BROADEN the base of understanding for art appreciation
SUPPORT meaningful educational initiatives in the community
CREATE more art venues for visual and performing artists in Boulder
WORK with the City of Boulder, businesses and homeowner’s associations to
DEVELOP outdoor public art display spaces and acquire art for these locations
During the summer of 2018 BAM is conducting research to learn from other cities that emphasize art and culture to determine the incentives, zoning issues and other strategies used to create an economically vibrant and sustainable creative / art district. These cities include: Austin, TX, Baltimore, MD, Denver, CO, Miami, FL, Nashville, TN, Seattle, WA. Click for the full report
Citation: Eckert, Sally, Halpern, Madeline, Portman-Marsh, Natalie (2018) Art and Culture as Community Benefit, A Multi-City Inquiry. Boulder Art Matrix.
We believe art and culture can enable better design of higher density development resulting in a more beautiful diverse community. To this end, we advocated for the change to the Boulder Comprehensive Plan to include art and culture as community benefits. After a great deal of advocacy, research and listening, the Boulder Comprehensive Plan has been amended to include Arts and Culture as Community benefits!
What does this mean to you? Entertainment Zones:
New development in your neighborhood can reflect the culture of that neighborhood
Affordable housing projects can be enhanced by murals and public art
Developers will have a way to build in pedestrian areas, public art spaces, pocket parks and other neighborhood perks
The City of Boulder has tools to help implement sub-community plans that emphasize art and culture
Sponsored by a Boulder Art Matrix Grant awarded from the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) in partnership with the North Boulder Creative Community, the city of Boulder and Wild Sage Co-housing Community
The Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) was asked to focus on the new North Boulder Art District designation. A TAP’s recommendations are designed to help communities take decisive action. There are many emerging opportunities to infuse intentional placemaking to attract visitors to the area, create affordable options for artists, and increase cohesion of the district identity.
Recommendations for North Boulder include: Short-term strategies:
Build momentum of local leaders to lead a community engagement process for defining a vision and identity for the art district. This outreach should also help to strengthen the participation of a broader stakeholder group to support local art and placemaking efforts.
Use tactical urbanism, such as painted crosswalks and wayfinding, node activation with food trucks, and interactive projection art, to begin to knit together the district.
Foster frequent activation and programming, focusing on smaller scale, more frequent activations as opposed to large scale, one-off events.
Work with city staff to ensure that existing and ongoing infrastructure projects include art enhancements that will strengthen the character and legibility of the district.
Give clear direction to developers, letting them know what the community wants by giving them the art district’s top priorities, such as live/work space, galleries, and community art venues.
Thank you to our local leaders from the city, private and non-profit community, as well as the expert panel:
Panel Chair: Rick Petersen, Principal of OZ Architecture
Bill Parkhill, Managing Member of Tributary Real Estate and Parkhill Development
Jamie Licko, President of RiNo Arts District and Founder and President of Centro
Sarah Nurmela, Real Estate & Development Manager for the City of Westminster
Bill Marino, Executive Director of Lakewood-West Colfax BID and Board Chair of 40 West Arts District
Daniel Guimond, Principal of Economic & Planning Systems
A moderated panel discussion was held to introduce candidates for Boulder City Council. The City of Boulder has reached a critical point in its ability to maintain its reputation as a cultural destination and home for artists and creative industries. The candidates shared their views on the role art and culture plays in the vibrancy of our town. [View/read transcript.]
Hosted by Boulder Art Matrix and Boulder County Arts Alliance.
We believe that art and culture go hand in hand with good design that promotes neighborhood acceptance of affordable housing and development. Each of our neighborhoods in Boulder is unique, as reflected in our diverse sub community plans. The definition of community benefit in the Boulder Comprehensive Plan now includes arts and culture.