The city of Boulder this week will begin developing its first cultural plan in nine years.
Officials will work with the community to implement the plan by 2023 in hopes of expanding the city’s arts offerings and creative industries.
“Right now the priority is to ask the community what their vision is and ideally we’ll get out of that some sense of direction, some trajectory for the arts and the creative sector of the economy,” Boulder Arts Manager Matt Chasansky says.
Chasansky says the plan will consider the impact of public art and look at ways to foster professional development in a variety of areas ranging from fine art to food to architecture.
Boulder’s plan follows a similar initiative in Denver: the Imagine 2020 Plan, which Chasansky says inspired conversations among his colleagues and community members.
To help launch the effort, the city has invited author Peter Kageyama to speak about his work and what Boulder can learn from other cities’ efforts. Kageyama’s 2011 book “For the Love of Cities” explores strategies developed by communities to foster emotional engagement with their residents.
Kageyama says a city should develop programs and systems to help connect people into the community while also empowering those he calls “co-creators” -- artists, entrepreneurs, activists and other people “who make the experiences that we delight in,” he writes in his book.
“I hope I leave people feeling good about where they live,” Kageyama says. “Things can always be better with participation. It’s also important to empower more people who are sitting on the sidelines.”
The City of Boulder’s Office of Arts and Culture presents “For the Love of Boulder with Peter Kageyama” on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
CPR arts editor Chloe Veltman will interview Kageyama in front of an audience following his public presentation.
- Location: The Boulder Public Library’s Canyon Theater (1001 Arapahoe Avenue; Boulder, CO 80302)
- Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- RSVP: Send email to [email protected] with “Town Hall” in the subject line.
To hear an edited version of CPR's interview with Peter Kageyama, tune in to the Colorado Art Report at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5.
