Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Public Forum organized to customize the Washtenaw County Cultural Master Plan for Ann Arbor

12. March 2009 • Angela Martin-Barcelona
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The Arts Alliance will host a public forum discuss the Washtenaw County Cultural Master Plan and steps to customize the plan to meet the needs of our community. Anyone interested in the future of arts and culture in Ann Arbor is welcome to attend the forum which will take place on Thursday, March 26 from 6:30-8:00p.m. at the Kerrytown Concert House (415 North Fourth Avenue).

“There was a tremendous amount of community collaboration and engagement throughout the county-wide cultural plan process,” said John Weiss, Executive Director of the Neutral Zone and Ann Arbor Community Leader Co-Chair. “Now is the time for Ann Arbor to come together as a community and identify the key strategic areas that best match our needs from this plan. This forum and any subsequent meetings will be an excellent opportunity for our residents to be directly involved in the future of our community’s arts and cultural assets.”

The Washtenaw County Cultural Master Plan provides a vision for cultural development throughout the county over the next five years. Its recommendations fall into six strategic areas that were identified from the direct input of nearly 5,000 Washtenaw County residents through an online survey, an artists’ census, a study of the area’s creative economy, and in 29 interviews and community forums. The six strategic areas include Lifelong Arts & Education; Creative Economic Development; Capacity Building, Funding, and Investment; Communications, Audience Development, and Advocacy; Cultural Facilities; and Diversity and Access. Participants at the March 26 public forum will prioritize these six strategic areas and will begin brainstorming the next steps involved for developing a plan specific to Ann Arbor. A final customized report will be available in June 2009.

If you plan to attend this public forum, please RSVP to Angela Martín-Barcelona, Marketing Director at the Arts Alliance.

For more information about the cultural plan, click here.



  1. “This forum and any subsequent meetings will be an excellent opportunity for our residents to be directly involved in the future of our community’s arts and cultural assets.”

    Do I have to be a German artist to attend?


       —Alan Goldsmith    Mar. 12 '09 - 09:08PM    #

  2. Just a reminder that this public forum is on Thursday. If you’re interested in the future of arts and culture in Ann Arbor and want to help customize the county-wide cultural plan to Ann Arbor, please stop by. RSVP to Angela.


       —Angela    Mar. 24 '09 - 05:51PM    #