Body
Department of Public Information & Community Resources
Reference: Cultural Strategic Plan
To: Mayor Richard N. McLean and Members of City Council
Through: Manuel Esquibel, City Manager
Prepared By: Kristen Chernosky, Director of Public Information & Community Resources, Brighton Cultural Arts Commission, Brighton Cultural Strategic Team
Date Prepared: April 26, 2015
PURPOSE
In early 2014, the Brighton Cultural Arts Commission (BCAC) was asked to consider putting together an updated Cultural Strategic Plan for the City of Brighton. The Brighton Cultural Arts Commission in conjunction with a strategic team of community members have put together the attached plan inspired by the community's vision to provide local access to arts and culture for enhancing the lives of our community in the Brighton Cultural Influence Area. The plan includes goals, objectives, and strategies to help guide and focus creative organizations and individuals to elevate BCIA as a local-as well as Colorado-destination for creativity and excellence in the arts and culture.
BACKGROUND
In 1996, the City began to form the Brighton Cultural Arts Commission. This commission was fully formed in 1998. Part of the intent of the commission was to enable the City to apply for funding through the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) as well as promote arts and culture in the Brighton Community. With more than 15 years since this commission was formed, it is the intent of the Cultural Strategic Plan to provide direction to the city on how arts and culture can continue to thrive in Brighton in the future, leveraging the many resources and opportunities currently available.
Members of the commission were eager to move forward, planning and creating an updated master plan. BCAC accepted the offer from commission members to create a sub-committee to begin research, with monthly updates to BCAC.
Per direction and the 2014 request form the City Council & City Manager to the Brighton Cultural Arts Commission to present a plan for the future plans for the growth of arts and culture for the decades to come. The newly named 2014 Brighton Cultural Strategic Team (BCST) formed and began a reach out effort with the community to begin to assess the needs and desires of arts and culture in Brighton. The team hosted various presentations at civic meetings, attended community events and conducted a survey to gather information. In 2014, more than 770 individuals representing over 35 organizations, artists and business listened and offered suggestion as well as offered their involvement.
Utilizing the theme "What do we want? What do we need? How do we get it?" hundreds of ideas, needs, wants and answers to these questions have been received from the community.
We are proud to say, clubs, groups, organizations, individuals, arts advocates, entertainers, nonprofit organizations and youth, adults and seniors as well as municipal boards and commission leaders have responded. (Survey results may be found in the plan, pages 13-17).
As the information was pouring in and the committee was listening closely, the final steps were to gather the goals, objectives and strategies. The team established five goals, 13 objectives and 100 strategies (suggestions as to how to get the goals accomplished) which are presented in this plan.
Upon approval of the recommendations from the 2014 Brighton Cultural Strategic Team and the Brighton Cultural Arts Commission, Cultural/Implementation Teams will be assembled in order to move the identified goals forward.
The Implementation Plan 2015 +:
Securing volunteers, creating the Implementation team, secure grant opportunities, produce the First Annual Arts & Culture Educational Conference, along with reviewing goals, objectives and strategies, expanding the Arts, Culture & Tourism Web site to incorporate the Strategic plans.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
We respectfully request that the Brighton City Council adopts and supports this Cultural Strategic Plan and the process for implementing this plan
ATTACHMENTS
Cultural Strategic Plan