Arts and Culture	Modified: Apr 14, 2010 11:42 AM

ABOUT THE ST. PETERSBURG COMMUNITY CULTURAL PLAN

Visions for a New Millennium The Community Cultural Plan for St. Petersburg was completed in 1999.  Guided by a Steering Committee of civic leaders and the City's Arts Advisory Committee, hundreds of people contributed to the development of the Plan in meetings throughout the city.  It was adopted by City Council as St. Petersburg's cultural policy. The first action taken by the City to implement the Plan was the establishment of the Office of Cultural Affairs and the creation of a new staff position to head it – the  Manager of Cultural Affairs.  

 St. Petersburg has experienced an amazing period of growth and revitalization in the ten years since the Plan was adopted.  The activities of the cultural sector have contributed to this growth while simultaneously acting as a catalyst and beneficiary of the dynamic downtown and quality of life that we experience today. 

The original version of Visions put forth Five Key Recommendations from the Six Goals with detailed objectives for each goal.  This complete document is available here. 

In 2009 on the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Plan, the Office of Cultural Affairs will undertake a community-based process to update the plan, test its goals and objectives for relevancy and determine if the roadmap to the next ten years should include some things not identified in 1999.  The original Plan document has been carefully edited by the Arts Advisory Committee to fold duplicative ideas into fewer objectives and five goals, while retaining all of the ideas promoted in the original version. The edited Plan is available here.

A community's cultural plan is a road map.  But where do we want to go, as concerns arts, creativity, and our city?  The original vision statement of the Plan holds true today:

The vision of the City of St. Petersburg is to create a climate where culture flourishes to benefit and educate all citizens and to enrich the quality of life for all. To achieve this vision, citizens, government and business must work in concert to create:

• A broad diversity of artistic expression and cultural traditions
• Opportunities for all citizens of all neighborhoods and ethnic traditions to participate in the arts
• Vibrant arts communities and centers of creative expression  and
• Recognition that St. Petersburg's cultural industry is a significant economic contributor to the city's wellbeing.