A Cultural Plan for York County
What is a cultural plan and why conduct one?
A cultural plan will provide York County with the opportunity to stop, take stock of its arts, cultural and heritage assets – assess what it has, what residents want and, most importantly, envision what it wants to be. Then, through the planning process led by the steering committee, develop a game plan to make the vision real.
- What is the role of cultural development in York County? What are elements of a shared vision? What are unique, city/county-specific assets?
- What kinds of arts, cultural and heritage offerings do York County residents want now and for the future generations?
- What kind of image and reputation does York County have and how can arts, cultural and heritage positively contribute to it?
- Who are York County’s arts, cultural and heritage providers: what are their needs (administrative, funding programmatic) and how can needs be addressed?
- How can the cultural sector contribute to “non-arts” community goals?
- If we believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, how does honoring individual hopes and desires of York County communities enrich a county-wide plan?
Cultural planning is like a barn raising. Many hands, many minds, many hearts, collective resources of a community pulling together in lock step, maximizing strengths with everyone they can to produce not just a dream – but a tangible, relevant, collective forged vision. When an engaged critical mass is reached, the community will do whatever it takes to find the necessary resources to make the cultural vision a reality.