Draft Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy Open for Public Comment

Sculpture from Wilsonville's Transit Center.

October 8, 2020 — The City of Wilsonville’s draft Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy is now available for public comment, through Tuesday, Oct. 20, at ci.Wilsonville.or.us/ArtsCultureStrategy.  The City Council is scheduled to discuss the draft strategy during  its Oct. 19 work session, which begins at 5 pm.

The largest advisory committee in the City’s history, the 42-member Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy (ACHS) Task Force, met online three times this summer to provide input on findings and recommendations that form the basis of the ACHS. City Councilors Charlotte Lehan and Joann Linville served as Council liaisons to the City Manager-appointed Task Force, which included area residents active or interested in advancing arts, culture and heritage activities, events and programs.

The Task Force reviewed results of several surveys conducted over the summer, including a cultural vision survey, cultural assets survey and municipal survey of 15 cities operating arts, culture and heritage programs and facilities. Additionally, three Task Force committees — Arts, Humanities/Literary Arts and Heritage/History — reviewed and supplemented the cultural assets inventory, an extensive listing of the Wilsonville area’s cultural attributes.

Additionally, cultural community consultant Bill Flood conducted extensive fieldwork research, including interviews with area stakeholders from multiple organizations and government agencies. Findings from initial research and public meetings held in 2018 were integrated, and demonstrated a consistent set of results over a two-year period.

Comments by the City Council and the general public are to be considered and incorporated into the Final ACHS, which is scheduled to be considered for adoption during the City Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 16.

The Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy, a City Council 2019-20 Goal, seeks to provide recommendations to the City Council for cultivating a sustainable, long-term plan that supports community aspirations for a vibrant cultural scene in Wilsonville. For more information, see ci.Wilsonville.or.us/ArtsCultureStrategy

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