In 2019, Terry Olson, the Director of Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs approached the City of Orlando and the Community Redevelopment Agency to discuss potential collaboration and cost-sharing of a joint City-County Cultural Arts Plan to ensure that future arts efforts are coordinated and provide for a balanced array of artistic offerings, rather than a piecemeal/reactionary approach.
A Memorandum of Understanding was just issued for review between Orange County, the City of Orlando, and the CRA, that identifies the parties’ desire to create a County/Citywide Cultural Arts Plan to, amongst other things, establish a process for sustainable development and growth of the arts, conduct a comprehensive arts inventory and analysis, determine suitable sites for art and art venues, determine ways to enhance diverse and inclusive participation and representation, create a local and regional framework for arts funding, and develop a process for building strategic partnerships.
The parties will also agree that the Cultural Arts Plan will have a focus on the Downtown CRA and include a stand-alone downtown component, with downtown specific arts inventory, and downtown specific recommendations.
According to a release issued by Orange County last week, it is anticipated that the plan will cost roughly $250,000. As detailed in the MOU, the City of Orlando will contribute $25,000 and the CRA will contribute $100,000. Orange County will fund $125,000 and assume any costs in excess of the jointly funded $250,000.
A timeline for the plan has not been issued at this time.
