Createcville

As the designated local arts agency of Charlottesville and Albemarle, PCA coordinated the development of the area’s first-ever cultural plan, titled Create Charlottesville. This 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 involved 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 were also incorporated into the planning process.

Public feedback on the Create Charlottesville draft was accepted through September 2, 2013 and the comments were incorporated into the final stages of the planning process.

At the final Steering Committee meeting on September 13, 2013, the draft of the Create Charlottesvilleplan was reviewed and unanimously approved by the Steering Commiteee. To view a PDF of the approved plan, please click here. The planning process is now complete and the cultural plan has entered the implementation stage. PCA is hopeful that the plan will be adopted by the City and County later in 2013.

Dr. Craig Dreeszen, a national expert on community cultural planning, led the assessment and Steering Committee meetings and wrote the plan. PCA Consultant for Research & Planning Maggie Guggenheimer served as plan coordinator, liaising between PCA, Dreeszen, the Steering Committee, task forces, and the broader community.

The finalized plan will be announced to the community with a January 2014 exhibit at CitySpace.Financial sponsorships are available to businesses interested in publicizing their support of the cultural plan. Sponsors will receive community-wide recognition with logo placement in all promotional materials for the cultural plan, including the PCA website, the published version of the plan to be released in January, the exhibit, and any related events. Sponsors will also receive a complimentary PCA membership and related benefits. Please contact Sarah Lawson for more details.