Planning for a Cultural Plan
April 30, 2024
For two years, I have been helping the Montgomery County, Md., Arts and Humanities Council prepare for undertaking a cultural plan, the county’s first in more than twenty years.
I urged the AHCMC to undertake three foundational research projects before searching for a consultant. One was to undertake reconnaissance on what arts and culture mean to people in Montgomery County. Another was to undertake mapping of the County’s arts and culture assets, not only formal cultural facilities, but also informal resources important to the community. Together, these would help create a unique context for creating a cultural plan, and would also begin to lay the groundwork of community connections that would be useful for the planning effort.
A third project, which I was commissioned to do, was to prepare a white paper on the how practice of cultural planning has evolved since the County’s last plan was undertaken. This would help set expectations for what AHCMC would like to do and the type of consultant that it would seek. That report, just completed, is attached to this post.
The AHCMC’s Public Arts Trust is undertaking a fourth experiment, which is prototyping how artist residencies can work in the County’s regional service centers – places where people can go to access everyday services. AHCMC anticipates that thinking about how artists can integrate with County government will be key recommendation of the plan, so this prototype will provide learning about how the County can do that best.