TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – ArtsConnect developed a cultural Master Plan to describe how the City of Topeka can generate social and economic growth by incorporating the Arts into civic programs.
”It is the heartbeat of our community. It is the heartbeat of how we tell stories. It is also an economic driver, so without the arts and culture being strong and healthy, we will have a lot of other real big challenges in our community and we would like to make sure that we’re able to solve problems and set the course for our future through the arts,” said ArtsConnect executive director Sarah Fizell.
Fizell said a sustained investment in the local art community will enrich the quality of life for Topekans.
“When we look at our city as a whole, I think we really have to put artists in leadership positions so that they can offer that input so that they can offer that strength of creative problem solving to make our city brighter, more beautiful, and safer. When we have the arts in our community, more people vote, more people volunteer, and more people graduate from high school.”
The 41 page document offers recommendations for expanding the Arts in ways that also align with the City’s own goals for the future.
“We engage in some sort of stabilized municipal funding for the arts in Topeka. It also recommends that we take an audit, make a map of what we have here. And find ways to offer meaningful support to those efforts so that we can keep the things that we know that we need as a community,” said Fizell.
Fizell said implementation of the Master Plan will require cooperation and funding.
“They require a variety of different mechanisms. For example, the Arts program requires action by the City Council and other entities to make that happen.”
But she believes the benefits will connect art to the whole community.
“I think that we will be better at telling our story. We will be better at listening to other people’s stories, and we will be as a community, more able to tackle difficult challenges that present all the time across all sectors. Because i think that the Arts provide us with a common core language that we can all use to solve those challenges.”
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