Introduction
Arts and Culture is a vital part of the Summit County community. Nonprofits bring Arts and Culture into our lives through performances, education, exhibits, and other experiences. Food festivals, art fairs, theater, film, and concerts fill our calendars. Resident musicians, painters, writers, photographers, and chefs make it their life’s work to share their talents. Our schools have strong arts programming. People may come to our town for recreation and nature, but they stay and are fulfilled by our creative offerings and spirit.
Our Arts and Culture sector provides numerous opportunities that connect our community, offer inspiration and hope, and create a forum to express ideas and viewpoints. They are a vital part of our economy and local identity.
In the past two decades, Summit County government, nonprofits, and individuals have made significant investments in recreation and open space that have critically improved our quality of life. We have not made similar investments in Arts and Culture. Prior to Project ABC, no countywide master plan existed for the creative sector, and no formal assessment or planning effort for Arts and Culture had been done since 1999.
Project ABC arose from the advocacy of local nonprofit leaders for additional support and investment in Arts and Culture activity and their desire to engage the community in creating a plan for the future.
The cultural plan provides direction for future investment in Arts and Culture in Summit County. By design, it colors in the background, sketches out the main roads, and identifies where bridges can be built to make it easier to get where we want to go moving forward.
Our definition of Arts and Culture is intentionally inclusive and ranges from public art to the county fair; film, music, performance, and visual arts activities to local creative businesses; and from arts education to ways the arts are part of a powerful community development strategy.
For a printable version of the plan with additional information download the full plan by clicking the button below.
Check out key sections of the plan by clicking the links below.