To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Maia Yates, Staff Liaison to the Public Art Commission
Title
Resolution Approving the 2023 Town of Castle Rock Public Art Strategic Plan
Body
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this agenda item is to seek Town Council approval of a Resolution adopting the Public Art Strategic Plan.
The Public Art Commission plays an integral role in defining public art initiatives for Castle Rock, while advising Town Council and staff concerning the use of funds designated for public art programming. Its members visioned and wrote this this strategic plan to expand upon the vision and goals of the Town of Castle Rock's Public Art Master Plan from 2007 and the 2017 Public Art Plan, while integrating the future dreams and aspirations of a growing community.
Previous Town surveys and questionnaires demonstrate that Castle Rock residents cherish art and cultural offerings. In the 2020 public art questionnaire, 91 percent of respondents indicated they believe public art adds value to their community. As Castle Rock continues to grow, there is an important opportunity to maintain smalltown charm, preserve distinct local identity and honor history and heritage through art and cultural offerings. Art fosters community pride and attracts new residents and businesses that value creative communities.
To vision and establish its future goals, the commission conducted community questionnaires to gather resident feedback, held on-the-street interviews with residents and visitors, completed stakeholder interviews with community leaders and local organizations and hosted a master planning workshop. Analysis of the various levels of feedback resulted in six thematic goals, each with their own strategic objectives:
• Beautification of public spaces
Working with local partners, the commission will identify unattractive and underutilized public spaces and reimagine these spaces through the addition of art; spaces could include the entrance to Downtown Castle Rock near Wolfensberger and Wilcox, traffic signal boxes, continued participation in Douglas County Art Encounters, etc.
• Community engagement
As the community grows and changes, the commission will strive to ensure that art and culture continues to engage residents while incorporating the unique identity of Castle Rock and encouraging creativity; methods could include deploying community questionnaires, increasing digital communication, improving public-facing information, expanding art and culture events, etc.
• Conservation and maintenance
The commission will work to ensure the public’s art collection is inspected annually and will prioritize maintenance and conservation efforts to ensure the longevity of existing artworks, as well as approve and maintain policies to set best practices and maintain knowledge transfer for future members and public art administrators.
• Create an art experience destination
The commission will work to create an impactful, reputable and memorable destination for citizens and visitors to experience art in Castle Rock, such as installing a sculpture garden on the grounds of Cantril School. This lofty goal will take several years to accomplish and will require significant participation from the community to envision and fund.
• Making art part of the conversation
For art to make a difference in the lives of those in our community and our visitors, it must be both tangibly seen throughout the community and intangibly felt. The Public Art Commission will serve as a catalyst for conversations about art to inspire organizations and businesses to come to the table with original ideas to bring new creative opportunities and value to Castle Rock. Objectives may include expanding partnerships and connecting local organizations through arts and culture, educating local organization and businesses, inviting local organizations to present at commission meetings, etc.
• Researching and seeking public and private sources to expand financial resources for public art
In order to achieve the ambitious goal of creating an arts destination within Castle Rock and continuing to expand the program, the commission will seek additional funding outside of the annual Philip S. Miller Trust Fund allocation. This new and additional funding may come from private individuals, local business donations, grant-making organizations and other opportunities.
Once approved, the commission will work to create and implement actionable strategies to accomplish the objectives for the thematic goals above. The plan is intended it set the direction of the commission and public art programming for approximately five years.
Budget Impact
The Public Art Commission maintains an annual budget funded by the Philip S. Miller Trust Fund; $25,000 is allocated annually by Town Council for the purposes of supporting public art programming. Maintenance and conservation efforts are funded through the Parks and Recreation Lodging Tax Fund.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the Resolution as introduced by title.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the Resolution as introduced by title.”
Alternative motions:
“I move to approve the Resolution as introduced by title, with the following conditions: (list conditions).”
“I move to continue this item to the Town Council meeting on (date) to allow additional time to (list information needed).”
Attachments
Resolution
Public Art Strategic Plan