DEPARTMENT: World Heritage Office
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Colleen Swain
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
UNESCO Creative Cities Network - Creative City of Gastronomy Briefing
SUMMARY:
A briefing on the City of San Antonio’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network - Creative City of Gastronomy program.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On October 31, 2017, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated San Antonio a Creative City of Gastronomy, making the city part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The designation is the result of a collaborative community effort that included the City of San Antonio, Visit San Antonio, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, several local nonprofit organizations, and private individuals and entities.
As part of San Antonio’s acceptance into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the application stated, that similar to the successful collaborative model used to develop and implement a work plan for the World Heritage San Antonio Missions, an advisory group would be established. The application outlined several initiatives, programs or projects that San Antonio committed to and which are aimed at achieving the objectives of the network. These are as follows:
• Initiate a public-private partnership to create a cultural and arts destination in the
heart of downtown that will develop business concepts and activities that interpret
San Antonio’s diverse culinary heritage;
• Use cultural mapping and oral histories to engage citizens to focus on the preservation of cooking techniques, foods, and recipes handed down from generation to generation;
• Develop a series of culinary trails connecting the city’s historic and cultural assets;
• Plan and execute a film festival to create a juried film festival featuring food-focused submissions from independent film-makers worldwide;
• Pioneer a Chef-in-Residency Culinary Exchange Program; and
• Continue actively hosting symposia and festivals with a focus on the protection and perpetuation of intangible heritage.
Additionally, acceptance into the network includes a requirement to participate and report on work progress as part of a Membership Monitoring Report, due for San Antonio in 2021.
In December 2018, the World Heritage Office presented an overview of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network and a briefing on San Antonio’s Creative City of Gastronomy program to the Arts, Culture and Heritage Council Committee. This presentation also provided information on several upcoming events and invitations to send representatives to Chengdu and Macao. Staff will provide a brief update on this recent activity, as per the committee’s request.
Cities that join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, internationally and nationally, share knowledge, as well as gain knowledge to ensure that creativity and culture are drivers in sustainable development. This designation further promotes San Antonio internationally and will be a catalyst to continuing to build a robust and thriving city for those who live and visit here.
UCCN covers seven thematic areas: Craft and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music. UNESCO announced in 2017 that 64 cities, including San Antonio, from 44 countries were designated as UNESCO Creative Cities. Since 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network highlights its members’ creativity within seven fields and now counts a total of 180 cities in 72 countries.
ISSUE:
The Creative City of Gastronomy Strategic Work Plan identifies goals and objectives for the program. Staff will provide a briefing on San Antonio’s Creative City of Gastronomy recent activities and upcoming work to support the goals.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.