Reaching a major milestone in its efforts to invigorate the local creative community, the City of Charlotte's Arts and Culture Advisory Board has selected Lord Cultural Resources to help create a comprehensive cultural plan for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
An industry-leading cultural consulting firm with decades of experience, Lord Cultural Resources has led the creation and operation of cultural plans and spaces in hundreds of cities around the world. In Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, the firm will help develop a long-range vision and near-term plans to sustainably fund the arts and culture sector, position the sector as an economic and tourism driver, support collaboration between creative individuals and organizations, and promote equity and inclusivity.
"This is a landmark moment in our work," said Priya Sircar, the city's arts and culture officer. "The team at Lord Cultural Resources brings the experience, energy and enthusiasm we need to build an ambitious and achievable cultural plan that will serve our entire community and the arts and culture ecosystem for years to come."
Joy Bailey-Bryant, Lord's president for the United States and a nationally recognized leader in community engagement and cultural planning, will lead a consultant team that includes the Charlotte-based community engagement firm Amplify Charlotte, and the national community and economic development firm Fourth Economy, which will provide data and economic analysis.
A selection committee chose the team because of Lord's experience facilitating successful cultural plans in major U.S. cities, including Dallas and Chicago, and working in cities of comparable size and characteristics as Charlotte. The team also brings a dynamic and strong practice in public engagement, especially among historically underrepresented communities, and a demonstrated understanding of the arts and culture environment in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Together, these strengths will inform a cultural planning approach custom-made to local needs and objectives.
The selection process included a request for proposals from potential consultants, which the city opened in February, and presentations given by the finalist teams to the advisory board during a public meeting in April.
"Having worked in cities as large as Chicago, Illinois, and Bilbao, Spain, to as small as Decatur, Georgia, the Lord Cultural Resources team is enthused to work with the many artists, homegrown artistic places and spaces, along with world-class cultural offerings in the city of Charlotte," Bailey-Bryant said. "This city's arts assets are strong. Through this cultural plan, we are excited by the opportunity to integrate the arts into Charlotte's robust business, education, tech, film and other sectors to achieve a shared vision and, most importantly, shared prosperity."
Working under the oversight of the city's advisory board and the arts and culture officer, the cultural planning team will facilitate a plan based on:
- Robust engagement with residents, especially those who historically have been underrepresented in planning efforts; people in all areas of the arts and culture sector; and partners in other sectors.
- Assessments of local cultural assets, spaces, needs, history and opportunities; changing demographics; community priorities and dynamics; and the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Analyses of how other communities position arts and culture for success, including through governance and funding models, and how they increase collaboration among individuals and organizations within the industry.
- Realistic and measurable objectives developed among stakeholders throughout the community.
Planning efforts will begin immediately and are set to finish in the spring of 2023. Expenses related to cultural planning will be funded through the Infusion Fund, a partnership between the city, Foundation For The Carolinas and private donors to bolster local arts and culture over three years.
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