Introducing the CREATE NEWTON Arts & Culture Plan

Introducing CREATE NEWTON

A Comprehensive Arts & Culture Plan for the City Of Newton

December 17, 2019

Dear Newton Arts & Culture Community,

On behalf of the Community Design for Arts & Culture Committee (CDAC), we are excited to share with you the CREATE NEWTON Comprehensive Arts & Culture Plan. We are delighted to share the plan in two formats:

Print-friendly (and downloadable) PDF HERE

'Page flip' style (online viewing only) HERE

One year ago, Mayor Fuller established the Community Design for Arts & Culture Committee to facilitate a comprehensive arts and cultural plan for our city. The committee is made of up of ten arts, culture, and civic leaders from key organizations in addition to elected officials and City staff. Over the past year the committee worked with planning firm CivicMoxie to:

Develop an inventory of existing conditions of arts and culture in Newton.

Solicit feedback from the community regarding goals, concerns, vision, and opportunities for arts and culture in Newton.

Research best practices.

Meet with City staff and the administration to understand relationships and initiatives to solicit feedback.

Create a set of goals and recommendations and develop an implementation strategy for moving forward.

The CREATE NEWTON Comprehensive Arts & Culture Plan represents the beginning of an exciting process of increasing support for arts and cultural organizations, activities, and initiatives in Newton. We as a community recognize the intrinsic value of arts and culture to everyday quality of life for residents, economic development, community enrichment and joy.

The goals and strategies laid out in this Plan offer a clear road map for advancing arts and culture. The next steps involve the facilitation of discussions regarding a new or re-imagined organization that serves as a full-service arts and cultural nonprofit supporting arts, culture, and civic activities and initiatives in Newton. With this Plan as a framework, we hope major stakeholders will continue to come together as we collaborate on the priority items and next steps. The immediate goal is implementation. Using this planning process, people passionate about arts and culture and a broad group of partners will come together to bring the plan alive.

Help us CREATE NEWTON together!

Sincerely,

Gloria M. Gavris

Chair, Community Design for Arts & Culture Committee

Let's celebrate and continue the conversation

We are grateful to the over 1000 members of the Newton creative community who completed the CREATE NEWTON online survey, participated in focus groups and one-on-one discussions, and provided valuable input in the creation of this plan. We are looking forward to continuing the conversation in 2020 at these two upcoming gatherings. Space is limited so kindly RSVP.

CREATE NEWTON Community Reception

Tuesday, January 14

6:00 - 8:00 pm

Showcase SuperLux

The Street Chestnut Hill

Hors d'ouvres and Cash Bar

RSVP required due to space limitations

Conversation in the Mayor's Office

Wednesday, February 5

10:00 - 11:30 am

Mayor Fuller's Office

Newton City Hall

Arts & Culture discussion

RSVP required due to space limitations

Community Design for Arts & Culture Committee Members

Gloria M. Gavris - Chair

Vicki Danberg - Newton City Councilor

Robert DeRubeis - Commissioner of Parks, Recreation & Culture, City of Newton

Paula Gannon - Director of Cultural Development, City of Newton

Dana Hanson - Director of Community Engagement & Inclusion, City of Newton

Adrienne Hartzell Knudsen - Managing Director, Newton Cultural Alliance

Sachiko Isihara - Executive Director, Suzuki School of Newton

Lindsay Pike - Ceramic Artist

Howard Sholkin - President, Newton Community Pride

Jonathan Yeo - Chief Operating Officer, City of Newton

Questions/comments? Contact us at artsculture@newtonma.gov