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HomeMy WebLinkAbout14 Arts Culture Chapter_12-31-19 14-1 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Highlights This chapter looks at: 1) arts, creative expression, and culture in the City of Edina and 2) the Arts and Culture Commission’s efforts to tie these to the community in ways that will enrich residents and visitors and contribute to a high quality of living. In this sense, arts and culture are not to be viewed as isolated and abstract things and events but, instead, elements that are woven into the fabric of the community and linked to as many aspects of the community and life as possible. It is these linkages (some obvious, and others not so obvious) that will contribute to a community where arts and culture are always visible and in the consciousnesses of observers. This chapter discusses: • Historical contexts and inventory of the City’s arts and cultural events • Direct benefits of arts and culture to a City’s image and livability • The future vision for arts and culture • The City’s venues for artistic expression • Trends and challenges • Goals and objectives Six goals developed for this chapter are summarized below. Together, with policies developed for this chapter, the six goals will serve to inform the development of the Arts and Culture Commission’s annual work plans for the next ten years. Goal 1: Distribute and promote arts and culture across all of Edina to provide opportunities for people to come together in the creation and celebration of art and culture, building inclusive communities. Goal 2: Leverage the Edina Arts and Culture Commission (ACC) to form strong and enduring collaborative partnerships between the ACC and other Edina commissions and associations to incorporate arts and culture into planning and implementation processes. Goal 3: Improve and maintain dedicated spaces and venues for arts and culture; activate each with dynamic programming that includes a broad array of art forms and expressions accessible to all. Goal 4: Expand and continue to drive awareness of and participation in Edina’s Public Art program and art collection.. Vision and Challenges Vision – Edina will be a community where: • Everyday life is integrated with art, culture, expression, and creativity. • Community growth is coupled with arts and culture. • The number of people who appreciate, engage with and create art is increased. • Arts and culture are accessible and inclusive of all members of the community. • High value is demonstrated on arts and culture. • As a “creative city,” arts and culture positively impact livability, diversity, inclusion, and economic development. Challenges: • Demographic changes within the community. • Capture opportunities to integrate life- long learning and appreciation of the arts. • Demand for arts and culture experiences has currently out-paced the supply. • Need for a new Edina Art Center to accommodate the City’s growing demand for artistic and cultural activities. • Resistance to change. • Funding availability. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-2 Goal 5: Establish a formal role for artists and other creative thinkers to participate in forward-looking plans for Edina. Goal 6: Research, decide on, and implement the necessary funding and governance plans for supporting arts and culture in Edina. Introduction The City of Edina is well-known for excellence in quality of life, education, and parks and recreational facilities. In Edina and similar communities, there is a growing expectation that arts, culture, and creative expression are equally important to a vibrant and strong community. As highly-valued aspects of everyday life, arts and culture make substantial contributions to livability, the local economy, and cultural industry competitiveness. Toward these ends, the Edina Comprehensive Plan 2018 includes - for the first time - a stated commitment to arts and culture as part of the essential objectives for the City of Edina. As Edina moves into the next ten years, facing myriad changes in demographics and shifts in economic realities, the community can build cohesion and resilience based in part on the positive impact of arts and culture The highest-priority objectives for arts and culture are: 1. Incorporate arts and culture across all of Edina to provide opportunities for people to come together, share experiences, and build an inclusive and cohesive community. 2. Improve and maintain dedicated spaces and venues for arts and culture; activate each with dynamic programming that includes a broad array of art forms and expressions that are accessible to all. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-3 3. Incorporate arts and culture into Edina’s planning and implementation processes through strong collaborative partnerships. The City of Edina, during the life of this Comprehensive Plan, stands to benefit immensely from an intentional and deliberate approach to weave arts and culture into the very fabric of the community; and thus, engage as many people as possible and help the City reach its overall strategic goals. Current Conditions: Historic Contexts and Inventory The City of Edina’s vision statement (Vision Edina, 2015) describes the community as a “… preeminent place for living, learning, raising families, and doing business.” It also speaks to a “livable environment” as a distinguishing hallmark not only for our residents but also for those who work here and those who choose Edina as an entertainment destination. https://www.edinamn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1629/Strategic- Vision-and-Framework-PDF?bidId= During the past 10 years covered by the most-recent comprehensive plan (2008- 2018), the City of Edina has moved well beyond its basic role of providing residential neighborhoods with high quality and effective urban services. In fact, Edina has steered toward innovative growth enabling the development of: • Commercial areas that offer more dining options • New entertainment venues and unique shopping zones • Places to relax, exercise, and enjoy our best-in-class lifestyle, including excellent parks, trails and green spaces Moving into the next decade, Edina is poised to build on these accomplishments while at the same time continuing to increase the quality of its livable environment. One of the most-impactful ways to do this is to weave arts and culture into the fabric of the community. Interestingly, it’s getting more difficult to define “arts and culture” as we move into the 21st Century. The national strategy firm LaPlaca Cohen conducts an ongoing longitudinal study called Culture Track, which is a national survey of people’s attitudes, motivators, and barriers to taking part in cultural experiences. Over time, respondents have demonstrated a vastly expanded definition of culture, which now includes not only traditional art forms, (e.g., opera, symphony concerts, ballet, and art museums) but also street fairs, food trucks, culinary arts, and popular music festivals. Audiences now describe culture as any activity that “ … questions what you already know; brings people who may not think they have much in common together; and broadens horizons, understanding of life situations and helps me learn about other peoples in the world.” When discussing the value of arts and culture, at both a community-level and to wider society, people typically begin with its intrinsic value: how arts and culture illuminate our inner lives and enrich our emotional world. In addition, it is understood that arts and culture have a wider impact on our economy, education, health and well- being, and community-building. In fact, arts and culture are valuable strategic resources, and Edina has an opportunity to apply those resources in exciting and effective ways. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-4 In the white paper titled “Creative Placemaking,” commissioned by The Mayors’ Institute on City Design, co-authors Markuson and Gadwa report on the results of extensive research on placemaking that is led by arts and culture. Their findings are outlined below: • Cities and neighborhoods no longer compete for major infrastructure commitments nor aspire to move up an urban hierarchy of look-alikes. Instead, they look beyond physical alterations and pay more attention to the animation of places with cultural and economic activity. • Significant arts and cultural investments revitalize local economies, create and provide jobs, nurture local businesses, and stabilize neighborhoods. • Arts-anchored revitalization encourages families and companies—even those without ties to the arts—to commit to place and to participate actively in remaking where they live and work. • Local arts offerings—public art, murals, art parades, art fairs and crawls, museums, performances, and open studio nights—offer people an opportunity to enjoy and participate. • Federal research shows arts and cultural participants are more likely to be civically engaged in their communities than non-participants, even after controlling for other factors (2006, National Endowment for the Arts). • A culture-based initiative is best when it is appropriate to local circumstances, not simply a replica of what other cities and towns are doing. The best projects nurture distinctive qualities and resources that already exist in a community and can serve community members while also drawing in visitors and new businesses. The role of arts and culture in this broad context is to increase the value of living in, working in, and exploring Edina, from the perspective of personal and communal experiences, as well as economic impact. By taking an informed and strategic approach to incorporating arts and culture even more deeply into the community, Edina has an opportunity to build upon its strengths and achieve its aspirational vision. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-5 Arts and Culture in the Comprehensive Plan There are two significant reasons for incorporating arts and culture into the City of Edina’s 2018 comprehensive plan: direct benefits to the community and positive economic impact. Arts and Culture Offer Direct Benefits to a Community Research has demonstrated many benefits to a community and its citizens when the arts and art centers are present and readily accessible. Arts and culture can: • Build community identity, pride, and status • Activate a vibrant community, where people of all ages are connected to one another • Increase the sense of welcoming, promote neighborhood cultural diversity, and create inclusive communities • Improve people’s sense of belonging to a community • Bring people together who might not otherwise come into contact with each other, increasing empathy and tolerance of others, and building social networks • Increase livability, which attracts people (especially visitors and highly-skilled workers) • Reduce stress, improve happiness, increase physical health • Attract businesses and increase economic investment Source: Joshua Guetzkow, How the Arts Impact Communities, 2002, Princeton University Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-6 Arts and Culture Drive Positive Economic Impact Arts and culture have been shown to contribute to the economic vitality of a community. Studies have shown the positive impact that a strong portfolio of arts-related activities and destinations has on other businesses, including retail, hospitality and services. For example: • In a 2015 study completed by the Washington, DC organization Americans for the Arts, data demonstrated that the nonprofit arts and culture sector is “... a substantial industry in the State of Minnesota generating $1.2 billion in total economic impact annually.” • Creative MN has reported that the total economic impact of arts and culture on the City of Minneapolis alone totals $541 million, a number which includes both direct expenditures by arts organizations along with spending by audiences. • When a community attracts cultural tourists, it harnesses significant economic rewards. Researchers from Americans for the Arts estimate that 85.6 percent of the City of Minneapolis’ 7.8 million nonprofit arts attendees were residents of the Seven-County Twin Cities Metro Area, with 14.4 percent were non-residents. Non-resident attendees spend an average of 52 percent more per person than local attendees ($39.16 vs. $25.82) as a result of their attendance to cultural events. As would be expected from a traveler, higher spending was typically found in the categories of lodging, meals, and transportation. The data indicate that a vibrant arts community not only keeps residents and their discretionary spending close to home, it also provides jobs and attracts visitors who spend money and help local businesses thrive. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-7 Vision for Arts and Culture in Edina In taking the long view, the opportunity to deeply embed arts and culture into the Edina community inspires a vision of the future, so that in ten years’ time: Edina will be known as a community that embraces arts and culture, weaving it into all aspects of daily life. • The experience of living in Edina will be integrated with art, culture, expression, and creativity. • As it applies within the community, Edina will have expanded upon the meaning and impact of arts and culture. • Edina will have significantly increased the number of people who appreciate, engage with, and create arts and culture. • Arts and culture in Edina will be accessible accessible and inclusive of all members of the community, playing an important role in building bridges to create stronger, more collaborative, and diverse communities. • Edina will demonstrate that it places a high value on arts and culture through prioritization and provision of sustainable funding streams. • Edina will be seen as a “creative city,” where arts and culture positively impact livability, diversity, inclusion, and economic development. In addition, arts and culture will contribute to increased safety, aesthetics, expressiveness, and environmental stewardship, all to the benefit of the people who live, work, and visit. Edina has a strong history of arts and cultural activities that represent a wide array of experiences, including: • Edina Art Center • Public Art Edina • The annual Edina Art Fair • The John Philip Sousa Memorial Band concerts Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-8 • The annual Edina Fall into the Arts Festival • The Edina Historic Museum in Arneson Acres Park • Edina Reads program • Edina High School plays and concerts (such as the annual Pops concert) • Morningside After Dark poetry and music events • The Edina Theater • Centennial Lakes Park summer concerts • Edina Student Art Show at the Edina Library • The Edina High School Teen Art Salon at the Edina Art Center • Edina’s collection of award-winning artworks Other arts and cultural activities in Edina contribute more subtly, such as: requirements for design elements in new buildings, the historic preservation of the Edina Country Club District, and city-wide signage. Our parks, trails and green spaces also contribute to the beauty and artistic impact the City offers. As a community, we recognize the need to create visual appeal throughout our City’s tangible assets and enliven our public spaces with performances, art installations, and participatory activities for all ages and abilities. Dedicated Venues and Spaces The City of Edina is fortunate to have several venues that currently offer opportunities to experience and participate in arts and culture activities, including: The Edina Promenade, Centennial Lakes Park, Edina Art Center, Braemar Park, and the 50th and France Business District. Moving forward, Edina will benefit from further development and activation at each of these venues as designated and recognized centers of art and culture activities. Edina can also explore the potential of identifying and creating additional venues for arts and culture, particularly alongside real estate development initiatives. In this way, Edina can increase the visibility and participation rate in arts and culture activities by utilizing and re-purposing the significant amount of public and park space already at our disposal. The Edina Art Center Perhaps most-recognizable among the venues dedicated to arts and culture in our community is the Edina Art Center (EAC). The EAC opened in 1976 with classrooms, studios and two small display galleries. The Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-9 EAC is open 52 weeks per year. It currently serves 2,800 people annually with over 230 different class offerings, more than a dozen exhibitions, and nearly 100 different summer camps for children. In addition, 27 events are programmed by the EAC that are held outside the facility draw an estimated 33,000 additional participants per year. The EAC is one of six enterprise facilities owned and operated by the City of Edina within the Parks and Recreation Department, along with the Braemar Golf Course and Dome, Edinborough Park and Aquatic Center, Braemar Ice Arena, Centennial Lakes Park, and the Senior Center. The EAC is considered to be an ‘arts affiliate’, owned by the City of Edina - a municipality that operates under the Plan B form of government. As such, the EAC has benefitted from years of stable financial support and has not had to carry the overhead costs and intensive work effort of independent fund-raising activities. At present, the EAC is not proposing any changes to this arrangement (i.e., no shift to another governance model, such as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) without first conducting extensive research and planning. For the last 40+ years, the Edina Art Center has served people of all ages and abilities with exhibitions and classes in the fine arts, including pottery and clay sculpture, watercolor, drawing, painting, jewelry, photography, printmaking, and classes for youth. The EAC has an outstanding reputation for arts-making experiences, with the pottery and ceramics classes considered especially top-notch and popular. Available classes and camps are typically sold out rapidly, often with a waiting list of eager prospective participants. Edina Art Center at 4701 W 64th St, Edina, MN 55435 Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-10 Three separate, independent studies conducted within the past six years all concluded that an improved EAC is vital to the City of Edina: • 2012 Sutton Report found that the Edina Art Center was a cherished community asset but had challenges to remain competitive in the market, including building design and size, ADA compliance issues, circulation, and location. Two outcomes of the Sutton Report were the formation of the Arts and Culture Commission and the hiring of a full-time Edina Art Center director. • 2014 Schuler Shook analysis of physical space found that the Edina Art Center lacked sufficient size to meet its needs or allow for growth. • 2016 Grandview Task Force proposed to build a community center on the 3.3 acre Grandview site. That project featured a new and larger art center, along with a senior center, recreation spaces and underground parking. While the final proposed cost was significant, the proposal clearly indicated the viability and potential of a new art center. The current Edina Art Center is facing several challenges, all related to the limitations of the existing facility. 1. The EAC sits within a building that was originally designed as a residential dwelling. Through the years, the EAC has been modified to the extent possible in order to provide the space and facilities required for a functioning art center. Additional modifications are neither prudent financially nor feasible structurally. 2. The size of the facility is small and inflexible. As a result, the class and studio offerings are neither able to meet current demand nor adapt to future growth. 3. The facility is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Individuals with physical disabilities, whether temporary or permanent, cannot fully navigate the space. 4. The location is secluded, not on or near public transit routes, and can be difficult to find. The surrounding area has very little foot traffic, and no nearby businesses or amenities. 5. Supply of available classes and camps - limited by the constraints listed above - is unable to meet demand, which decreases potential earned revenue. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-11 More than 2,800 participants use the EAC facilities each year; approximately 65 percent of whom reside outside of Edina. By developing a new EAC, there is an opportunity to grow the number and percentage of Edina residents taking part. With just under 1,000 Edina residents actively using the EAC each year, it currently attracts less than 2 percent of the community. Increasing that percentage is an achievable goal for a new, improved, and more accessible EAC with a greater number of offerings. Art and Artists in Edina The City of Edina owns a collection of original works of art, referred to as the Public Art Edina Permanent Collection. The collection originated in the early 1990s as part of the activities of the Edina Public Art Committee (now called Public Art Edina). With assistance from the Edina Community Foundation and oversight provided by the Edina Arts and Culture Commission, works of art are submitted for review and approval by the Edina City Council for acceptance in the Collection. The Public Art Edina Permanent Collection includes a variety of objects, including: stained glass (2 story window at Edina City Hall), sculpture (glass, steel, bronze, rock, marble and limestone, Black Belgian marble, ceramic), photographs, watercolors, pastels, mixed media, and oil paintings. The Collection is displayed throughout Edina: City Hall, Edina Senior Center, Edina Art Center, Hennepin County Library Edina Branch, Edina Promenade, Centennial Lakes Park, 50th & France Business District, Grandview Square Park, and Southview Middle School gymnasium. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-12 There are currently 40 works of art in the Public Art Edina Permanent Collection. The Collection is documented at the Edina Art Center (in a binder of information about each work of art in the collection) and information shared with the public on the Edina Art Center portion of the City of Edina website. Future use of this valuable collection will provide for greater exposure and appreciation across Edina. Adding works of art to areas of high traffic in commercial zones can enhance the feel and ambience of these locations. The City of Edina is rich with artistic talent and home to many strong supporters of arts and culture. There are a number of practicing visual artists, musicians, actors and directors, and writers, several of whom have been nationally recognized and award- winning, who reside in Edina. Deeper relationships between these artists and the community can be developed with a program of frequent and welcoming events that connect these individuals with Edina residents. Edina benefits when arts and culture are incorporated into daily life. As part of demonstrating shared values across the community, the City of Edina - in collaboration with artists and other creative thinkers - can develop a set of recommendations as part of the planning process that include spaces and opportunities to display works of art, venues for performances, and other dedicated community spaces where residents and visitors can share experiences of arts and culture that enhance Edina’s quality of life. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-13 Arts and Culture Commission The Edina Arts and Culture Commission was established in May 2013 to help build a vibrant community through art and culture, as the Edina City Council finds that the encouragement and enhancement of the arts in Edina is vital to the social and cultural well-being of the City and its residents. The Edina Arts and Culture Commission is, by City Ordinance, a formalized independent advisory board of the Edina City Council. Along with the Edina Art Center staff, this working Commission guides and supports general development of artistic initiatives in the City of Edina, including the Edina Art Center. The Commission provides recommendations to the City Council concerning collaboration, communication, facilities, activities and programs in arts and cultural activities. The Edina Arts and Culture Commission works in close collaboration with the City of Edina Government and all other City Commissions to incorporate the perspective and advantages of arts and culture across Edina, using the conceptual framework of “How can we help?” a. Help make Edina an outstanding community in every respect. b. Help sustain excellent quality of life. c. Help drive economic impact. d. Help the community adapt to changes over time. e. Help teach tolerance and empathy through cultural exchange and exposure. f. Help other Edina Commissions complete their assigned tasks, from the perspectives of creative placemaking and community-building. g. Help ensure that any culture-based efforts in Edina are matched to the community’s distinctive qualities and resources. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-14 Summary of Current Conditions Edina has an opportunity to build on its history of dedicating venues and sponsoring highly-regarded annual activities that provide arts and cultural experiences to thousands of people. Research has demonstrated that these resources and activities provide direct benefits to a community and offer lasting, positive economic impact. A community with vibrant arts and culture keeps residents and their discretionary spending close to home and also provides jobs and attracts visitors who spend money and help local businesses thrive. In addition, the City of Edina is rich with artistic talent and home to many strong supporters of the arts. By taking a coordinated, strategic approach to arts and culture over the next ten years, Edina will continue to utilize existing resources and also develop additional, improved venues and initiatives that will serve to embed arts and culture even more deeply into the community. This will increase the value of living in, working in, and visiting Edina. Edina: A Community of Learning. Edina has a prized education system of high-quality public schools. The Arts and Culture chapter of the Comprehensive Plan recognizes the importance of extending the benefits of education to the entire community, recognizing that art and culture can be vehicles for expanding awareness, increasing exposure, and instilling values. Collaborating with Edina public schools and Edina’s various municipal departments, the Arts and Culture Commission could: involve students and their parents in programs to: • Create and install visual art in parks, along City streets (consistent with the Living Streets Policy), and in commercial nodes. • Develop directional signage for installation along recreational trails • Recognize and honor the contributions of individuals who founded and built the City. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-15 Trends and Challenges Arts and culture occur within the context of time and place. That context includes a number of relevant trends and challenges that Edina will be facing in the coming years. Each can point the way toward opportunities for the arts to contribute meaningfully and productively to the community. Trends There are numbers of current and near-horizon trends that will have an impact on the way arts and culture are incorporated into daily life in Edina. Chief among these are: 1. Demographic changes: • Trends for Minnesota and Edina point to increased diversity and population density. • As population diversity increases, Edina will face issues of inclusion, equity, and accessibility around characteristics such as race, socioeconomic class, culture, and creed. • Aging, especially aging in place, is a demographic trend that will particularly affect Edina. Ensuring accessibility for all is key. • Opportunities: Plan arts and culture initiatives that are inclusive of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. See Goals 1, 3, and 5 below. 2. Interest in lifelong learning continues to grow, with people seeking experiences that inform and inspire: • Opportunities: Increase offerings for Edina residents to participate in classes and other events that combine arts and culture with learning and education for all ages and abilities. See Goals 1 and 3 below. 3. The definition of “culture” is evolving rapidly and now includes a range of experiences and activities that involve events at which people gather and interact, in what has been termed a “meeting of like-minded strangers”. • Art as activism is increasingly apparent, with artists responding to current events and community changes. • Opportunities: Leverage arts and culture initiatives to bring Edina citizens together as a community. See Goals 1, 2, 3 and 4 below. 4. Technology and social media continue to change rapidly; we can know more and find it fast, but we can also become isolated and be susceptible to phenomena like fake news or scams. • There is also a push back against technology, which recognizes the value of face-to- face contact (examples include local meet up groups or the maker culture). • Opportunities: Utilize technology to inform and invite participation in arts and culture activities. See Goal 1 below. • It is important to take note of trends that may be specific to the Edina community 5. Shifting demographics and politics - Edina is becoming more heterogeneous, with more points of view which can differ significantly on some pertinent issues. 6. Commercial development and changes are taking place and/or are planned for areas such as Southdale, 50th and France, Grandview, and Pentagon Park. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-16 7. Opportunities: Use arts and culture activities and perspectives to support a resilient and cohesive community in Edina. See Goals 1 through 5 below. Challenges A number of current and near-horizon challenges will have an impact on the way that arts and culture are incorporated into daily life in Edina. Chief among these include: 1. The demand for arts and culture experiences is currently out-paced the supply. • There is an established need for a new Edina Art Center. There is a strong opportunity to increase both the overall customer base and the percentage of Edina residents taking part in the offerings of the Edina Art Center. • Opportunities: Provide additional arts and culture experiences for citizens and visitors of Edina. See Goals 3 and 6 below. 2. There will be a number of changes to the city, including real estate development • There can be tension between property development and maintaining historic continuity. This will have an impact on potential location of a new art center • Resistance to change is common in most communities, including Edina. That requires a thoughtful, creative, and community-engaged planning process. As population density increases, there is a need for an intentional approach to design that allows for necessary change, but respects history and local neighborhood identity. • Development plans for the Southdale area are likely to lead to numerous changes to that part of Edina. • There are risks in the local retail sector: reduction in bricks-and- mortar retail stores, likely increases in experiential customer focus, more restaurants and entertainment venues. • Opportunities: Incorporate arts and culture perspectives to engage the community, add creativity, and augment decision-making. See Goals 2, 5, and 6 below. 3. Funding and organizational structures for arts and culture can be improved • Funding for arts and culture remains a challenge. It is important for arts and culture efforts in Edina to take a strategic and planned approach to fund-raising and sustainable funding models. There are opportunities in Minnesota, such as the Legacy Amendment Funding1, that might be tapped. • Opportunities: Establish sustained funding models for arts and culture in Edina. See Goal 6 below. 4. Transportation undergoing a number of significant changes • The next ten years is likely to see an increase in hybrid and electric cars, light rail lines and services, and the implementation of assisted and/or autonomous vehicles. 1 In 2008, Minnesota passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the State Constitution. This Amendment increased state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent, from July 1, 2009 through 2034. A portion of the revenue (19.75%) is dedicated to The Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund which is used to support arts, arts education and arts access, and to preserve Minnesota's history and cultural heritage. Based on current sales tax revenue, Minnesotans will invest more than $1.2 billion in arts and cultural heritage fund projects and programs over the 25-year life span of the tax. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-17 • Edina is also anticipating an increase in walking and bicycling. • Opportunities: Incorporate a creative placemaking perspective to enable Edina to embrace change over time. See Goals 2, 4 and 5 below. Summary of Trends and Challenges Edina is changing, along with the rest of the region and the country. As demographics shift and the community evolves, Edina is becoming more heterogeneous, and the investment in efforts that are inclusive and accessible will provide value. While change can be hard for any community, this can be eased when leaders are aware of the trends and challenges, so that they can anticipate and plan for the impact they will have on the city. Arts and culture initiatives can help enable Edina to take advantage of opportunities and therefore support the city’s overall strategic goals. Those opportunities are reflecting in the Goals and Policies listed below. Goals and Policies As Edina looks forward into the next ten years, there are six major goals for arts and culture that consider the Trends and Challenges listed above along with the unique needs and resources of Edina. The City of Edina, through its Arts and Culture Commission, prepares annual work plans that define how goals will be implemented. The first step in this process is the development of policies that will lead to a list of tactics or implementation steps. The tactics for arts and culture (presented below) are paired with the goals and policy statements. Recognizing that ten years is a long timeframe, the following tactics are listed with an understanding that they may shift and evolve over time and in response to changing conditions or unforeseen circumstances. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-18 Goal 1: Distribute and promote arts and culture across all of Edina to provide opportunities for people to come together in the creation and celebration of art and culture, building inclusive communities. Policy 1: The City will continue to support and promote arts and culture activities and programs across Edina. Goal 2: Leverage the Edina Arts and Culture Commission (ACC) to form strong and enduring collaborative partnerships between the ACC and other Edina commissions and associations to incorporate arts and culture into planning and implementation processes. Policy: The City will incorporate arts and culture into planning and implementation processes by supporting collaborative partnerships between the ACC and other Edina commissions and associations. Goal 3: Improve and maintain dedicated spaces and venues for arts and culture; activate each with dynamic programming that includes a broad array of art forms and expressions accessible to all. Policy: The City will continue to support dedicated venues for arts and culture, and actively support the construction of a new Edina Art Center. Goal 4: Expand and continue to drive awareness of and participation in Edina’s Public Art program and art collection. Policy: The City will continue to support the Edina Public Art program and art collection, including ongoing financial support. Goal 5: Establish a formal role for artists and other creative thinkers to participate in forward-looking plans for Edina. Policy: The City will actively seek and include the perspective of arts and culture to contribute to decision-making and policy-setting in Edina. Goal 6: Research, decide on, and implement the necessary funding and governance plans for supporting arts and culture in Edina. Policy: The City will work closely with the ACC to plan for sustainable financial support of arts and culture across Edina. Edina Comprehensive Plan 14. Arts and Culture Chapter Draft 12-31-19 14-19 Taken together, these goals and policies will serve to inform the development of the Arts and Culture Commission’s annual work plans for the next ten years and will enrich community life in Edina, drawing participation from residents and non-residents alike. The result of this is to reinforce the positive image of Edina as a preeminent place to live, work, and visit. The inclusion of a chapter dedicated to arts and culture as part of the 2018 City of Edina Comprehensive Plan is a powerful statement that recognizes the importance of arts, culture, and creative expression - which are as valuable to a vibrant and strong community as are quality of life, education, parks and recreational facilities. By incorporating strategies and objectives for arts and culture that are thoughtfully woven into the fabric of Edina, the plan increases the benefits to residents and visitors, and works in support of achieving the inspirational vision for the city as a “… preeminent place for living, learning, raising families and doing business”.