Minneapolis Creates New Arts & Cultural Affairs Department
Monday, June 14, 2021 | Arts & Cultural Affairs
Photo by Sayge Carrol and Keegan Xavi of Release It community event in Oct. 2020.
The Minneapolis City Council has approved the creation of a new Arts & Cultural Affairs Department, which will begin to take shape this fall.
The department is charged with advancing a diverse and active arts and cultural environment that recognizes and draws on the full potential of Minneapolis’ artists and arts organizations. The purpose of its work is to reflect and respond to civic concerns and aspirations, and enrich the lives of all people who live in, work in and visit Minneapolis by:
Promoting the city as a center for arts and culture.
Fostering Minneapolis’ arts and culture assets.
Advancing cultural equity, equality and inclusion.
Developing and implementing arts and culture programs and initiatives to encourage greater participation in, and increased public access to, arts and culture in Minneapolis.
"This action signifies a vital response to the challenges our creative community has experienced due to the global pandemic and the murder of Mr. George Floyd,” said Council Member Alondra Cano, lead author of the Ordinance.
This action is an important step forward in the City’s response to the challenges faced by the creative community due to the global pandemic and the murder of Mr. George Floyd. By establishing this new Department, the City demonstrates it is committed to growing our region’s cultural infrastructure so we may further stabilize and strengthen the local creative ecosystem.
This Council action also renews the City’s capacity to achieve racial equity outcomes by increasing the level of support offered to diverse artists, culture makers, and innovative problem solvers.
Read the ordinance here.
Next steps
The budget for the new department will be determined through the 2022 City budget process.
Publisher's Note: The name, "The Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy" has been updated on August 13, 2023 where it appeared within the content of this article to "Arts & Cultural Affairs" to reflect its new name as a department of the City of Minneapolis.
Photo by Nancy Musinguzi of excited delirium by D.A. Bullock.