City of Vancouver Staff Provides Updates on Creative City Strategy
/Here's an update to the City of Vancouver Creative City Strategy, pursuant to a briefing from City staff on May 15 and subsequent meeting of City Council. The Creative City Strategy will aim to develop a comprehensive plan and vision for culture and creativity in Vancouver, and is expected to be deployed in 2019.
The following is partially excerpted from a release issued by the City of Vancouver.
Presentations from City Staff
On May 15, City staff presented to Vancouver City Council on the early findings of the Creative City Strategy. The presentation was an update on what the City has heard so far from the community during the preliminary engagement phase.
During this phase, City staff connected with more than 500 people from across the cultural sector including Indigenous arts and culture organizations; LGBTQ2+ artists; accessibility organizations; organizations working in low income communities; the Arts and Culture Policy Council; individual artists; and many others.
In 15 focus groups, 130 individual artists and representatives from 90 organizations, large and small, shared their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges the strategy could address.
Five key themes have emerged from these early conversations that will shape the public engagement in the next phase of the strategy’s development:
- Reconciliation: Increased visibility on the land of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and the need for more investment and leadership opportunities for cultural resurgence;
- Equity & Access: Resources to reflect the diversity of Vancouver, and barrier reductions for individuals & unincorporated groups;
- Visibility & Investment: Affordable live and work spaces, abundant resources and diversified funders and reduced costs across the city;
- Capacity: The need for revenue generating capacity and administrative capacity;
- Collaboration: A greater focus on relationship and partnership development and regular and accessible convening.
Alongside the early findings, the City recommended five immediate actions that will be implemented alongside the broader public engagement:
- Supplemental grant funding to support organizations in areas that reflect the themes of early findings;
- New Public Art Initiatives including an emerging artists boot camp and a new 2D Platforms program;
- Developer Public Art program review to look at how the City can better support work initiated by Indigenous and local artists;
- Equity Update to Jury nomination process to ensure the grant adjudication process better reflects the history and diversity of Vancouver;
- Nightlife Council to advise the City on how to better support the night time economy while also promoting safety and inclusion.
To view the presentation, click here.
Get Involved
The City is still soliciting feedback on the Strategy and its priorities, including upcoming events on June 5 and 7. The events will explore and discuss the five key themes that have emerged from preliminary engagements so far:
- Reconciliation
- Equity and Access
- Visibility and Investment
- Capacity
- Collaboration
All insights and feedback will inform the Creative City Strategy, a new culture plan to place arts, culture and creativity at the forefront of Vancouver. The events take place Tuesday, June 5 2-4 p.m. and Thursday, June 7 6-8 p.m. at CityLab (511 West Broadway at Cambie). These are alternate dates for the same discussion, so attendees need only choose one. The events are free and open to the public.
