City of Chicago Cultural Plan 2012 October 2012

CITY OF CHICAGO CULTURAL PLAN 2012 OCTOBER 2012 At the town hall meetings launching the planning process, participants were asked, “What is culture?” Contents 01 Introduction 05 Methodology 07 Focusing Chicago’s Cultural Needs 09 A Blueprint for Planning Culturally 15 Recommendations and Initiatives 33 Implementation Strategy 37 Acknowledgments (Executive summary, infographic overview, and supplemental materials, including initiative timeline and cost estimates, are available online at www.chicagoculturalplan2012.com) Summer Dance ForeWord As Mayor of the City of Chicago and Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, it gives us great pleasure to present the Chicago Cultural Plan 2012. Vision is defined as the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be. From Jean Baptiste Point du Sable’s small trading post at the mouth of the Chicago River to the monumental feat of reversing that same river’s flow; from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire rose the birthplace of modern architecture; and from the imaginative business leaders that presented the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 at the turn of the 20th century to a new generation of civic leaders that transformed a rail yard into Millennium Park at the start of the 21st century, Chicago is a city that has never lacked for visionary thinkers with big ideas. This plan, too, was created by visionary thinkers - you, the citizens of Chicago. In February of 2012 we asked you to share with us your ideas for shaping a cultural vision for Chicago. Thousands participated in a series of community conversations and town hall meetings to share your thoughts, concerns and vision for the future of our city’s cultural life - a future where the arts are accessible to all, cultural activities are abundant in every neighborhood, and citizens and visitors alike can experience Chicago’ s vibrant arts scene. The results: hundreds of recommendations identifying ways the arts can build community, stimulate economic development, create jobs, attract tourists, and foster innovation. The Chicago Cultural Plan 2012 is filled with your recommendations on how we can continue to strengthen and expand Chicago’ s cultural and creative capital. It’s bold, filled with actionable items that can be realized quickly and those that are aspirational and may take decades to complete. All are intended to support the breadth of arts and culture in Chicago from garage bands to symphonies; storefront theaters to mainstages; novelists to poetry slam performers; ballet to hip hop dance; world class museums to independent galleries; architecture to interior design; fashion to photography; culinary arts to sculpture; filmmaking to electronic media; neighborhood festivals to downtown spectacles; and the thousands of artists that make Chicago their home. We encourage you to read the Plan, get inspired, and get involved. Your City. Your Vision. Your Plan. Now let’s make it happen together. Sincerely, Rahm Emanuel Michelle T. Boone Mayor Commissioner City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events 1 Najwa Junior Corps performing at Malcolm X College. Source: City of Chicago. introduCtion WHY A NEW CULTURAL PLAN? In the 1986 Cultural Plan for Chicago, culture was defined so eloquently as: Culture challenges our preconceptions and compels us to perceive the world differently. We learn through “Culture comprises our common heritage and avenues culture. We grow with, from, and through culture. For of expression - the visual arts and crafts, humanities, Chicago, culture is tied to the city’s unique identity. anthropology, science and technology, performing arts, architecture and other means of expression - Culture is so entrenched in the lives of residents which people use to communicate their fundamental that pinning down what “Chicago culture” is can character and aspirations. Culture and the arts are be challenging. Neighborhood meetings conducted essential to the quality of life. They help identify during the cultural planning process offered a host of our place in the world and provide opportunities for definitions. They included: connection and diversity, art, creative expression…” music, the heartbeat of the city, dancing in the park, language, faith, humanity, shared values, everything! Now in our quest to create a new Cultural Plan in 2012, we embrace that definition and build upon it by recognizing that there are many, many different ways to define culture, none definitive, none wrong. 2 As of January 2012, there were 905,689 businesses involved in the creation or distribution of the arts nationwide. They employ 3.35 million people, representing 4.42 percent of all U.S. businesses and 2.15 percent of all U.S. employees, respectively. In Chicago, 53,603 jobs and 4.31 percent of businesses are arts-related. Source: Dun & Bradstreet, Americans for the Arts, 2012 Because of its world renowned culture, there Strong Neighborhoods: Culture is the fabric of are many who consider Chicago as the “most community interactions. Culture breaks down barriers. American of all American cities.” It is the location Murals replace graffiti as a neighborhood’s identifier. for blockbuster motion pictures and the birthplace Neighbors express shared pride in their local culture. of the Blues. Chicagoans’ identities are shaped by the public art sculptures and hundreds of murals in Innovation: Creative thinking leads to new business the neighborhoods; passionate artists; breathtaking models and problem-solving. Design and technology architecture; groundbreaking performance poetry; the uncover new uses for ordinary or obsolete things. most robust theater scene in America; world class dance, music, and museums; great jazz, hip hop, gospel, Environmental Sustainability: Cultural districts Latin and folk music scenes; and more free public encourage the reuse of empty spaces and support programs than most major cities in the U.S. alternative transportation. Culture leads to the embracing of local food sources and smart growth Students study the arts and media at renowned colleges development. and conservatories. From garage bands to chamber choirs, slam poetry to contemporary dance, as well as Public Health: Culture propels activity and discovery. hands-on arts in neighborhood workshops, Chicagoans Experiencing culture can be in the form of dancing, participate in a diverse cross section of cultural activities walking down main streets and up the highest every day throughout the city. skyscrapers, and enriching one’s palette with world cuisine. Culture’s value on personal identity and inspiration is wide-ranging and hard to measure. Nonetheless, Lifelong Learning: Culture promotes the formation culture’s impact is manifest across broad civic of cognitive and emotional development and social objectives: connections in everyone from our youngest participants to our most senior of citizens. Economic Development: Culture attracts and retains creative professionals and their employers. Culture Public Safety: Culture breeds positive street life. Culture revitalizes and sustains property values. Culture attracts transforms the lives of at-risk populations. Culture visitors regionally and globally, directly contributing to combats the anonymity that drives communities apart. the local economy. 3 Well-Being and Quality of Life: The delight in daily life, WHAT IS A CULTURAL PLAN? the faith in a city’s capacity to sustain, excite, enrich, and inspire, derives from a thriving cultural environment. Vision meets strategy in a cultural plan. A cultural Envision Chicago without its distinct cultural heritage, plan translates the cultural needs and identity or festivals, concerts, public art and historic buildings; of a community into a tool for implementing without its traditions and memories, its myths and recommendations. These recommendations seek legends; without its readers and writers; artists and to address gaps in cultural service delivery; expand designers; and builders and crafters. We would be left participation; broaden the impact of culture; identify with very little indeed. new opportunities; and stake out the City’s identity through cultural expression. Chicago is committed to a vibrant cultural life. From its passionate audiences to staunch supporters, from the A cultural plan is launched to address distinct objectives city’s leadership to the leaders of non-profit and cultural specific to a city’s cultural sector, including all art forms organizations, and from countless volunteers to devoted and heritage, creative industries and resource providers. funders, Chicago’s commitment to culture is resolute. A cultural plan outlines a broad framework for the role of culture in civic life. The Chicago Cultural Plan 2012 both coalesces this commitment and underscores the potential for the sustained impact of culture citywide. Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Source: City of Chicago. Among many goals, a cultural plan seeks to: A NEW CULTURAL PLAN FOR CHICAGO 4 • Increase and communicate the impact of existing cultural assets through increased accessibility, More than a quarter century ago, Chicago took its effective delivery of services, preservation of local first steps toward making the cultural sector a public heritage resources, examination of public and priority by establishing a cabinet-level Department of private support, and improved visibility; Cultural Affairs. One of its first major initiatives was to draft Chicago’s 1986 Cultural Plan, a visionary initiative • Realize the potential for

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