[Arts Alliance SC] -The draft plan for the Arts Master Plan is ready for review and a public presentation is slated for later this month.

The public presentation is slated for Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at The Centre, formerly known as the Activities Center. The meeting will allow the public the opportunity to give feedback on the new arts plan. If you would like to attend this event please email jshadle@santa-clarita.com by Jan. 15.

If you are unable to attend the meeting on the 20th, you can email your arts commissioners at artscommissioners@santa-clarita.com to let them know your thoughts. In addition, a joint study session of the plan between the City Council and the Arts Commission is planned for 5:30 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and is also open to the public. For details please visit this website .

Since the City of Santa Clarita incorporated in 1987, the municipal government has recognized its role as the leading Arts Agency in the valley, and the past 28 years have seen a great deal of growth in our sector.

There have been several phases of development, including the development of a Cultural Arts Master Plan (CAMP) in the mid-1990’s. The first phase of CAMP was completed in 1997 and focused on an Arts needs assessment for the community. The second CAMP phase was undertaken in 1998 and addressed Arts leadership and facilities. This led to an investment by the City of $3.25 million dollars in facility development, additional funding for Arts grants, the creation of the Arts and Events Office in 2003, and eventually to the creation of a formal Arts Commission.

While there is certainly much to be proud of in the evolution of the Arts sector in Santa Clarita, the amazing growth our city has experienced as well as the changing nature of our community, make it clear that it is time to take the next step.

Consequently, in late 2014 the Santa Clarita City Council commissioned the Cultural Planning Group to design a new Arts Master Plan for our city. The consultants spent the past year drawing on input from the Arts community as well as the general population and cross sector stake holder groups and have developed a comprehensive plan with recommendations in 10 distinct categories ranging from Public Art, to the Newhall Arts & Entertainment District, the Creative Economy, and Fostering Diversity and Inclusion.

If you would like to read the draft of the plan in advance, it can be found at here.