As the designated local arts agency of Charlottesville and Albemarle, PCA is working to create the first-ever Charlottesville Area Cultural Plan. PCA has received financial support from the City of Charlottesville, the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Albemarle County, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts to undertake this important initiative. Additionally, more than forty-five area arts and cultural organizations have endorsed the planning process.

What It Is

Titled Create Charlottesville, the Charlottesville Area Cultural Plan will help community stakeholders prioritize and strategically respond to needs and opportunities in the area’s cultural sector. The planning process launched in January 2013 and involves a 28-member Steering Committee, PCA working group, and task forces, as well as interviews and focus groups with more than 200 area citizens and an electronic survey completed by 1,000. The Arts & Economic Prosperity IV study data and other recent area research will be used for planning. Dr. Craig Dreeszen, a national expert on community cultural planning, will lead the assessment and Steering Committee meetings and write the plan. The draft plan will be reviewed and revised by the Steering Committee and adopted by the City and County in October 2013. The finalized plan will be announced to the community with a January 2014 exhibit at CitySpace. PCA Consultant for Research & Planning Maggie Guggenheimer will serve as plan coordinator, liaising between PCA, Dreeszen, the Steering Committee, task forces, and the broader community.

Why It Matters

Based on examples from other cities, we believe a cultural plan will enhance quality of life and creative economic development initiatives. The plan will enable more strategic local investment in arts and culture, with a greater return on that investment for the community. It will also better equip PCA and its partners to respond to arts-related needs. We expect planning will enhance promotion of cultural, economic development, and tourism interests; increase collaboration among artists and arts organizations; and improve services provided to our citizens and visitors. It will also help area funders, public and private, understand prioritized needs in the arts community so they can make more informed funding decisions. The plan will provide us with measurable goals in priority areas, as identified by many stakeholders.

The best cultural plans have broad community support and involvement from diverse individuals and organizations. Forty-six area organizations have expressed their support of a Charlottesville Area Cultural Plan. Many others have shared their support for PCA’s efforts by participating in the Arts & Economic Prosperity IV study and/or as a member of PCA. This broad arts-community support exemplifies the need for and will increase the success of our plan.

Get Involved

PCA will gather feedback from hundreds of area citizens throughout the cultural planning process. If you are interested in participating, or if you have questions about the cultural plan, please contact Maggie Guggenheimer at maggie@charlottesvillearts.org.

Materials

Steering Committee Meeting Notes – January 17, 2013
Emerging Themes – January 2013
Steering Committee Meeting – March 14, 2013 report
Task Forces Summary List – March 14, 2013

Create Charlottesville Survey Report
Create Charlottesville Survey Presentation

Steering Committee

All four Steering Committee meetings will be open to the public and announced on the PCA website at least two weeks in advance. The third Steering Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, May 16 from 8:00am-1:00pm at CitySpace. This event is free to attend and open to public observation.



Create Charlottesville Steering Committee:

Paul Beyer Willa Neale
Leslie Bowman Toan Nguyen
Kakie Brooks Pete O’Shea
Martin Chapman Andrew Owen
John Conover Susan Payne
Dean Dass Gloria Rockhold
Sarad Davenport Beryl Solla
John D’earth (Co-Chair) Rodney Thomas (Ex Officio)
Andrea Douglas (Co-Chair) Elsie Thompson
Satyendra Huja (Ex Officio) Peter Thompson
Matt Joslyn David Toscano (Honorary Chair)
Janet Kaltenbach Rob Vaughan (Co-Chair)
Jody Kielbasa Roberta Williamson
John Mason Russell Willis Taylor