The Planning Process:
Art, Culture & Tourism

Our group was tasked with examining the important role that arts, culture and tourism play in our community and how this sector interrelates with the other 12 chapters and four themes of the strategic plan.

The opportunities we see include:

• Springfield will be recognized for its innovation and creativity-laden arts, culture and tourism as a catalyst for economic development, quality of life and civic pride – all while maintaining its place as the cultural hub of the Ozarks.
• Simultaneously, there remains a critical need for sustained and consistent leadership and funding in order to increase capacity and feel a strong level of growth in all areas of arts, culture and tourism.

Our major goals include:

• Strengthen the relationships between Springfield-based and regional arts and cultural organizations.
• Develop and sustain educational opportunities for arts and culture at the local and regional level.
• Financially sustain the operating and infrastructure needs of arts and culture organizations.
• Increase economic benefits by continuing to develop the travel and tourism industry.
• Increase the amount of and community awareness in public art and artists.
• Use new technologies and communication platforms to increase civic engagement in arts, culture and tourism.
• Demonstrate and increase the awareness of the economic impact of arts and culture.

Suggested actions for the next five years include:

• Fund and facilitate an economic impact study of arts and culture.
• Conduct a citywide competitive assessment of Springfield focusing on the meeting and convention market.
• Continue to build on the relationships between Springfield-based and regional arts and culture organizations.
• Increase public and private support to promote and develop the existing travel industry.
• Put an amount equal to 1 percent of the cost of all above-ground capital improvements toward funding the creation and placement of public art.
• Develop an employer-based network for a weekly compilation of top arts, culture and tourism activities.
• Find an efficient and low-cost means of transportation to and from arts and culture events for students in outlying rural areas as well as within Springfield.
• Broaden and enhance rural arts and culture education by leveraging web and video conferencing.
• Emphasize endowment-building initiatives for arts and culture organizations through planned gifts and matching/challenge gifts.

The problem of finding sustainable funding sources for arts and culture was perhaps our biggest point of discussion throughout the process. Funding ideas for the actions mentioned above include:

• Public and private partnership funding models, including local and national grants, sponsorships, and use of City and parks resources.
• Investing near-term options for tax to support arts and cultural organizations.
• Leverage existing city tax incentives and county sales tax to develop competitive facilities for tourism.

We hope that through this plan, the broader community will come to further understand the role arts and culture play in critical civic issues. These include minimizing poverty and increasing civic engagement and cultural understanding, as well as education, attracting and retaining a quality workforce, and enhancing the economic vitality of the region.

By: Leah Jenkins – Springfield Regional Arts Council, Emily Fox – Discovery Center of Springfield, Cora Scott – St. John's Health System, and Jeff Hays - R.B. Murray Co.
4.19.2011