SLO LIFE Magazine Feb/Mar 2019

| Q&A
BEATING HEART
After a few short months into her new role as Chief Executive Officer
of Downtown SLO—formerly known as the Downtown Association—
BETTINA SWIGGER stopped by the office to introduce herself and
share her vision for downtown San Luis Obispo as the regional hub for
the intersection of art and culture and entertainment and commerce.
Here are some highlights from our conversation…
We like to take it from the top, Bettina.
Where are you from? I was born in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was, and is, a
culturally rich and diverse place to live. My
dad was an English professor. My mom was
an artist. She was really involved in local
politics. She was the president of the League
of Women Voters when I was in first and
second grade. I remember going with her to
the different candidate forums they would
host. I was a little smarty pants. Did a lot of
distinctly nerdy things. I loved to read and
write. I’m a writer. That’s my passion. I’m
actually writing a book right now. My home
life was really focused on reading and writing
and language and music. I started playing
viola when I was five.
And, what about school? High school was a
miserable experience, and I couldn’t get out
of there soon enough. I graduated when I
was 16. Then I took a year off and followed
my sister to Rochester, New York. She was
in graduate school at the Eastman School
of Music. After that, she got a one-year
teaching position in Durango, Colorado.
So, I moved to Durango with her, which is
this totally beautiful Southwest town with a
narrow gauge railroad, and it’s surrounded by
mountains. I volunteered for a radio station,
worked at a coffee shop called the Steaming
Bean, I played in the local symphony, and
volunteered in an art center. It was a life that
was similar in a lot of ways to my life now.
What came next? I went to Colorado
College in Colorado Springs and worked at
the college for seven years after I graduated.
I started working during the summer for
a music festival, The Colorado College
Summer Music Festival. I left to become the
Executive Director of the Cultural Office of
the Pikes Peak Region. I was there for three
years. I was really happy there actually, but
then Scott Yoo walked into my office one
day. He was the Music Director for Festival
Mozaic, and he was in town for a visit. He
said, “Hey, I think you should apply for this
job in San Luis Obispo.” And I said, “I love
San Francisco.” [laughter]
How did your eight years at the helm of the
festival prepare you for Downtown SLO?
When I was at Festival Mozaic, I was always
trying to get arts and culture and music
to be elevated as part of the conversation
about economic development. So, now I’m
in a position where I get to kind of put my
money where my mouth is, so to speak.
That’s probably not the best metaphor. I
get to practice what I preach. I can see
every day that the businesses downtown
that incorporate elements of having an
experience instead of just a transaction, and
that are based in principles of design and are
trying to create something that people will
appreciate and enjoy, actually have a lot of
their roots in artistic practice, even though
they might not see it that way.
What’s new at Downtown SLO? We
recently moved from a second-floor office,
sort of hidden away from the public. Now
we are on Chorro Street, and we have a
storefront. We see visitors there. We have
a retail store of our own now, so we are
experiencing what a lot of our members
have been experiencing, asking ourselves, “Is
this a viable activity in the 21st Century?”
Retail is changing a lot. That doesn’t mean
it’s dead, but it’s changing. So, getting back
to your question, we’re actively creating
programs for people to come downtown and
be surprised and delighted, stay and spend
some money, and maybe learn something
new and connect with their neighbors
while they’re at it. I walk downtown every
day and see blank canvases for murals. I
see some streets that, frankly, could be
a little bit cleaner. And I see some ways
that we can activate our public spaces that
could encourage visitors to linger a little
bit longer. I love our downtown—it’s the
beating heart of the Central Coast. SLO LIFE
36 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | FEB/MAR 2019