“Shaping the future of Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District” set for January 25

Nevada County Arts Council, together with the Cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City and both Chambers of Commerce, will facilitate a convening on Thursday, January 25 at 5-7pm at the Rood Center. The topic is: “Shaping the future of Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District.”

City Staff and Councilmembers, our Chambers of Commerce and Nevada County Arts Council will welcome members of the public for a presentation on the California Cultural Districts Program, and progress towards priorities established since becoming designated as one of only fourteen Cultural Districts in July this year.

Howard Levine, Mayor of Grass Valley says: “Since late summer we’ve been meeting with stakeholders around what our priorities should be during the first two years of our five-year designation. A clear emerging priority is defining a Community Arts Plan for our district, together with making sure that the story of our twin city cultural district is shared far and wide.”

Last week representatives from both Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District and Truckee Cultural District attended the first Northern California Cultural District Summit. At the invitation of Shasta Arts Council, with funding from the McConnell Foundation, representatives from Redding, Eureka and Downtown San Rafael Cultural Districts compared notes and discussed opportunities for their unique designations together with Grass Valley, Nevada City and Truckee.

Eliza Tudor, Executive Director at Nevada County Arts Council, says: “We look forward to following last week’s Summit in Redding with one sponsored by California Arts Council to which all Californian Cultural District representatives will be invited to continue the conversation around the progression of district priorities together with vital benchmarking.

“Meanwhile, we have been advised by California Arts Council that one of its five yearly public meetings will be held here in early summer 2018 and we are thinking of arranging our follow-up Summit to follow this important public meeting. For sure, our stakeholder meeting in January will be excellent preparation for this.”

Tudor continues: “Meanwhile, we are making headway in important areas. Local artist Rich Good is working on a branding concept for Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District, and we are gathering a key marketing team together including Jesse Locks and Catherine Bramkamp. By January we will be able to share the outcome of this but for now, we can report that we have secured funding for an economic impact study for our entire county. All three cities and the Nevada County Economic Resource Council recognize the value of this data – providing as it will the meat on the bones for future arts planning.”

Jon Blinder, Board President at Nevada County Arts Council, says: “Ultimately, we’ll be able to create a countywide Cultural Plan but for now the key thing is for our districts to be able to draw upon their own specific data. Data from each of our cities will lend a compelling case for support for the arts which prospective funders will find hard to ignore and which all our arts organizations will have access to.”

For Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District’s public stakeholder meeting on January 25 Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District partners welcome interested community members from all sectors. Duane Strawser, Mayor of Nevada City, says: “Stakeholders from our business, health, and education communities – as well as our County Supervisors and Departments – all have a role to play and will all enjoy the results over time. We need everyone to pitch in – and we’ll be ready with information and the beginnings of a toolkit to share.”

Robin Davis of the Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce says, “Nevada County isn’t just a stunning place to visit – our rich arts scene is almost unparalleled in California and offers a compelling reason why any business would want to move here, and why any family would consider relocating. Let’s all talk about how our California Cultural District designation can work for everyone.”

In November 2015 Nevada County Arts Council facilitated a countywide Town Hall meeting on the State of the Arts in Nevada County at the request of the City of Grass Valley. Howard Levine, speaking then for the City of Grass Valley, said: “We’ve got so much going here. Nevada County is a great place to work and play. So how can we offer up a model for success, a benchmark for achievement – while enjoying our diversity countywide?  We are hoping artists, audiences spanning all performing arts disciplines, and representatives from arts organizations and the businesses that support them, will all join us for this special meeting of hearts and minds.”

Tudor says, “Today, just two years on, all three of our cities are recognized by the State of California as having thriving cultural diversity and unique artistic identities, and we have been selected as part of California Cultural District’s pilot cohort to shape a keystone program for future generations.” Nevada County Arts Council’s Board President, Jon Blinder, adds: “We invite the public to float ideas with us on January 25 – and we’ll have lots to share.”
 
For additional information contact Eliza Tudor at (530) 718 0727 or by email at eliza@nevadacountyarts.org.

—Nevada County Arts Council

Know and Go (Save the Date)

What: A Public Stakeholder Meeting – Shaping the Future of Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District
When: Thursday, January 25 at 5-7pm
Where: Board of Supervisors Chambers, Rood Center, 950 Maidu Avenue, Nevada City, CA 95959
Who: Nevada County Arts Council, the Cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City, the Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce and Nevada City Chamber of Commerce
Admission: Free
Information: Contact Eliza Tudor at (530) 718-0727 or eliza@nevadacountyarts.org

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