DEPARTMENT: Department of Arts & Culture
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Debbie Racca-Sittre
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All Council Districts
SUBJECT: Briefing on Music Strategic Plan of the Cul-TÚ-Art Cultural Plan
SUMMARY:
The Cul-TÚ-Art Cultural Plan is a coordinated planning document that is comprised of six focus areas. Plans for four of those areas have been completed including: Film, Centro de Artes, Arts Agency Funding, and Public Art. The Department of Arts & Culture is currently managing a public process to develop the last two component of the Cul-TÚ-Art Cultural Plan which includes a Music Strategic Plan, and Cultural Districts Framework. Each component proposes to increase community engagement and the quality of new projects. The Music Strategic Plan focuses on growing and promoting the local music industry, with the overall vision of creating a thriving music economy that embraces its roots and advances opportunity for the next generation. The Music Strategic Plan will be presented to the San Antonio Arts Commission for adoption on August 14, 2018.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Cul-TÚ-Art Plan is intended to guide the City of San Antonio’s investments in the arts to provide equitable opportunities that encourage San Antonio’s arts community, residents and visitors to thrive in a culturally inclusive environment that celebrates San Antonio’s identity. The San Antonio Arts Commission is serving as the Steering Committee for the Plan.
The development of the music component began in winter of 2016, with the department overseeing the development of a local music industry study by local music-focused nonprofit San Antonio Sound Garden (SASG). The study process continued through 2017 with community workshops to collect feedback on opportunities and challenges in the local music industry, administrating a survey to community members who create and produce local music, and collecting local music industry economic impact data. The study, finalized by SASG in September 2017, includes this data, an inventory of music resources and interviews with local music experts. In March 2018, the 11-member San Antonio Arts Commission Music Committee held a strategic planning and visioning session based on the music study to develop key strategies and a vision statement for a comprehensive Music Strategic Plan.
ISSUE:
The Cul-TÚ-Art Cultural Plan is a coordinated planning document that is comprised of six focus areas including: Film, Centro de Artes, Arts Agency Funding Guidelines, Public Art, Music, and Cultural Districts Framework. The Cul-TÚ-Art Plan is intended to guide the City of San Antonio’s investments in arts & culture to provide equitable opportunities that encourage San Antonio’s arts community, residents and visitors to thrive in a culturally inclusive environment that celebrates San Antonio’s identity.
The San Antonio Arts Commission is serving as the Steering Committee for the Plan and has adopted a Vision Statement, Guiding Principles and a Statement on Cultural Equity.
Strategies being proposed for the City’s music initiative are three-fold: Develop and Tell the San Antonio music story, develop music-friendly policies and programs, and build professionalism in the local music industry. Key tactics for successfully executing these strategies include the launch of a standalone City of San Antonio Music website to provide musicians and businesses resources to further develop in the local music industry and to promote the industry, a loading and unloading zone program for musicians, an online directory of musicians and music businesses, an accessible musician toolkit for enhanced business opportunities, and local music programmed at the beginning of City Council meetings and during the City’s on-hold messages. The Music Strategic Plan component of the Cul-TÚ-Art Plan will be presented to the San Antonio Arts Commission for adoption in August 2018.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council could choose to not move forward with this planning effort. As a result, the department would continue to operate under its current policies which do not include a plan or strategy specific to the music economy in San Antonio.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The FY 2017 and FY 2018 Department of Arts & Culture budget includes a total of $150,000.00, to support the Cul-TÚ-Art Planning efforts. These funds will be used for research and data collection, hosting the kick-off and community/stakeholder meetings, graphic design for the plan, technical review and oversight from the equity consultant.
The implementation of strategies identified in the Music Plan will utilize services and resources already allocated department-wide. In addition, music-friendly programs and policies identified in the plan will be add-ons to already established programs or new programs that do not have a monetary impact.