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• 1985: Arlington Center for the Arts founded• 1980s: Arlington Cultural Council, part of
MCC, founded• 1992: Arts and Culture Commission instated
by Town Meeting• 1992: Vision 2020 Standing Committee
created by Town Meeting to “create, implement, monitor, and review methods for open townwide public participation in the Vision 2020 process”
• Arlington Public Art formed• Arlington Center for the Arts 25th anniversary• Arlington Tourism and Economic
Development Committee implemented• Arlington International Film and Video
Festival founded• Arlington Jazz Festival
2010s
Arlington Alive Conversation, 2012
Arts and Culture Action PlanCreated with MAPC and Department of Planning
and Community Development
● Invited artists, creatives, and arts-related businesses and nonprofits townwide to provide input to create an arts and culture action plan.
Arts and Culture Action PlanACTION PLAN: Designed with the goal of delivering policy and programmatic recommendations public and private partners can pursue to strengthen and grow arts and cultural opportunities in Arlington, leading to a thriving arts and cultural life for all.
● Plan includes: inventory of arts and cultural assets, data collection, feedback from advisory committee and general public, research and strategy development, and the action plan
Core Vision and Principles Driving the Plan
● Inclusion: Advancing social equity and social cohesion through supporting arts and cultural experiences that reflect Arlington’s changing community character and cultural diversity.
● Innovation: Stimulating innovative thinking, approaches, and solutions to challenging civic issues and improving civic infrastructure design by fostering collaborations with the arts and cultural sector.
● Accountability: Developing strong systems of accountability and fostering a culture of collaboration between the arts and cultural sector and other sectors to steward sustainable plan implementation.
● Commitment: Maintaining a core belief in arts and cultural opportunities and experiences as essential to the civic vitality and livability of Arlington and engaging partners in maintaining a commitment to plan implementation.
Reimagining the Commission
Arlington Arts Agencies Study, companion to Plan, recommended creation and funding of a formal umbrella Commission to manage formerly disparate and sometimes competing interests.
The recommendation called for consolidation of the arts-focused public agencies into one agency to improve the volunteer experience by streamlining communications, reducing duplicative meetings, and reducing confusion about each entity, and to make progress and align energy toward common goals and impact.
● Permanent liaison from Department of Planning & Community Development● Appointee of the School Committee (huge part of the town's budget)● Nonprofit sector representative from Arlington Center for the Arts● Chamber of Commerce representative● Artlinks Arlington representative – professional networking org with 200+ artists● ACC: Grants Committee – state grant-making proxy● Liaison to the Poet Laureate Committee● Community Engagement – Combines formerly separate Public Art and
Programs & Festivals committees● And 3 at-large members that have tended to enhance key priorities of the
Commission's Strategic Plan – Fundraising & Sustainability, Marketing & Communication, DEIA, etc.
● Representatives of the Managing Partnership (CDMP) – for Arlington Cultural District, a targeted development area designated by the Mass Cultural Council
MAKING PROGRESS - CULTURAL DISTRICT, PUBLIC ART and CREATING ARTSARLINGTON
Building the ArtsArlington Brand
Created free, consolidated townwide arts resources website, cultural calendar, newsletter. social media channels, cable programs, under the ArtsArlington brand. Town signage, regional advertising, event marketing provides free cultural resource for audiences and artists, local and out-of-town.
Launching the Cultural District
Mass Cultural Council accepted town application for “Cultural District”district designation in 2017 for targeted development along the main “cultural corridor,” carrying state funding and other benefits to promote targeted development, all administered by a committee of Managing Partners from all sectors.
Filling the GAP
Owner of run-down indie gas station in “Gap” neighborhood inspired by
C.D. designation...
Filling the GAP: A Case Study
Hires neighbor -- a local artist-activist and gives him carte blanche to design and remake the station --“make it a little crazy”...
Arlington Global Service Station
Mission Accomplished!
Initiative Inspires Expanded Regional Transit Art Partner Project: Dots “Escape” Across Whole
Neighborhood!
ATown’s Coolest Gas Station Goes on to Host ACAC’s “Garage Band” Dance Concert Series...
...Becoming Arlington’s Coolest New Dance & Performance Venue, too, Serving 1000+ celebrants
and passers-by!
Beloved Station celebrated as Business of the Year, a beacon of the district, and even a stop on a new
cultural district tour!
By 2020, a proactive community leaderand patron who commissions more artists for
new COVID projects
“Power of Partnership”For those of us involved in arts & culture here in the Commonwealth, this emphasis on community is not new, but rather baked into the very nature of our work. And in some very special places, these strong community networks have long been in the making. This week, we can see the power of art and community shining its brightest in Arlington through the work of the Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture. …
ACAC itself is formed with a “cross-pollination” design that emphasizes the voices of not only local artists and nonprofits, but also the public schools, the town libraries, and the Chamber of Commerce. By building a structure in which coalition and partnership is embedded into its ideals, the community is able to create a culture where everyone is already “leaning forward”, ready to offer support and collaboration whenever and wherever it is needed.
At MASSCreative, we are proud to highlight Arlington and ACAC’s work not only as an example of the power of partnership in one specific moment, but also as a demonstration of how long-term relationship-building creates a culture that allows these inspiring moments to happen. The kind of engagement we see in Arlington is what motivates us to promote the importance of the arts & culture in connecting communities and creating joy through public art for all.
From Spotlight: Arlington Community Comes Together Through Art - MassCreative
MAKING PROGRESS - PUBLIC ART
Art Around TownARTBRT
Utility Banners, Light Poles, Sidewalks
Buildings & Storefronts
In the Parks
Minuteman Regional Commuter BikewayPeak traffic can see 630 users per hour
Art Collaborations Connect Communities
MOVING FORWARDExpand Opportunities for Covid-Impacted Artists
Annual Artist-in-ResidencePublic Art Master Plan
Quarterly Convenings of the Nonprofit SectorAffordable Workspaces for Artists
Expanded Creative Collaborations with Schools, Business Associations, and Town Entities from DEIA, Libraries and Green Teams to Human Rights Commission and Finance Committee(!)Broadened Regional (and National) Reach and Collaborations
Go Out Doors - Neighbors - Fall 2020 - Collaborative public art exhibition connecting 3 Cultural Districts, 3 Visitor Centers, 3 Bikeways in Arlington, Lexington and Concord -- all along the historic April 19, 1775 Battle Road.
Broadening Regional ReachGo Out Doors - Neighbors - Promoted widely in regional arts media, tourism websites, and reciprocal Visitor Center promotions.
Expanding in Spring 2021 - Expanding to as many as 10 towns with 50 thematically connected artworks by dozens of diverse artists promoting intertown regional cultural tourism.
Leverage collaboration to combine funding from local, regional, state, federal public and private sources, as well as attract collaborations with national projects such as National Park Service, America’s Scenic Byways, the Lafayette Heritage Trail, and many others.
Jennifer Raitt, Director, Arlington Planning & Community Developmenthttps://www.arlingtonma.gov/
Stewart Ikeda, Co-Chair, Arlington Commission for Arts & Culturehttps://artsarlington.org
Thank You!
