Chpac-staff mailing list

[Sally Greene <sgreene AT townofchapelhill.org>]

Colleagues,

I was pleased to find the item to change the name of the Public Arts 
Commission to the Cultural Arts Commission on the consent agenda, after our 
brief discussion of the proposal when we passed the Cultural Arts Master 
Plan. This is something the Commission has been looking to have happen for a 
long time, so I congratulate us all for getting to this point. And I thank 
Roger for adding the comment that we will have a discussion of the 
Commission’s charge and responsibilities in light of the Cultural Arts Plan 
in the fall. There are exciting new directions we can talk about. I’ll note 
for now that Americans for the Arts, the leading national arts advocacy 
organization, has just issued a Statement on Cultural Equity:

http://www.americansforthearts.org/about-americans-for-the-arts/statement-on-cultural-equity

"Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices that ensure 
that all people—including but not limited to those who have been historically 
underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, ability, sexual orientation, 
gender, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion—are 
represented in the development of arts policy; the support of artists; the 
nurturing of accessible, thriving venues for expression; and the fair 
distribution of programmatic, financial, and informational resources.”

This new emphasis on equity comes as a direct result of events in Ferguson, 
Baltimore, and around the nation. Amidst the turmoil of our time, arts 
advocates and professionals across the country or intensifying their interest 
in nurturing communities, working at grassroots levels to encourage free 
expression and participation in democratic processes for the betterment of 
people’s lives.

Exciting national conversations are taking place around an “arts and . . .” 
conversation, i.e. the ways in which the arts can partner with non-arts 
fields and disciplines for positive community impact. The National Endowment 
for the Arts, for example, is in its second year of grant solicitation for a 
program called Creativity Connects, inviting arts organizations to partner 
with non-arts sectors.

https://www.arts.gov/grants-organizations/art-works/creativity-connects-projects

And in particular, housing and community development advocates are interested 
in the intersection with the arts:

http://www.rooflines.org/4495/6_things_the_arts_can_do_for_housing/

http://www.shelterforce.org/article/4493/the_catalyzing_power_of_art/

With our Cultural Arts Plan in place now, there is so much potential to tap 
the artistic talent and resources available in our community for the common 
benefit of all. I particularly want to thank again all the members of the 
Commission, and the staff, for their hard work on creating the Plan, and to 
applaud your creativity and energy. I look forward to continuing this 
conversation.

Sally