Citizens say city should get more involved in the arts

Some of the input residents have given as part of the Envision KC process. This chart shows how residents say they’d like Kansas City to be different in five to ten years.

Lots of Kansas Citians have gotten involved in the Envision Arts & Culture KC discussion, and we’re starting to get a picture of what they’re saying.

Envision Arts and Culture KC is a planning project of the Mayor’s Task Force for the Arts.The Task Force will gather input and release a report aimed at strengthening the culture and the arts in Kansas City.

So far, residents are asking for more arts education in the schools, more city support for the arts, and the use of arts and culture as a tool for neighborhood revitalization.

These are some of the results Envision ACKC has released.

The input comes from the Festival of Ideas (a set of community conversations), Mindmixer (the city’s online site for public involvement), interviews, and a community survey.

Here are the overall themes that have emerged:

  • Arts education is a key priority.
  • Neighborhood revitalization and adaptive reuse of closed schools is a priority.
  • There is strong civic pride and a desire for KCMO to be locally and nationally recognized as a leading city for arts and culture.
  • KCMO is seen as a “hidden gem” in the Midwest.
  • There is an unusually strong voice of young, emerging artists and creatives.

Participants have also prioritized what they want to city to do to encourage the arts. Almost half (47%) say they want the city to play a major role in supporting and expanding arts, culture and entertainment programs in the community.  And even more people (57%) say the city should focus on promoting arts and culture as a tool for neighborhood revitalization.

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