Timeline
Background
Erie County, in partnership with the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA), has begun the development of a Cultural Plan. The plan is intended to provide a framework for local and external entities to work together in incorporating our vibrant arts and culture sector in the everyday fabric of our community and raise the region's profile. Critical to this process will be the plan's ability to ensure and elicit equity, inclusion, collaboration, and transparency. The American Planning Association finds that “integrating arts & culture into planning processes places community identity at the fore, engages participants more fully, and breaks down barriers to communication across demographic & socioeconomic lines”.
Arts and culture are an important part of our everyday lives and quality of life. In 2022, not-for-profit arts and culture spending in Western New York totaled $192 million, generated $381.4 million in economic activity, and supported 8,221 jobs (Western New York Region, Arts & Economic Prosperity 6, Americans for the Arts).
According to Americans for the Arts: “Research into the role of the arts in economic development highlight five ways the arts work: they creative a fast-growth, dynamic business sector, they help mature industries become more competitive, they provide critical ingredients for innovative places, they catalyze community revitalization, and they deliver a better prepared workforce.”
In addition to the economic impacts, the arts and culture sector actively and intentionally embarks on adaptive reuse of existing structures, operates and enables public access to historic sites and buildings which are important aspects of Buffalo and Erie County’s infrastructure and beauty (some of which are on or are eligible for the State and/or National Registers) and provides activation of recreation and open spaces. It is worth noting that, according to Americans for the Arts, “neighborhoods with more arts activities see increases in housing, population, and school test scores along with a decrease in crime. A five-year study of low-income Chicago neighborhoods shows 5-10 percent improvements in each category in neighborhoods with high arts activities.” (other studies support these findings!)
These are, of course, ancillary benefits - on top of their core missions to provide high-quality programs - be they theatrical or musical productions or exhibits of their collections (and more!). They provide enjoyment and training/education in a multitude of traditional and emerging fields, such as film and theatre production, digital media development, ballet, painting, sculpture, literary arts, and more.
Erie County has long recognized the importance of cultural organizations, providing annual appropriations for over 40 years. In 2024, $8.3M was allocated to more than 100 non-profit arts/culture organizations. This scope of support is unique in New York State outside of New York City and was recognized by the National Association of Counties with a 2021 Achievement Award.
Unexpected, historical infusions of funding and support for the arts in WNY create unprecedented opportunity for a new vision and approach. The Erie County Cultural Plan shall identify avenues to coordinate local, regional, state, national, and private funding and other assets to bring regional and large-scale efforts and goals to fruition. Such efforts should expand the application of cultural resources to civic priorities to increase the region’s appeal as a great place to live and work for all.
This Cultural Plan shall be multidisciplinary, ambitious, and visionary. It should consider arts/culture not-for-profit organizations as well as businesses (examples: dance schools, music venues, art galleries, etc.). It shall delineate how to more effectively connect the arts and cultural sector (cultural organizations of all sizes and disciplines, artists, arts audiences, arts education, public arts, and arts facilities, etc.) and its numerous assets to tourism, urban design/land use, education, economic development, and community development, in order to provide a workplan that all stakeholders can contribute to in a coordinated manner. It shall indicate the gaps in service in the county and make recommendations to amend them. This includes addressing areas such as facility utilization, removing barriers to participation, applying careful consideration to education and youth development, and identifying specific actions to advance racial equity and broad inclusion.
Erie County residents and visitors will be the foundation of the Cultural Plan's development. Through engaging and collaborative focus groups, community events, surveys, and public meetings the engagement process will capture the stories, culture, feedback, and insights of residents and visitors. Please visit our Participate and Results pages to see our progress to date!
The Cultural Plan process is lead by a Steering Committee and an Advisory Committee. The Steering and Advisory Committees include residents, artists, business owners, and cultural/art organization leadership.
Rounding out the Plan’s project team are AEA Consulting and Jacques Planning & Consulting Services, who were selected through the County’s RFP process to facilitate this planning work. The consulting team provides a unique combination of national cultural and creative planning experience, community engagement and planning, research, data analysis, and consensus building. Please visit our Project Team page to learn more.
The final Cultural Plan document will recommend actionable and creative strategies that utilize resources locally, nationally, and internationally. The document will be a clear and well-rounded action plan, with a framework for cooperation, and creating and assessing impact. The draft plan will be presented in the fall of 2024 and linked in the Results page for public comment.
To stay tuned to upcoming events and comment opportunities, please fill out our contact form.