Boston Creates December update

We are rapidly closing in on the end of the year – and what a year it has been. The cultural planning process officially kicked off in April and over the past eight months, an extraordinary amount of work has been accomplished.

What has stood out to me has been the incredible enthusiasm for the process. Two Town Halls, 118 community conversations, 35 focus groups and more than 3,200 responses to the online survey. It’s exciting and energizing to see the willingness of residents to step up and engage in the process of creating a plan for arts and culture in Boston. Thank you again to all our volunteers!

When we began this process, we already knew that Boston had an incredible wealth of arts assets. Throughout the summer, we began to understand how strongly people believe in the power of the arts to transform a city. The process has brought people from all neighborhoods together, sharing their vision for the arts. We’ve heard differing opinions on our priorities, but all are based on a common thread – arts have the potential to elevate the city and to bring us together.

Earlier this fall, we released the executive summary of the community engagement findings. If you haven't had a chance to review it, you can find in here.

It may seem quiet on the cultural planning process right now but behind the scenes, the team is hard at work. We gathered an incredible amount of data this past summer and we are currently reviewing and analyzing all the information and working on proposed strategies and tactics to best respond to the needs of the city. In January and February, we’ll be working with the Leadership Council and Steering Committee to hone our thinking, and assess what’s possible. We want a plan with short-, near-, and long- term goals, as well as aspirational recommendations. We also want something actionable and implementable – not a plan that sits upon a shelf.

We’ll have the draft plan ready to share with you in March. Please mark March 28, 2016 on your calendar – we’ll be holding one more Town Hall that evening to hear your feedback.

We look forward to seeing you then!