Arts, Culture, and Heritage Commission (ACHC)

City Council adopts on Dec. 20, 2021, Resolution No. 2941 that creates of the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Commission; City seeks by Jan. 31, 2022, community members to apply to serve on new commission

The City of Wilsonville is recruiting through January 2022 for community members to serve on the newly formed Arts, Culture, and Heritage Commission. The Bylaws that govern the Commission and related materials are below; click here to apply online by Monday, Jan. 31.

Commissioners shall be community members with knowledge and experience in arts, culture or heritage activities, events, facilities and/or programs, and includes artists, business professionals, youth, community members of diverse ethnic backgrounds and those with proficiency relevant to the purpose of the Commission. Members are not appointed to represent specific constituencies, but to act on behalf of the entire community.

The City Council appreciates that many local-area community members view Wilsonville as their “hometown” for schooling, socializing, shopping, worshiping, recreating or conducting business, and that they often serve as volunteers of leading cultural nonprofits focused on Wilsonville. While City of Wilsonville residency is not required to serve on the Commission, the Commission is to be composed of a minimum of five (5) residents of the City of Wilsonville.

The Wilsonville City Council adopted on Dec. 20, 2021, Resolution No. 2941, A Resolution of the City of Wilsonville City Council Creating the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Commission.

Previously at the Nov. 15, 2021, City Council work session, Council members reviewed and discussed draft recommendations for the formation of the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Commission (ACHC). The Council indicated unanimous support for the draft recommendations with some clarifying additions in order to advance the Council-adopted Arts, Culture, and Heritage Strategy (ACHS).

Video of Nov. 15, 2021, City Council work session – staff/consultant draft recommendations for ACHC and Council discussion

Both the Nov. 15 City Council Work Session Staff Report and Presentation provide a summary of the ACHC Draft Recommendations in the context of the ACHS and public comment.

The Draft Recommendations for the ACHC and a synthesis of research on how different municipalities organize around the production of arts, culture and heritage programming and events and operations of facilities is contained in the ACHC 2021 Municipalities Research and Draft Recommendations 10_20_2021.

A more detailed listing of how specific communities organize around the production of arts, culture and heritage programming and events and operations of facilities is contained in the ACHC 2021 Municipalities Comparative Data Research 10_20_2021.

The Implementation Plan for the City of Wilsonville Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy (ACHS): Formation of the Arts and Culture Commission, July 2021, provides a list of issues for research, steps to establish the arts and culture commission and a proposed schedule for formation of the Commission.

Formation of a City of Wilsonville Arts, Culture and Heritage Commission is a City Council goal that was advanced by the Council’s November 2020 adoption of the Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy (ACHS).

Community cultural development consultant Bill Flood was retained by the City to undertake additional fieldwork research that includes collecting data and conducting interviews with local governments and cultural nonprofits of 15 regional communities. Analysis of the research coupled with directions from the ACHS were synthesized to produce a draft proposal for how a City of Wilsonville Arts, Culture and Heritage Commission would be structured and the kinds of work programs to be utilized.

The ACHS was developed over a two-year period in conjunction with the largest advisory committee in the City’s history, the 42-member ACHS Task Force. The Task Force reviewed results of several surveys, including a cultural vision survey, cultural assets survey and municipal survey of 15 cities operating arts, culture and heritage programs and facilities. Additionally, three Task Force committees—Arts, Humanities/Literary Arts and Heritage/History—reviewed and supplemented the cultural assets inventory, an extensive listing of the Wilsonville area’s cultural attributes.

The ACHS provides findings and recommendations to the City Council for cultivating a sustainable, long-term plan that supports community aspirations for a vibrant cultural scene in Wilsonville. For more information, see www.ci.Wilsonville.or.us/ACHS.

ACHS Cover FINDINGS

1. Wilsonville is a young community and lacks a clear community core/center and cultural focus as other suburban communities.

2. Demographic changes underway shape the future community.

3. Wilsonville cultural nonprofit organizations are stressed; COVID-19 pandemic has worsened their condition.

4. The City lacks a comprehensive plan for supporting arts, culture and heritage facilities, programs and events.

5. The primary units of local government do not coordinate or collaborate on support for arts, culture and heritage.

6. The community seeks public-sector leadership to support arts, culture and heritage facilities, programs and events.

7. Substantial community demand exists for an arts/cultural center/facility.

8. Public art is recognized as a significant cultural asset in Wilsonville.

9. Funding and resource development are crucial to improve nonprofit organizational capacity and advance arts/culture programs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. City adopts this cultural strategy and provides public-sector leadership and coordination to support arts, culture and heritage facilities, programs and events.

2. City forms an Arts, Culture and Heritage Commission and provides supporting staffing resource.

3. Improve inter-governmental collaboration and coordination to advance arts, culture and heritage.

4. The City works with partners to advance an arts and cultural center/facility.

5. Develop a long-term, sustainable public-arts program.

6. Make cultural diversity and ethnic inclusivity a priority.

7. Provide strategic assistance with Wilsonville cultural non-profits in order to build organizational capacity.

8. Improve and create sustainable funding mechanisms to support arts, culture and heritage.