On August 26, 2011 the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City convened over 115 individuals from the across the Kansas City metropolitan region. The goal of this meeting was to evaluate the readiness of the community for a regional cultural plan by bring together the arts community with business, government, education, and civic leaders. President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser, presented, followed by a town hall meeting facilitated by BNIM’s Director of Planning, Stephen Hardy. The discussion focused on two main questions: What do we want a cultural plan to accomplish and what would that process look like?

1. Cultural Planning – August 26, 2011
Survey Results of Participants

2. Participants Place of Residence
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Missouri Kansas Did Not Specify

3. Participants Place of Work
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Missouri Kansas Did Not Specify

4. Race of Participants
100
80
60
40
20
Percent
0
African-American Caucasian
Asian-American Did Not Specify

5. Role in the Community
40
30
20
10
Percent
Ar Bu Di Ar
Bo ts Ci Ci sin d M ti s
ar A
Fu dm vic ty Ed No ul tip t/A
0 d
M Le Pl u c O ess t S le rti
nd i ni th L sti
em er str ad ann ato er e pe Ro cD
be at er er r ad cif l e i re
r or er y s

6. Age of Participants
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
20 to 44 45 to 65 65 & Older Did Not Specify

7. Number of years residing in KC Region
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
0 to 3 years 11 to 20 years 30 or more years
4 to 10 years 21 to 30 years Did Not Specify

8. As a region we are doing a good job of increasing the positive social
and community benefits of the arts for our
citizens and constituents.
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Did Not Specify

9. As a region we are doing a good job of communicating the positive
social and community benefits of the arts to our citizens and
constituents.
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Disagree Did Not Specify
Agree Strongly Disagree

10. I believe that a Kansas City Regional Cultural Plan that covers the
five-county metropolitan area is important
and necessary.
80
60
40
20
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Did Not Specify

11. As a result of today’s meeting, I have a much better idea of how a
regional cultural plan could benefit all of us.
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree

12. As a result of today’s meeting, I will be an advocate for a regional
cultural plan to others.
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Did Not Specify

13. I am willing to continue to be involved with the development of a
regional cultural plan.
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree
Agree Did Not Specify

14. I believe the arts community is a problem-solving partner for our
region, capable and willing to work together.
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Disagree Did Not Specify
Agree Strongly Disagree

15. The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City should be the
administrative agency responsible for leading a regional cultural
planning process.
50
40
30
20
10
Percent
0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Did Not Specify

16. Conclusions
• Identify and engage stakeholders, making a cultural
plan as extensive and inclusive as possible.
• Create clear and unified goals within an achievable
and realistic timeframe.
• Establish leadership organization, consultants and
facilitators including:
• A small steering committee representative of the
community, with the possibility of an outside chair and
rotating leadership,
• Several larger sub-committees spread across the region
and across demographics and cultures,
• Draw on outside experience and expertise in structure
and policy.

17. Conclusions
• The goal of making Kansas City a regional center for the
arts, where business and community leaders recognize
and include the arts community as an important part of
society, culture, and business.
• Creating a community in which arts organizations
communicate with each other, share resources, and
create partnerships in order to engage the community
and gain a greater appreciation for the value of the arts,
both as audience and as participants.
• Achieve all of this while increasing efficiency and at all
times maintaining transparency and accountability to the
community.

18. Conclusions
• We understand that the arts are making a positive
contribution to our community, but we are not
communicating that value effectively or in a
meaningful manner.
• The majority of the participants understand the
important value of a regional cultural plan, desire
to be a part of the process, and will advocate on
behalf of a regional cultural plan.
• The majority of the participants believe that the
Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City is the
agency that should led the development of a
regional cultural plan.

19. Additional Comments
 Arts education for children and adults, financial
supporters, communications, shared resources,
benefits of regional cultural plan should be equal to
all segments of the region. Community awareness,
set attainable goals and communicate progress to
cultural representatives.
 Beware of complacency after the new buildings
open. That should be the beginning, not the end
result.
 Be aware of Bi-state tax issues and the international
arts festival idea.

20. Additional Comments
 Building a strong regional arts community still feels a
little lopsided. However, it is in both urban and
suburban arts groups best interest to step up to the
plate and think of themselves as a region.
 As far as cultural planning - how do you get all five
counties and how many hundreds of cities going in the
same direction?
 Can their be agreed upon overarching framework of
goals for the region while giving local communities/
counties leeway to create their own plan and bring in
those who already have a plan?
 How about funding for a more localized cultural plan.

21. Additional Comments
 Issues that require addressing: Arts Education, Bi-state,
Creative thinking, and Creative capital.
 Funding - sustainability!
 Include the humanities.
 Consider integrated arts programs and curriculum – that is
the future of the arts.
 Involve high school students. They are energetic,
communicate voraciously and will be the next generation
to lead and participate in community. Proximity to one
another, frequency of contact.
 Reduce competition by devising funding and other
incentives around collaboration rather than competition.

22. Additional Comments
 Funds for school field trips to museums etc. are
being reallocated & children are not experiencing
the arts & creativity very much at all. Engage
businesses to "Adopt some bus trips to the arts."
 I'm concerned that there is a duplication of efforts
with the Big 5 & the chambers arts and culture
initiative. Plus the Mayor’s vision for his Economic
Council - I want to make sure these initiatives are
coordinated.

23. Additional Comments
 It seems that we have been able to create good
processes to gather information in the past. Would
like to see more
work, planning, attention, money, given to the
analysis of information and the subsequent plan.
Keep pushing forward - you have our support!
 K-12 Education, Work with Arts Council to work
with arts orgs, as Mid America Regional Council
works with regional cities. Convince familiar groups
through common pop, financial
support, programming, etc. to share common goals
and works towards common achievements.

24. Additional Comments
 Make sure the culture cover as many cultural
aspects as possible.
 Please clarify these 3 initiatives:
 1) Regional cultural plan
 2) America's Creative Crossroads
 3) KC Mayor's steering committee on the arts.
 Want to avoid duplication & confusion with KC
chamber’s Big 5 ideas!
 Promote education, and tie it in with other
successful endeavors in area - bio sciences

25. Additional Comments
 We need to address all levels - Socioeconomic, cultural,
regional. Michael Kaiser made two very important
comments - keep the arts affordable and put the great new
facilities opening [in KC] to maximum use. There are so
many ways that the Bolender and Kauffman Centers can
benefit the cultural life of this community, a
comprehensive plan would ensure that all arts venues are
used most productively.
 We need to brand Kansas City as a dynamic center for the
arts, which would increase tourism, contribute to economic
development and change our citizens perception of the
city. We have a great arts community, we need to let the
world and our residents know about it!

26. Additional Comments
 Support for operating expenses, getting past
the brick and mortar.
 The funding challenges of smaller
organizations.
 Violence, poverty, homelessness - all are
issues that affect the ability of citizens to be
consumers of the arts.
 Thanks for your leadership! It's a great benefit
to our community!