Bangor crafting cultural policy to boost the arts

BANGOR – Planning is nothing new for municipal government, especially in a fast-growing service center such as the Queen City. Proposed subdivisions, commercial development and busy intersections often involve meetings filled with spirited debate.

But Bangor’s latest plan involves an intersection of a far different sort: that of cultural policy and local government. After months of research and public dialogue funded in part by a $15,000 Maine Arts Commission grant, city officials have released the first draft of a “pace-setting” comprehensive cultural policy.

“There is no other city in Maine that has a city government-sanctioned arts agency within the city government,” Alden Wilson, chairman of the Maine Arts Commission, said Thursday. “Once a city’s arts commission is embedded, it basically says to the public, ‘This is important and one of our priorities in our community.’ It also makes it easier to gain support within the community and from other resources.”

To that end, the city’s Commission for Cultural Development seeks community comments on the draft from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 4; 6-7 p.m. Thursday, April 5; noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 11; and 6-7 p.m. Thursday, April 12. All meetings will be held in Bangor City Hall’s council chambers.

The city already has a municipal cultural plan and a panel of credentialed leaders to oversee it. Among other responsibilities, the cultural commissioners make recommendations to the City Council about how annual appropriations for the arts and culture would best be spent. Bangor, however, also has taken the bold – and rare – move of incorporating the arts and culture into its comprehensive plan, which is where the proposed policy draft comes in.

The document stresses the need for municipal support for and public awareness of cultural events. It acknowledges the importance of public art and the value of cultural resources on an educational, economic and civic level.

“Timing is critical,” said Sally Bates, an economic development officer for Bangor. “You’re always working out a way, but I think we’ve created the impression that there’s something going on all year long.”

In the last year alone, the community has gathered for Oktoberfest, a downtown New Year’s Eve celebration, Dog Day and the outdoor marketplace. And Bates can’t help but point to the National Folk Festival and its spinoff, The American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront, as galvanizing events.

“The Folk Festival has been great,” Bates said. “It really is like a medicine that’s been administered – but it tastes good, and it’s painless.”

Bangor wasn’t ailing before the festival, but its success has only strengthened the call for a cultural infrastructure that preserves and promotes existing events and organizations while fostering growth.

The draft includes a five-year vision statement that positions Bangor as a creative economy hub. It outlines the need for more venues for artists and artisans, including suitable space in the facility that succeeds the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center.

Wilson said Bangor is not only a leader in Maine, it also is in step with a national trend of local arts policy groups. Organizations such as Americans for the Arts have set up peer forums and support services for such groups.

“This really hooks it right into this national network from which Bangor can really learn a lot – any community can,” Wilson said. “It’s just the wave of the future, I think.”

In the immediate future, the city plans to use a multipronged approach to disseminate cultural news. The work plan includes the establishment of a separate Web site, e-mail newsletter, and online registry for artists and organizations. The city also intends to publish a schedule of free programs; partner with local media outlets for cultural coverage; and provide technical assistance for cultural organizations. Audience cross-pollination is also among the priorities.

“I think an important part of building and presenting what you have culturally, beyond being an engine of economic growth – which is part of the strategy – is that it goes to something more basic than that,” Bates said. “When a community is participating in the arts and culture as a community, this bonding experience takes place. … Once you’ve bonded, everything is possible.”

Priorities of cultural policy

. Provide information about events, organizations and activities in accessible, convenient formats.

. Encourage programs and events that help broaden residents’ exposure to arts, culture and heritage that may be new to them.

. Preserve and promote the major cultural opportunities that already exist.

. Provide an environment in which venues for artists, crafters, performers and the humanities can succeed.

. Provide a suitable venue for entertainment productions and large audiences in the facility that will replace the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center.

. Provide accessible, multipurpose, year-round venues for small productions.

. Provide public settings and outdoor spaces for visual art and public performances.