Events such as the monthly music series at The Park at Eastern Wharf along with the summer pool series with Dog Days Presents shows signs of progress, but finding more outdoor experiences should be crucial. I'm already on the record as saying Daffin Park would be a perfect venue, but why does it have to be a park?

Savannah Music in 2022:Festivals return, new can't miss acts and venues shine

The Savannah Philharmonic has found immense success playing in squares and neighborhoods, so why not take that model for other types of music? Other venues such as Starland Strange have cropped up with "Porch Concerts" that feature local acts coming together during First Fridays and Two Tides Brewing has been hosting shows on DeSoto Avenue for years now.

There is a movement happening where live music, especially by emerging local acts, is moving away from downtown and into midtown and Starland. We should also highlight our neighborhoods and other spots across the city with small concerts.

The Savannah Philharmonic previously held a 'Phil the Squares with Music' event at The Parker Companies' building in Chippewa Square in October.
The Savannah Philharmonic previously held a 'Phil the Squares with Music' event at The Parker Companies' building in Chippewa Square in October.

Also, everyone better pay attention to what's happening at the Tybee Post Theatre. They're a venue to watch moving forward this year.

Hollywood loves to film in Savannah, but what about more Savannah films going to Hollywood?

Don't get me wrong — seeing Channing Tatum on Tybee Island is cool, but what about finding some lanes for our local filmmakers?

The Savannah Regional Film Commission does a standup job bringing in large productions from Disney, Netflix, Amazon, etc. but maybe we should also find ways to get the local creatives behind the camera a shot at crafting work in this burgeoning Hollywood city.

More:Former 'SNL' staffer, producer tapped as Savannah Regional Film Commission executive director

Organizations such as DOCSavannah have started to create space for regional documentarians to get their work screened while CinemaSavannah has programmed a number of movies crafted by local filmmakers with another happening later in January.

Jazmine Faries with her mother Kate German (left) and brother Chad Faries (right) sitting outside of The Winsdor Center.
Jazmine Faries with her mother Kate German (left) and brother Chad Faries (right) sitting outside of The Winsdor Center.

Local premieres for films such as "Iron Family" show that Savannah wants to support Savannah, and locations such as the Savannah Cultural Arts Center and Tybee Post Theatre have excelled so far at providing a space for these works.

Hollywood productions in town are fun, but it would be amazing to see the creative base we have here teaming up with our skilled technical base to create movies in Savannah, by Savannah and for Savannah.

Is Savannah really a food town?

It seemed like 2022 was dotted by new restaurants opening all across the region.

One of the most notable of the year was Brochu's Family Tradition, which just opened in Starland. This isn't anything new — a lot of new places have been opening throughout the year with a push to classify Savannah as a food town in the ilk of Charleston, Charlotte or Nashville.

Is it a food town? I don't think so...yet.

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Firstly, I wouldn't describe Savannah as a town with any nightlife. Specifically, there aren't many options to settle that late night drinking with pizza or tacos at 2 a.m. in a hole in the wall spot.

Instead, Savannah seems to have a large degree of middle-class dining spots with aspirations to be fine dining. The Grey, Husk, The Olde Pine House — among the fine dining staples in town — but a number of restaurants opening recently have price points that say fine dining and food that says meh.

Guests sit in a dining area near the kitchen at Common Thread.
Guests sit in a dining area near the kitchen at Common Thread.

I haven't been to Brochu's yet, but I have heard nothing but strong reviews. If Savannah really wants to establish itself as food town though, we have to try and diversify the palette and create food equity in the wallet and support establishments that are aimed at meeting people where they are and providing quality food along with it.

Zach Dennis is the editor of the arts and culture section, and weekly Do Savannah alt-weekly publication at the Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at zdennis@savannahnow.com or 912-239-7706.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah arts and culture in 2023: Here are five ways to elevate