The City of Boulder is deftly putting together the pieces of what will become its arts and culture guide for the next decade. Known as the Boulder Arts Blueprint, this strategic initiative breaks down the process into two phases and aims to create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable arts ecosystem for the Boulder community. To align with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, the Blueprint aims to effectively manage and allocate the new funding from the 2023 Arts, Culture, and Heritage tax, as reported by the City of Boulder.

Entering the scene with a succession of community events, the Blueprint team will marry community input with professional improv through ‘Bolder. Boulder. Better. With Motus Playback Theater’ on Jan. 25 at the Boulder Public Library and again on Feb. 8 at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building. According to the city’s blueprint process notification, participants will have their visions for Boulder’s artistic future brought to playful life in an interactive theater setting. Additionally, people are encouraged to voice their hopes and suggestions for the city’s arts interface on the Blueprint project webpage.

Boulder’s reputation as a thriving hub for the arts is hardly unfounded. City Manager, Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde, highlighted in the official news release, “The National Center for Arts Research recently released its annual ranking of the 40 most arts-vibrant communities in the United States, which identified Boulder as number six in the list of 10 medium-sized communities in the United States.” This recognition is seen not just as a badge of current honor, but as a call to sustain and grow the artistic and cultural vibrancy of the city.

Looking back, the previous decade’s Community Cultural Plan has borne fruit in strengthening the cultural organizations of Boulder, revamping public art programs, and expanding artistic presence in neighborhoods. Boulder’s Office of Arts and Culture Manager, Lauren Click, reflected on past achievements on Boulder’s official website, saying “We celebrate the achievements of the Cultural Plan – which include strengthening the resilience of cultural organizations, engaging the community in creativity through public art, and nurturing leadership among professional artists – while also eagerly looking toward the future.” The Blueprint, she emphasizes, is a chance for everyone in the community to chisel away at their vision for Boulder’s artistic landscape.