Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read January 2023 — As Charlotte enters the new year, city officials are looking to solidify the Queen City’s status as a destination for the arts and culture.
While last year saw the success of the city’s first International Arts and Culture Festival, with another already on the way for this year, a more comprehensive plan is underway for how best to develop the city’s cultural scene, centered on coordinating artists, affordability and community, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Local arts officials have been working over the course of the last year to identify key needs on behalf of stakeholders for what the city needs to further develop the artistic scene. The findings, presented on Tuesday, were community events alongside an online survey collected from 3,286 people across 75 ZIP codes in the Charlotte area. The key findings included seven distinct concerns and areas of focus moving forward for how best to develop the cultural ecosystem within Charlotte, highlighting Center City and Uptown institutions as a key strength; equitable and sustainable funding concerns; organized, well-equipped leadership needed; maximizing local artists’ revenue opportunities; combatting the current lack of public awareness and coordination; affordable, accessible spaces needed; and public art access should be expanded.
As Charlotte continues to grow, the arts community will play an increasingly pivotal role in providing the recreation and culture that has become expected of a world-class city, and serve as a vital economic engine. According to the most recent Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 report in 2017, Charlotte’s Center City arts district alone provides a $216-million boost to the local economy. That number is expected to continue to grow as younger populations — particularly millennials, continue to favor experiences over products.
“If people have a good experience, they share it. It’s been the best marketing technique, and it has paid off for us. We work hard on customer service,” explained Butch Sprydon in an interview with Invest:. Sprydon is the CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, with Nashville, alongside Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver and Portland, Oregon, all serving as examples that Charlotte is looking to emulate or draw inspiration from, particularly how local communities provide public funding as a source of ecosystem support.
The report also emphasizes spreading events across Charlotte’s neighborhoods such as Ballantyne, NoDa and University City. “Our event calendar has grown to include a live concert series, outdoor movie nights, weekly fitness classes, volunteer initiatives and more… Our small businesses have faced so many challenges over the last two years, so it’s been fantastic to watch our community come together to support local food trucks, bands, artisans and other organizations through these events,” explained Hailey Rorie, director of community relations for Northwood Office when discussing cultural opportunities at Ballantyne.
Priya Sircar, Charlotte’s first arts and culture officer brought on board in 2021, noted to the Observer that the city’s official State of Culture report would be finalized and released in February, with the city’s arts and culture board considering the creation of a one-stop-shop asset map and landing page to put the region’s arts and culture resources and opportunities under one roof.
For 2023, the City has allocated $4 million to the Foundation for the Carolinas, matched by $2 million in ARPA funding and another $6 million from the private sector. In all, the city is equipped with $12 million in discretionary spending to support arts and culture initiatives over the course of the next year.
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