Public meetings will be held around the Chattanooga area this week by arts and cultural planning initiative Imagine Chattanooga 20/20 to gather public input on what individual communities want in terms of arts and culture. Meetings will be held in the North Hamiton area at the North River Civic Center in Hixson Thursday, Oct. 6 at 8 a.m., at Red Bank City Hall Thursday, Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m. and in North Chattanooga at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 5:30 p.m.
“It’s a very comprehensive look at our community and the resources we have for the arts to create a personal impact,” said Rodney Van Valkenberg, director of communications for Allied Arts, the organization which will help to put the plans to be discussed at the meetings into action. “This is an opportunity to get some ideas floated out there, to get reactions and see if we’re on the right track.”
The Imagine 20/20 steering committee is composed of a group of 50 community leaders, government officials, business leaders, nonprofit CEOs, foundation directors, and artists representing different sectors. These focus groups ensure representation in areas such as arts education, artists and public art, marketing, cultural venues, diversity, underserved populations and community engagement.
“The more people who attend, the broader range of input we receive,” said Peggy Petree, a member of the steering committee and Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute alumni president. “The broader range of participants will ensure a community that represents them and the kind of community they desire.”
The primary goal is develop a plan of action which addresses the question of what creativity, arts and culture can do for our community, a topic usually approached from the opposite angle of how the community can support the arts.
Imagine Chattanooga 20/20 explores the ways in which arts and culture has the ability to impact individual communities in a variety of ways, such as job creation and neighborhood revitalization.
Facilitating the meetings is Marc Goldring of Massachusetts-based consulting firm WolfBrown, which has organized more than 200 community cultural plans across the country.
Among the plans to be proposed at the community meetings is an annual festival for students in kindergarten through seniors in high school to showcase their artistic talents and achievements, said Petree.
“So few students have arts classes in their schools,” said Van Valkenberg. “We’re making sure the arts are accessible to all young people.”
He said ensuring dance and theatre programs are available in all communities and making residents aware of resources in their area are important goals.
The cultural plan also includes the establishment of creative hubs serving as a shared space for arts and cultural groups to use as gallery or rehearsal space, she said.
“As we look and see what’s available, we’ll begin to implement what we can,” said Petree.
Issac Duncan, a local sculptor who recently completed a sculpture in collaboration with Mark Making and children at the Bethlehem Community Center, feels public art brings art’s impact on the community to the forefront.
“Art is always a part of the community,” he said. “A lot of us aren’t educated on its daily function in our lives, and creating big pieces brings it out to the forefront and people can really appreciate that art is a part of our lives.”
Get Involved
To find out more about the cultural planning process, visit here. North River Civic Center is at 1009 Executive Drive, Red Bank City Hall is at 3117 Dayton Blvd. and Chattanooga Theatre Centre is at 400 River St.