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Project Overview

2025 marks a pivotal year of change for the Office of Arts and Culture. An influx of new funding from the Arts, Culture, and Heritage tax will be available starting in January 2025 and the 10-year Community Cultural Plan is sunsetting. While this confluence creates the opportunity to look ahead at the next few decades of arts, culture and heritage investment in the city with new enthusiasm and great momentum, it also requires thoughtful consideration and assessment of what will be the most strategic path forward to achieve the community’s goals.

The Office of Arts and Culture, in partnership with ThereSquared LLC consulting, developed a bridge year strategy for 2025, bridging an initial influx of funding to the Community Cultural Plan Update which will be in development at the same time. This strategy was approached through a short-term needs and funding assessment with an abbreviated planning process from March - June 2024.

Findings are focused on how best to address immediate, short-term needs and responsibly allocate both existing and new resources while preparing the Office of Arts and Culture for the future, allowing time for more in-depth research, community outreach and long-term recommendations through the next Community Cultural Plan.

Needs Assessment and Key Recommendations

General Operating Support Grant Program

  • Recipient organizations expressed their ongoing gratitude for General Operating Support (GOS) grants and shared how many rely upon these grants as the “cornerstone” of their budgets and a “baseline of support” for all aspects of operations, including staffing, venue rental, investment in equipment, paying artists and funding programs.
  • The GOS grant funding is fundamental support for Boulder’s arts organizations. Rather than allow the 2022 GOS grant awards to sunset in 2024, without the Community Cultural Plan recommendations in place, it is most practical and fiscally responsible to extend the existing GOS program for this bridge year until the Cultural Plan is complete.
  • Recommendation: Extend existing GOS grant awards for an additional fourth year and adjust the award amounts to account for inflation. Also, allow organizations to move tiers and allow new applicants for a one-year term.

Public Art

  • The public art collection in Boulder numbers over 300 works of art, but most were commissioned before the Public Art Program was established in 2015. Many of the projects were commissioned by Parks and Recreation or Transportation departments and are in need of maintenance. According to the public art ordinance, these works are to be maintained by the department that commissioned them.
  • Recommendation: Once departmental responsibility for artwork is determined, develop a public art maintenance plan for those works the Public Art Program will manage on-going.

Staffing

  • The 2015 Community Cultural Plan called for fully staffing the Office of Arts and Culture by 2021, which meant an increase from two full-time staff members to six. Today there are 4.75 full-time equivalent staff positions. There are several key areas of need within the existing staff that still need to be addressed.
  • Recommendation: Contract consultants to deliver Cultural Plan Update and consider bringing on an additional staff person to support increases in workload.

Future Planning

  • Following the implementation of the findings in this report, the Office of Arts and Culture anticipates moving into the planning process for a new Blueprint for Arts and Culture in Fall 2024. Through this process, the office will consult on the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, engaging and partnering with the community to identify strategies and goals and help guide the long-term use of the Arts, Culture, and Heritage tax funding for greatest impact. The Arts and Culture section of the BVCP will serve as foundations of principles and policy for the Blueprint.

Image Credit: The Catamounts, Teacups and Tiny Dictators, April 2024. Photo by Grace Creative Studios.