Boulder Arts Blueprint

• Community Engagement: Ensuring inclusive conversations to reflect the diversity of voices within Boulder’s arts community.
• Data-Driven Goals: Using research, including economic impact studies and national peer comparisons, to inform and prioritize city initiatives.
• Equity and Resilience: Aligning with the city’s SER Framework, and guided by the city’s Race Equity and Climate Action plans, the Blueprint supports community-wide goals that ensure access to the arts for everyone.
• Responsible Governance: Providing guidance to maximize impact of voter-supported, public funding.

In partnership with ThereSquared LLC, the Office of Arts and Culture developed a 2025 strategy to address short-term priorities based on community input and research. The guidance focused on how best to address immediate, short-term needs and continue to support the arts community, while preparing the Office of Arts and Culture for the future. This ‘bridge year’ ensures responsible use of funding while laying the groundwork for the Boulder Arts Blueprint.

In phase the Boulder Arts Blueprint Phase One, we will create a solid base for long-term planning:

• Integrating with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP). The Office of Arts and Culture will support the BVCP effort to establish vision and policies to achieve the community’s goals for arts and culture. This vision for the arts will be further informed by integration with the SER Framework, Race Equity Plan and Climate Action Plan.
• Engagement with stakeholders will help prioritize strategies and programs needed to achieve the vision for the arts in the update to the BVCP. This includes engagement across sectors, including local artists, cultural nonprofits, business leaders, and community partners, to incorporate diverse perspectives and foster inclusive, meaningful conversations about the future of arts in Boulder.
• Gathering and analyzing data will confirm assumptions and refine strategy to maximize efficiency and stewardship. Sources of data include the office’s Artist Census and Venues Study, national research, economic studies, community surveys, benchmarking with comparable cities, and more.

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The Discovery Report serves as the foundation of the Boulder Arts Blueprint. While the Discovery Report was being developed, consultants also conducted broad-based community engagement. Because that engagement is still being analyzed, it is not included in this report. Engagement activities have included:

• Nearly 1,200 responses to a community-wide questionnaire, collecting feedback on how arts and culture can thrive in Boulder.
• Staff and consultants hosted focus groups with dozens of key stakeholders—including artists, philanthropists and leaders of arts organizations—to better understand needs, opportunities and priorities across the creative sector.
• In addition, hundreds of one-on-one conversations took place while tabling at events like Boulder Arts Week, Bike to Work Day, and Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan open houses. These in-person interactions helped ensure the Blueprint reflects Boulder’s diverse creative community and the values of those who live here.

Broad public engagement for Phase 1 is now complete, allowing the consultants time to analyze community input and develop draft Phase 1 recommendations. Community engagement will resume in Phase 2, with future opportunities for community members to review and respond to the proposed ideas and offer additional input.

Public Sphere Projects is a national planning and placemaking consultancy. They advise place managers on the visioning, strategy, and stewardship of shared urban places through an uncompromising commitment to the values of justice and joy.

Public Sphere Projects is led by a cross-disciplinary team of professionals with expertise in urban planning, community development, public policy, and creative placemaking. Their team comprises leaders who have held senior roles within government agencies and urban place management organizations.

Public Sphere Projects will serve as the prime contractor on this project. They are headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with team members based in cities across North America.

Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.) is a national leader in helping communities and organizations across the country create and sustain thriving places. They advise clients on a wide range of community planning, economic development, organizational management, and financial solutions.

P.U.M.A.’s team brings together experts in all areas of downtown and community development. They specialize in downtown strategic plans, BID formation and renewal, community vision and action plans, economic development and resiliency, market assessments and trends, and healthy community strategies. They have also conducted groundbreaking research to identify the top trends in demographics, lifestyles, global competition and disruption, and place them in the unique context of North American cities and towns.

P.U.M.A. will support the team with community engagement, helping synthesize feedback into the final Blueprint. They are headquartered in Denver, Colorado.