Mayor Mike Duggan 2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 1126 , MI 48826

Dear Mayor Duggan,

On behalf of the more than 46,500 artists and workers employed by the creative industries and nearly 4,000 creative businesses1 in Detroit2, we are reaching out to request that Detroit reestablish a Council of the Arts, as outlined in the City Charter under Article 9, Chapter 2. Additionally, we request that the City honor the charter requirement to hire an individual to serve as Executive Director of the Council of the Arts.

Artists and arts organizations have made Detroit a global destination. Collectively the creative industries in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties accounted for more than $2.8 billion in wages to the local economy in 2014 alone and artists in Detroit have been responsible for attracting millions of dollars from foundations, government entities, and individuals. More importantly, as members of the arts and cultural community, we represent thousands of individuals and organizations that have triggered a renewed interest in the City of Detroit that has translated into a surge of new residents, raised the profile of the City’s rich cultural offerings, transformed neighborhoods and public spaces, and established a foundation for preserving our creative past.

Since the dissolution of the Detroit Department of Cultural Affairs in 2005, there has been a significant void in the City of Detroit. Filling that void is necessary to address the growing needs of the creative community. Artists and arts organizations consistently run into road blocks when trying to work with the City. This results in leaving critical projects and scarce grant dollars on the table, unnecessary fines, and artists feeling isolated and discouraged. It is cutting the opportunity to build off the growing momentum in the creative sector short.

Flourishing cities across the country have long understood that engaging artists as a part of city planning has proven to provide a medium to: preserve, celebrate, challenge, and invent community identity; engage participation in civic life; inform, educate and learn from diverse audiences; and communicate across demographic and socioeconomic lines.3

It is our hope that the reestablished Council would align with the current needs of the City of Detroit by renaming the body the Detroit Cultural Council (DCC) and would ensure that new appointees accurately reflect of the breadth and depth of the cultural community in Detroit. The DCC’s roles and responsibilities would be to:

 Serve as an advisory body to the City Council and City administration in all arts-related matters, including long range planning, allocations process, and coordination with any City planning initiatives;  Promote close cooperation between the City and all private citizens, institutions, and agencies interested in or conducting activities related to the arts in the city, so that all art resources within the city may be coordinated to maximize promotion and support of the arts within the city as well as nationally and internationally;  Formulate a long-range plan for the development of a thriving cultural climate in Detroit in cooperation with private citizens, institutions, agencies, and City agencies;  Assist in navigating City approval and permitting processes for artists and arts projects;  Initiate creative programs and policies that address the needs of the residents of the City of Detroit;  Promote the arts in the community, to include, but not be limited to, dissemination of knowledge with regard to the arts and recognizing local artists and their work when appropriate;  Vet and approve public art proposals;  Expand the cultural resources of Detroit, thereby facilitating employment for artists and the development of self-sustaining arts programs; and  Work alongside City hall to grow opportunities for a sector that adds essential value to the City’s infrastructure.

While the City boasts reinvention and heralds the cultural offerings in Detroit, artists have not been granted a seat at the table in City planning. We kindly ask that the City of Detroit begin to rectify this chasm between City administrators and the cultural community by enacting a new Detroit Cultural Council with the power to appoint a strong Executive Director. We greatly appreciate your consideration of this request and ask to meet with you and your staff regarding the contents of this communication.

Sincerely,

CC: Isaiah McKinnon, Deputy Mayor, City of Detroit Carol O’Cleireacain, Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy, Planning & Strategy, Member Alexis Wiley, Chief of Staff, City of Detroit F. Thomas Lewand, Group Executive for Jobs and Economic Growth Brenda Jones, Detroit City Council Member Janee L. Ayers, Detroit City Council Member James Tate, Detroit City Council Member George Cushingberry, Jr., Detroit City Council Member Scott, Benson, Detroit City Council Member Andre L. Spivey, Detroit City Council Member Mary Sheffield, Detroit City Council Member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez, Detroit City Council Member Gabe Leland, Detroit City Council Member

1. (2015) Creative State : Creative Industries Report. Creative Many Michigan. 2. Detroit denotes Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties 3. (2011) The Role of the Arts and Culture in Planning Practice. The American Planning Association.