FAQs

What is the purpose of the Erie County Cultural Plan?

To promote, encourage, and increase support for the region's artistic and cultural assets - shaping a shared future that is sustainably resilient, inclusive, and equitable.
To provide varied and creative ideas on how the arts can enhance and further civic concerns while lifting artists, audiences, and arts and culture groups/organizations.
To imagine together how arts & culture can most strongly support flourishing at the individual, organizational, and community levels—now and into the future.

How does the community get involved?

Survey
Community Events
Asset Map
Public Meetings
Social Media:
- @ErieCountyDEP
- @ErieCountyNY
- @ErieCoDEP
Email: CulturalPlan@erie.gov
Mail: 95 Franklin Street, 1009, Buffalo NY 14202
Comment form

Is this information available in different languages?

Yes. Key information is available for sharing and downloading in the below languages:

English
Español
عربي (Arabic)
မြန်မာ (Burmese)

Please contact us through our Contact Form or at CulturalPlan@erie.gov to request additional languages or interpretation services.

What are the boundaries of the Cultural Plan?

The plan will focus on the geographical boundaries of the County of Erie NY while considering the impacts of neighboring counties and other visitors. We welcome input from anyone who lives in or visits our county!

Which arts are included in the Cultural Plan?

The plan will be multidisciplinary! It will consider arts by organizations, artists, and creative businesses such as dance schools, music venues, art galleries, & architects; as well as all the ways arts intersect with education. We place central focus on artists, audiences, and communities across Erie County.

What are the goals of the Cultural Plan?

The Cultural Plan will provide guidance on how to promote, encourage, and increase support for and output from the region's artistic and cultural assets for a shared future that is flourishing and resilient. The Plan will be multidisciplinary, inclusive, and visionary, with specific goals that include:

Providing an inspiring inclusive vision for the role of our arts and culture offerings in the fabric of residents’ and visitors’ life, both now and in the future;
Connecting people across artistic and cultural disciplines - cultural organizations of all sizes and disciplines, commercial creative businesses, individual artists, cultural workers (e.g. curators, costumer designers, stage hands, etc.), arts audiences, art education (public and extracurricular), public arts, and arts facilities - as well as building connections to those beyond the sector;
Assessing existing and needed resources, workforce needs, and organizational structures, as well as the conditions, use, and markets for cultural facilities;
Cultural exchange and innovative partnerships, particularly to build relationships with and among different communities;
Increasing civic engagement and the application of arts to civic priorities, improving creativity and overall quality of life for residents, and shaping perception and brand to drive tourism and future residents to the region.

Who is on the project team?

The Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance advocated and gained support from Erie County to develop the plan.

A Steering Committee of GBCA, EACAB, and DEP representatives selected AEA Consulting and Jacques Planning & Consulting Services to develop the plan, and continues to guide the process.

An Advisory Committee with representatives from various sectors and areas of the county is also involved to provide broad perspectives in a focused setting with direct community reach.

Please visit the project team page for more info!

How do I get in touch?

The best way to reach us is through our website contact form! You may share your questions, comments, concerns, and contacts for future engagement. You may also contact us at CulturalPlan@erie.gov, @ErieCountyDEP on Facebook, @ErieCountyNY in Instagram, or @ErieCoDEP in X.