Cultural Planning Task Forces

Another brilliant sketch from the Arts Summit on the left!

Based upon key areas of community need identified at the 2008 Arts Summit, our core cultural planning team has identified several task forces to take us into the next phase of our cultural planning process. If you would like to become involved in any of these areas, please e-mail me at culturalplan@coppercolo.org. And if we've completely missed something, please let us know!

In alphabetical order:

Arts Districts:
Across the board, this was one of the most popular ideas at the Summit. In addition to developing a strong downtown arts destination, we need to ensure that there are opportunities to engage in the arts in all the distinct neighborhoods and communities throughout the Pikes Peak region.

Branding:
There is a definite need to get some continuity around who we as a community are. The community conversations currently taking place through Dream City will inform our plan, as will different branding efforts being pursued by the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation and other entities.

Diversity:
The arts bridge ethnic and cultural divides, helping us to better understand people of different backgrounds and viewpoints. We must embrace and engage with our diverse populations and cultural backgrounds in order to move forward in to the increasingly diverse 21st century.

Education:
In addition to ensuring that arts and culture are an integral part of K-12 education throughout the Pikes Peak region, there is a need for enhanced authentic arts learning at all age levels. Of course, we are all aware of the benefits of an arts education, especially in light of the Colorado Council on the Arts' new study on the Arts, Creative Learning & Student Achievement.
Military Population:
In summer 2009 more than 8,000 soldiers from Fort Knox will be coming to Fort Carson. This represents a tremendous opportunity for us to engage these new residents and their families in our rich arts and culture community. We know that the arts build community identity, inclusion and pride. What better way to welcome these soldiers to our community?

Public Art:
Public art is a highly visible way to identify a community as arts-friendly. While working with existing public art efforts such as Art on the Streets, this task force could begin to explore how neighborhoods can develop a stake in developing community mural projects and other ways to integrate public art in an affordable way.

Transportation:
This task force will need to connect with existing efforts to determine arts-specific transportation issues. This is a great chance to connect with the Quality of Life Indicators project.

Venues:
A small task force has already been formed to address the research and development of an indoor/outdoor amphitheater. There is a need for small venues, as well as a mid-size venue (500-800 seats).