ArtsKC Unveils OneArtsKC – Regional Cultural Plan

Kansas City Metro (Friday, May 8, 2015) – Becky Blades, chair of the Board of Directors for ArtsKC, today unveiled
the OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan, the first ever five-county, two-state regional cultural plan in the United
States. The OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan, a living document created with input from more than 1,800
individuals including local and regional arts and cultural organizations, government representatives, and the
public, is ready for the first phase of implementation, which will include county adoption and presenting to
interested constituents. The full plan can be found here: here.
Initiated and stewarded by ArtsKC, and funded in part with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and the Francis Families Foundation, the OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan
defines five regional priorities and six core strategies to cultivate and enhance the remarkable arts and cultural life
of the communities in the five-county area. The regional priorities include:
 Arts education for life- long learning and K-12
 Communicating the unique arts and cultural offerings of all counties to the region
 Creating places for people to gather to create, collaborate and participate in the arts
 Support for and collaboration of arts organizations across counties
 ArtsKC playing a role in connecting the counties
The core strategies include:
 Strengthening and deepening arts education and arts integration in schools throughout the region
 Improving public access to information about the region’s cultural offerings through coordinated
marketing and promotion
 Supporting creative placemaking
 Strengthening the capacity of the cultural sector to deliver services to their communities
 Serving as the primary advocate for the arts in the five county region
 Supporting economic development of regional creative economy
Contact: Ellen McDonald
816.213.4355 cell / 816.444.0052 office
ellen@mershonandmcdonald.com
ArtsKC Board Chair Becky Blades stated, “At ArtsKC, we can’t help but feel a sense of resolve and obligation to
make the most of our community’s arts riches. That is why we took the lead in developing the first-ever cultural
plan for the five-county region. It is an inclusive, thoughtful effort to ensure that the Kansas City region nourishes
outstanding cultural assets, in order to grow, attract, and retain individuals and businesses. We invite every Kansas
Citian to become more engaged and more invested in Kansas City’s potential. ”
“The OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan is a bold, unprecedented collaboration among leadership that spans across
civic, governmental and artistic sectors in the five counties. Today is day for celebration for all of Kansas City. This
is much more than a vote by the Board; this is a recognition of the countless hours of service and dedication from
teachers, artists, county residents, public agencies, arts organizations, and businesses large and small from all over
the greater Kansas City area,” stated Allan Gray, chair of the 29-member Steering Committee, which oversaw the
18-month process. “We know that while this plan will and should evolve as artistic and cultural needs evolve, the
OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan provides opt-in strategies and services that everyone can engage with and use
for their needs and interests.
Ed Peterson, Former County Commissioner, Johnson County, Kansas stated, “The arts lift our hearts and they lift
our pocket books. It is time for the next regional effort. Please become engaged. Give this your support. Join us in
the journey to places unimaginable.”
“Park University was honored and proud to host five of the community conversations which took place in Platte
County. By employing a five-county outreach approach, the OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan goes a long way
toward ensuring that diverse voices and opinions from across our region, from Lenexa to Lee’s Summit and from
the urban core to small towns are reflected,” said Steering Committee member Erik Bergrud, associate vice
president of constituent engagement at Park University.
The purpose of the OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan is to advance the remarkable arts and cultural life of the
communities throughout the five-county areas while increasing the public benefits through greater coordination
and resource sharing. One ArtsKC establishes a regional platform for continued arts development, sets forth a
vision for successful cultural development while creating the first-ever collaboration of county governments for
the arts. Furthermore, The OneArtsKC Regional Cultural Plan will connect the arts community with critical
community issues. The Plan positions the cultural sector as a problem-solving partner that increases economic
growth along cultural corridors, and builds community awareness of arts and culture as a potential contributor to
economic development for the region, along with improving arts programs and services in response to needs
identified by the cultural planning process.
About the ArtsKC – Regional Arts Council: The mission of ArtsKC is unleash the power the arts