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Durham Launches New Cultural Roadmap Planning Process
The City and County have launched the Durham Cultural Roadmap planning process to meet the present day needs and aspirations of its arts and cultural community.
Charging Durham, 2017 by Frank Kreacic. Located at 101 City Hall Plaza in downtown Durham.
Background
On October 21, 2021 during a City Council Work Session, the Durham Cultural Advisory Board shared a presentation on the board’s engagement efforts and conversations with arts and cultural community workers throughout 2021. Based on their findings, the board requested that the Durham City Council and Durham County Board of Commissioners jointly support the development of a new cultural plan. To watch the board’s presentation, visit: https://durham.granicus.com/player/clip/2760?meta_id=405122.
The Durham City Council and the Durham County Board of Commissioners entered a joint agreement to govern the development of the new Cultural Roadmap on October 3, 2022. The Cultural Roadmap planning process will be led by Durham Cultural Advisory Board, with input from the Cultural Roadmap Planning Group. This 35-member volunteer group will be appointed by the Durham Cultural Advisory Board and reflect the diversity of the Durham community.
The Cultural Roadmap’s purpose is to survey the Durham community and develop a plan to further enhance Durham’s cultural and arts landscape, maximize resources, and provide a coordinated vision and collaboration among a variety of community, cultural, civic, and business partners. In late 2023, the Cultural Roadmap will be presented to both the Durham City Council and the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
VISION ANd MISSION
Durham Cultural Advisory Board has developed a vision, mission, and values to guide the Cultural Roadmap planning process. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Values, visit:
Cultural Roadmap Vision & Values
Hoja de Ruta Cultural - Visión, misión y valores
Vision
We envision a thriving arts and culture sector in Durham. We celebrate the cultural practices, histories, institutions, and individuals that define Durham’s art and culture sector. We work towards the preservation of Durham’s cultural heritage, the protection of cultural assets and the equitable distribution of resources to artists, cultural workers, and organizations in the arts and culture sector for the benefit of all Durham residents. We welcome new stories and strive to embrace and extend Durham’s cultural community to all residents and visitors of Durham.
Mission
Our mission is to create a five-year plan through inclusive, accessible, and equitable county-wide engagement processes that will maintain, grow, and sustain the arts and culture sector in Durham for the next decade and beyond.
CULTURAL ROADMAP PLANNING GROUP
The Cultural Roadmap Planning Group will help steer the Cultural Roadmap from the beginning of the planning process to the final recommended plan. The Planning Group will represent a wide cross section of the community, representing the public and private sector, philanthropy, neighborhoods, education, cultural groups, artists, cultural workers, and other creatives, in addition to young people. Planning Group members will be selected by the Durham Cultural Advisory Board.
The Planning Group will meet regularly over the next year and will report to the DCAB on their work. Responsibilities include:
- Inform development of the plan consultant scope of work and selection process;
- Shape and participate in the community engagement process;
- Advise on plan development, identify priorities, evaluation strategy, and plan outcomes;
- Monitor the plan as it develops, including risks and timelines;
- Recommend refinements to the planning process where needed; and
- Present the plan residents and elected officials.
To learn more about the Durham Cultural Roadmap Planning Group, visit:
Durham Cultural Roadmap Planning Group
Grupo de Planeación de la Hoja de Ruta Cultural
The Cultural Roadmap Planning Group application process opened in early October of 2022, with the Durham Cultural Advisory Board receiving 89 applications from the community. DCAB recommended during the board's November, December and January meetings to appoint 41 members to the Planning Group. The members represent large and small cultural organizations, large and small businesses, individual artists, philanthropy, youth, recreation and the humanities. All members of the group live and/or work in Durham.
The Cultural Roadmap Planning Group is led by Co-Chairs Steve Schewel, former Mayor of the City of Durham and Zena Howard, Principal & Managing Director at Perkins & Will, along side the Honorary Co-Chairs, Mayor Pro Tempore Mark Anthony Middleton and Chair of the County Commissioners Brenda Howerton.
Cultural Roadmap Planning Group Chairs
Mark-Anthony Middleton, Honorary Chair Mayor Pro Tempore, City of Durham | Brenda Howerton, Honorary Chair Chair, Durham County Commissioners | Zena Howard, Co-Chair Principal and Managing Director, Perkins & Will | Steve Schewel, Co-Chair
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Cultural Roadmap Planning Group Members
Antonio Alanis, Artist, Board Members Diamante Arts & Cultural Center | Susan Amey, President/CEO of Discover Durham | John Brown, Artist, Vice Provost for the Arts at Duke University |
JB Buxton, President of Durham Technical Community College | Javiera Caballero, Durham City Council | E'Vonne Coleman, Cultural Leader, Retired Consultant |
Chelsea Contreras, Latino Community Credit Union | Lightsey Darst, Artist, Development Program Director for the Arts and Humanities at Duke University | Lois Deloatch, Artist, Non-profit Advisor |
Kathryn Desplanque, Artist, Art History Professor at UNC - Chapel Hill | Sherry DeVries, Executive Director of the Durham Arts Council | Rodrigo Dorfman, Artist, Advocate |
Akiva Fox, Artist, Bulldog Ensemble Theatre | Oscar Garcia, Engagement Specialist and Interpreter with Durham County Public Health | Lana Garland, Artist, Self-Employed, Insibah Media |
Chandra Guinn, Executive Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, McKinney | Carrie Heinonen, CEO of the Museum of Life and Science, Durham Rotary | Denise Hester, Small Business Owner, Phoenix Fest, Durham Business and Professional Chain Representative |
Lilyn Hester, Head of Southeast External Affairs and Government Relations, Google, Board Member of Durham Chamber of Commerce | Joseph Jordan, Vice Provost for Academic and Community Engagement at UNC - Chapel Hill, DCAB Representative | Barbara Lau, Executive Director, Pauli Murray Center |
Angela Lee, Executive and Artistic Director, Hayti Heritage Center | Girija Mahajan, Recreation and Advisory Commission | Nori McDuffie, Durham Office on Youth |
Patrick Mucklow, Executive Director, Museum of Durham History | Britney Nava Munoz, Youth Representative, Changed by Youth Organization | Jodee Nimerichter, Executive Director, American Dance Festival |
Mimi O'Brien, Executive Director, Mary Duke Biddle Foundation | David Young Oh, Owner, Radical Healing, Program Volunteer for OUTSOUTH: Queer Film Festival | Steven Pearson, Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM |
Kym Register, Artist, Owner, Pinhook | Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, President/CEO of El Centro Hispano, Inc. | Laura Ritchie, Self-Employed, Pop Box Gallery, Curator, Public Art Committee Representative |
Aya Shabu, Artist, Village of Wisdom/Whistle Stop Tours | Casey Steinbacher, Executive Director, Made in Durham | Nicole Thompson, President/CEO of Downtown Durham Inc. |
Bettina Umstead, Chair, Durham Public Schools Board of Education | Andre Vann, Archivist and Historian, Public History Professor at North Carolina Central University | Quay Weston, Business Owner, Designer with community non-profits |
Volunteer Opportunities
The volunteer application for the Cultural Roadmap Planning Group has closed. The City and County will be calling upon volunteers to serve on special topic sub-committees during the planning process. Please sign up for the Cultural Roadmap email updates at the bottom of this page.
BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION
The Durham City Council and Durham County Commissioners have each appropriated $150,000 to fund this important planning process that will result in clear recommendations to maintain, support and grow the cultural community, both organizations and individual members, for the benefit of residents and visitors.
In addition, Durham Cultural Advisory Board has solicited and received significant private donations from Durham’s philanthropic community in support of this effort. These funds will be used to support robust, interactive and creative community engagement and communications.
City and County cultural and public art program staff will provide administrative support for the planning process.
CULTURAL ROADMAP TIMELINE
The anticipated timeline will involve a year of research, data collection, engagement, analysis, feedback and plan development. By late 2023, the Cultural Roadmap will be presented to residents, as well the Durham City Council and the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
Request for Proposals (RFP) Cultural Planning Consultant
The Request for Proposal submission deadline has passed.
The City of Durham is seeking a Consultant or Consultant Team with experience in cultural planning to lead community-wide equitable engagement and planning resulting in a five-year cultural plan (Cultural Roadmap) for the community. The Cultural Roadmap will build off of the successes from the previous Cultural Master Plan, adopted by both City Council and the Durham County Commissioners in 2004. The Durham Cultural Advisory Board, appointed by City Council and County Commissioners, will oversee the planning process via its Cultural Roadmap Planning Group. Both the City Council and County Commissioners have appropriated funds for the development of the Cultural Roadmap. In addition, Durham Cultural Advisory Board has raised funds through local philanthropic organizations to support a local creative and equitable engagement team. The planning process should culminate with the City Council and County Commissioners adoption of the new Cultural Roadmap by December 31, 2023.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS CULTURAL PLANNING CONSULTANTS
The Request for Proposals document is posted here: https://www.durhamnc.gov/bids.aspx?bidID=1540
TIMELINE
RFP Opens
December 22, 2022
Pre-submittal Meeting – Questions and Answers deadline
January 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. EST
All questions must be received in writing via email to [email protected]
January 6, 2023, 2023 by 5:00 p.m.
Addendum posted to the RFP
January 11, 2023 by 5:00 p.m.
RFP Closes/Proposals deadline
January 26, 2023 by or before 3:00 p.m.
Proposal Evaluation
January 30 - February 1, 2023
Virtual Presentations by Finalists
February 2 - 3, 2023
Finalist Selections
February 3, 2023
Contract Finalization
February 3 - 9, 2023
City Council Authorization, Contract Execution and Notice to Proceed
March 20 - 24, 2023
Community Engagement, Data Collection and Report Generation
April – October 2023
Final Presentations to Public, DCAB, City Council and County Commissioners
November – December 2023
QUESTIONS ON THE RFP?
Please email the City’s project manager, Annette Smith, with any questions regarding this RFP at [email protected]
Background on 2004 Cultural Plan
The Durham Cultural Master Plan (PDF), was approved by the City Council and Board of County Commissioners to advance numerous goals and strategies for success to be accomplished over a fifteen year period spanning 2004 to 2019.
Language Access
Notice under the Language Access Plan Persons requiring language assistance to effectively participate in this event may contact the General Services Department at 919-560-4197, or [email protected] to request interpretation and/or translation services as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the event or deadline date.
Aviso bajo el Plan de Acceso al Idioma Personas que requieran asistencia lingüística para participar efectivamente en este evento pueden comuncarse con el Departamento de Servicios Generales al 919-560-4197 or [email protected] para solicitar los servicios de interpretación y / o traducción tan pronto como sea posible pero no menos de 48 horas antes del evento o fecha límite.
Sign up for email ALerts
To be notified about upcoming events and activities for the Cultural Roadmap, sign-up here:
Questions?
For information about the board and the application process, please contact the Cultural & Public Art Program staff here:
Annette L. Smith
Arts, Cultural and Sustainable Communities Division
City of Durham | General Services Department
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 919-560-4197
Service request:
Click or call 919-560-1200