I'm glad Don at Save Richmond posted his long-form flashback on Richard Florida, Arts and the Man, and the ongoing tension between big and small in the world of arts and culture. It reminded me that I had a thick packet of information about the Richmond Region Cultural Action Plan, and its next steps for public input.
It only takes a quick glance at the emerging themes in the plan to recognize that Don's post is probably correct about one thing (via the Milwaukee Cultural Alliance and playwright R. Winsome) -- "They focus all their attention on…big organizations, as though these are the only existing relevant cultural assets, when, in reality from the creative class perspective, they are the least relevant."
And while that certainly has consequences for everyone involved, I'm not sure it's a disaster in the making if there is a umbrella organization that works to change the way we coordinate, fund and experience art in the Richmond region. Even if it only touches big organizations and operates 20,000 feet above the real creative action.
I find that I've got a fairly pragmatic take on the potential outcome of the Cultural Action Plan. Will it transform the region? Probably not. Will it create a new energy for grassroots cultural activity? There's some slight possibility there. Does it have the potential to align many of the big players in the cultural arena, and create a more holistic approach to arts and culture in the Richmond region. Yes.
For that reason alone, it's worth the time and energy of key influencers from the local cultural scene -- the big museums and bigger galleries; the dance and performance organizations; the historical institutions -- to come together with the public to envision a broader, more ambitious future for arts in the Richmond region.
The Cultural Action Plan process started at the end of June, and it included a survey of 2,700 regional residents about their cultural participation. In January, the public is invited back to weigh in on the emerging themes identified by the plan's strategy team, consultants and stakeholders.
The community is invited to participate in a series of public meetings -- which are unfortunately jammed into two days (either a sign of bad planning, or a consultant who hasn't set up a process that can run without their presence in the room). In the weeks ahead, Buttermilk & Molasses will work to dissect some of the eight key themes that the public is being invited to address.
First, the details.
The four community meetings are happening in mid-January at locations around the region:
- Monday, January 12, from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. at the offices of the Hanover School Board, 200 Berkley Street, Ashland, Virginia.
- Monday, January 12, from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. at the Pine Camp Arts & Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Road, Richmond, Virginia.
- Tuesday, January 13, from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. at the Cultural Center of India, 6641 Ironbridge Parkway, Chester, Virginia.
- Tuesday, January 13, from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, 2880 Mountain Road, Glen Allen, Virginia.
If there's one thing I can tell the team working on the Cultural Action Plan -- based on my experiences with the Downtown Master Plan process -- it is that they had better start beating the drums on this pretty hard if they hope to get a significant turnout beyond the most passionate members of the arts community. Weblogs, news media, schools, libraries, retirement communities and churches should all be targets as a strong, creative PR campaign during the first two weeks of January.
Before you show up, you might want to take a look at Buttermilk & Molasses' ongoing coverage of the Cultural Action Plan, or better yet the documents posted online by Wolf Brown, the DC-based consultant working on the plan. (Note to Wolf Brown: Post the emerging themes document from December 8 so people can focus on the relevant issues.)
The eight key themes, which I'll explore more in-depth as we approach the January meetings, are:
- The Economy and the Plan - Essentially, how should the plan best position itself in light of the demoralizing economic forecast for 2009? My answer comes from the only middle school cheerleading chant I remember: Be aggressive. B. E. Aggressive.
- Regionalism - How best to engage this issue on a regional level, and how can the plan get the right people to the table? Issue the invitation and move forward with energy and optimism regardless of who shows up -- in the world of change management there's a wonderful phrase: "The right people are the ones who are here." Everyone else will catch up if you have a good product. We spend way too much time thinking we can get everyone on board on the front-end in this town.
- Coordination - Who's going to coordinate this multi-headed, artistic hydra? Figure out what you're trying to accomplish, and then identify the competencies you need to achieve those strategies. Only then should the planners begin identifying an organizing body. If you identify the organizing group first, the plan will find itself limited by that group's history, experiences and skills. In business, you define roles based on the needs of the customer -- not the person you want to fill the position.
- Cultural Equity - The African-American / white divide is the one we all talk about, and it's an important divide to bridge. But the plan had better be talking about the region's other sizable cultural communities -- the Asian-American and the Hispanic communities; the Muslim community; the Indian community. There is a past that needs to be addressed, but there is also an exciting new future to be created.
- Cultural Education - There are plenty of organizations providing educational and creative experiences in the arts and culture realm. But there's very little alignment between their activities.
- Artists and Emerging Organizations - The region's amazing grassroots cultural structure is its most under-appreciated commodity, and there is very little support to allow it to flourish and grow. On the one hand, the creative adversity faced by individuals and ad-hoc groups striving to build something new and different is what makes the local arts, music and cultural scene so kick-ass. On the other hand, how much more amazing could it be if there was a mechanism to provide support, resources, connections and capacity building in this space?
- Cultural Tourism - Leveraging the arts and cultural community to bolster the region's tourism trade makes sense. But given the region's general inability to get its act together as a regional tourism magnet -- the Tri-Cities and Williamsburg areas do far better in this regard than the Richmond region, it seems -- I wouldn't bet the bank on this one.
- On-Going Public Process - How to attract people to this conversation, and how to keep them attracted to it as it continues. As someone trained in large- and small-group facilitation, I'm constantly amazed at the lack of creativity and competency most organizations and institutions exhibit in this area. Whether it's a charrette process, an Appreciate Inquiry process, or a formulaic strategic planning session, there are some powerful tools to change the way conversations happen, empower citizens to lead the discussions, and create energy and motion that continue to live well after people leave the room.
If you can't make the meetings, you can also email Tom@wolfbrown.com with your thoughts, concerns and ideas about the Cultural Action Plan.
