Arts and Culture
DEFINITION/DESCRIPTION
Art and culture provide a way for us to better understand our communities and ourselves. A sustainable arts and cultural experience encompasses a broad range of expression, media and materials; provides art and cultural resources in neighborhoods to encourage participation and self-expression; and supports art that reflects a the cultural and ethnic diversity that make up Baltimore.
CURRENT STATUS
The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA), (1) allocates grants to increase public access to the arts (The Creative Baltimore Fund, and Free Fall), (2) facilitates the creation and installation of new public art (Percent-for-Public Art program, Transformative Art Prize, Lots Alive) and (3) hosts a youth focused job-training program (Art @ Work). BOPA annually produces three, large scale, cultural festivals (Artscape, Book Festival and Light City), all free and open to the public. Each festival commissions new artwork, readings and performances from visual, literary, and performing artists, and has a significant, positive economic impact. In 2016, 100% of the vendors at these major festivals were from Maryland and compostable cups are used. Styrofoam products are banned and recycling occurs at all BOPA festivals and at the Farmers’ Markets. Gleaning is also done at the Farmers’ Markets.
EQUITY INDICATORS
Residents living in areas with the least public investment are least likely to have equitable access to the arts. Creative Baltimore and Free Fall provide small grants to arts organizations but communities that do not have local arts organizations, or do not receive the funding, may not directly benefit. BOPA is collaborating with the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance on GeoLoom: a project to map equitable access to the arts and art programing. And, the City’s Public Arts Program is shifting to include conservation and maintenance, investing in restoration of public artwork that has suffered from years of deferred maintenance.
STRATEGIES
1. Attendance and Participation
Promote residents engagement in the creation of artwork, visits to an art museum or gallery, or attendance at an artistic or cultural program.
Action 1- Partnership & Collaboration: Develop strategies of collaboration with local art and cultural institutions, private and non-profit organizations to increase access to and participation in the arts.
Action 2- Programs & Services: Sustain the production of the City’s cultural arts festivals and cultural tourism projects, and ensure that such festivals remain free for the public; simultaneously increasing the financial and logistical support provided to smaller cultural programs, events, festivals and performances.
Action 3- Practice Improvements & Tracking: Track standardized participation and attendance data at all major events, exhibitions, community arts experiences, cultural events, performances, festivals and programs.
2. Civic Engagement
Engage local leaders and residents in valuing, supporting and cultivating a broad range of arts, cultural, and heritage resources and activities across the City
Action 1- Policy Adjustment & Education: Rebalance the focus of the City’s Public Art and historic monuments program to have an equal focus towards conservation of and education about the City’s existing arts and heritage resources. Develop multiple ways to provide the public with information about the history of and stories behind the artwork that can be found throughout the City and encourage public participation in the effort.
Action 2- Programs and Services: Incentivize the hiring and inclusion of local artists in publicly funded of public art work and performance projects. Provide job training and informational sessions with the goal of encouraging local artists to apply to public opportunities. And provide a range of artistic opportunities that an artist can participate in and build their career through over time.
Action 3- Facility and infrastructure Improvements: Ensure that all arts and cultural facilities, cultural events, and festivals are fully accessible to people with disabilities. Encourage emerging cultural spaces to plan for and accommodate accessibility requirements into their space design and program planning.
3. Incorporate art into programs and policies across the spectrum including but not limited to stormwater management practices, neighborhood clean ups, tree plantings etc.
Action 1 -
Action 2 -
Action 3 -
METRICS FOR SUCCESS
Strategy 1: Demonstrate that at least 35% of residents engage in the creation of artwork, visit an art museum or gallery, or attend an artistic or cultural program annually.
Strategy 2: Demonstrate a measurable increase in resident access and engagement in the arts by 2020
Strategy 3: Conduct a conservation assessment of at least a 25% of the City’s public art collection annually so that the 100% of the City’s collection is reviewed on a 4 year cycle.