2013-008 EDC-Arts - Town of Carrboro Arts Committee Rec & Park Dept Fall 2012 Art Grant Agreement $1,500

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Arts Program Application Narrative Town of Carrboro Arts Committee Organizational Profile The Town of Carrboro Arts Committee is a citizen group within the Parks and Recreation Department that works with Parks and Recreation staff for the town. Over the years the Carrboro Arts Committee has spawned such successful activities as the Carrboro Music Festival, West End Poetry Festival, and Carrboro Film Festival. Current Programs and Services The Town of Carrboro Arts Committee currently programs two public exhibition spaces—one in Town Hall and the other in the Century Center. The Committee vets public art proposals and passes them on to the appropriate bodies. During 2012,the Arts Committee has conducted a long range planning process than includes developing a vision for the future of the arts and the creative economy in Carrboro. Proposed Uses of Grant Funds Upon learning of the NEA's Our Town initiative, the Arts Committee recommended that the town move forward in partnership with The ArtsCenter as the lead non-profit. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted on November 13, 2012 to allocate up to $40,000 as part of the 1:1 match for federal funds from the Our Town program. The Planning Committee will solicit additional cash and in-kind commitments during December 2012 from foundation, public, and private sources in order to raise $75,000 in match to fund a total $150,000, two-year project starting on September 1, 2013. We shall be notified by NEA in late July 2013 as to whether Carrboro will receive this funding. To further solidify Carrboro's reputation as an arts city, stimulate the growth of its creative economy, and ensure access to the arts for all its citizens, the Town of Carrboro and The ArtsCenter propose to lead a partnership to develop a Cultural Arts and Entertainment Plan and establish a Cultural Arts and Entertainment District in response to the National Endowment For the Arts (NEA) Our Town initiative. These actions are consistent with the recommendations of previous Carrboro plans including the Local Living Economy Task Force Recommendations and the RTS study, Creating Carrboro's Economic Future. For the Our Town initiative,NEA defined the following: "In creative placemaking,partners from public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood,town,tribe, city, or region around arts and cultural activities. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired." Through Our Town, subject to the availability of funding, the National Endowment for the Arts will provide a limited number of grants, ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 (determined by the amount of the 1:1 match), for creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. Our Town will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to: OCAC Application Narrative for Carrboro Arts Committee