Public Meeting Set To Launch Arts Coast Cultural Plan In Pinellas

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Creative Pinellas and Cultural Planning Group will introduce CURRENT: The Arts Coast Cultural Plan, a new initiative to assess the current needs and future aspirations of the arts in Pinellas County, at a public meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon at St. Pete College’s EpiCenter, 13805 58th St. N, Clearwater.

The cultural planning process, which began in early September, will result in strategic initiatives to positively impact the cultural institutions, residents, tourists, artists and the business community.

CURRENT will provide a cultural framework — including policies, programs and actions for
implementation — while also evaluating public funding and investment needs for sustainable, equitable and vibrant development of the arts and cultural sectors for the next five to 10 years.

“We have been working towards partnering with the county and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater to create a cultural plan for Pinellas County for a number of years,” said Barbara St. Clair, the CEO of Creative Pinellas, the nonprofit cultural arts agency for Pinellas County . “We generated a lot of perspective with our "WE CONVENE" series of public meetings in 2022, where we brought multiple stakeholders together to discuss our future as vibrant, sustainable arts and cultural community and destination. This kickoff for the planning process is the culmination of that process, and we are very pleased to be moving forward and to be partnering with CPG.”

A hallmark of CPG’s process in the more than 85 arts-related master plans it has created, is community engagement. Working with Creative Pinellas, the planning process includes a community advisory team, multiple public countywide gatherings, interviews with artists and arts and community leaders throughout the county, and surveys distributed to the community at large. The meetings and engagements provide multiple touchpoints for interested community members to be involved.

Formed in 1998, Cultural Planning Group is based in San Diego, California, with offices in
Florida and Pennsylvania. CPG leads the development of cultural plans in cities, counties and regions throughout the U.S, including the community engagement and research necessary to planning.