The Arts Council of Park City and Summit County spent the last year and a half creating the 124-page Arts and Culture Master Plan. It’s a recommendations-focused 10-year plan meant to elevate the local arts and culture sector.
Executive Director Jocelyn Scudder said the arts scene in Summit County is heavily tied to events. So, one key priority identified in the plan is to have more arts opportunities day-to-day.
“What we've heard from the community is they want arts in the everyday,” she said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Jan. 29. “They want arts accessible and a little bit more integrated into our daily life.”
This priority aims to find ways people of all ages and locations can expand their experiences with art. The plan specifically identifies North and South Summit as areas needing more arts access and representation.
Scudder said adding art opportunities is especially timely as the Sundance Film Festival is moving to Boulder, Colorado, next year, and the area has had an unseasonably warm winter.
“We're heavily reliant on things like snow, and weather is outside of our control, but something that we can control that helps diversify our economy is arts and culture, but it needs to be invested in and supported strategically and proactively,” she said.
Everyday art opportunities are also an infrastructure issue, she added. That’s why a second plan priority – called spaces and places — focuses on providing a centralized arts space in the county.
That’s where local government and private developers come in. Scudder said the arts council is working with them to identify where to add venues and facilities dedicated to arts and culture.
The last key priority is funding and capacity building. Scudder said many arts councils are embedded in local government, which provides a funding mechanism. The Arts Council of Park City and Summit County is a nonprofit which opens the door to many funding opportunities. However, it still needs government support.
“It's a long-term investment for our community, but it does help our economy,” Scudder said.
The Park City and Summit County councils both unanimously passed resolutions supporting the master plan in January. Neither, however, includes specific monetary or infrastructure asks.
Scudder said it’s still a massive milestone for the community.
“Arts has always been this communal act and art spaces and arts programs continue to be identified as critical sites for connection and well-being and healthy civic life,” she said. “So that's really what we're investing in.”
Next steps include an arts and culture leadership forum for local nonprofits and cultural organizations to discuss a sustainable path forward.
The Arts Council of Park City and Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.
