In June, Yuba Sutter Arts began the process of helping to create a master cultural plan for Yuba-Sutter by hosting a series of monthly meetings with local arts and culture leaders and the general public. Participation and input from a broad cross section of the community has been excellent and invaluable. In this context, the term “cultural” include arts, culture, history, heritage and the humanities.
The next step in the process is for individuals to complete a brief (5 minutes) cultural plan survey. Residents who have a connection to local arts and culture groups (Yuba Sutter Arts, The Acting Company, Community Memorial Museum of Sutter County, etc.) will receive an email with a link to the Survey Monkey online survey. The survey is also available at this link.
David Read is executive director of Yuba Sutter Arts. Email him at david@yubasutterarts.org.
Others may encounter one of our field survey teams out in the public during the next few weeks. You will be asked if you would like to take just a few minutes to answer questions about arts and culture in Yuba-Sutter. The individuals administering the field surveys are Yuba College sociology students under the direction of Dr. Marc Flacks, professor of sociology. This survey is part of a class project for the students. Both the online and field survey documents are virtually identical.
Our goal is to collect 500 total responses to the survey regardless of how individuals complete it. The survey will help us determine community interests and participation in what is currently available locally and to what extent our residents visit other cities for art and culture experiences. The survey and development of a comprehensive master cultural plan for Yuba-Sutter will help outline a broad set of goals and strategies that align with other defined community needs and opportunities in other areas (e.g., economic development, cultural tourism) and provide a framework for more specific cultural planning work that will occur in the future.
A cultural plan can help open the door to much larger community-wide grants and other funding opportunities. We want to celebrate our heritage and the people, places, traditions and events that contribute to the quality of life in Yuba-Sutter and invite others to visit and explore all that we enjoy in our community.
Once the survey results are in, we will schedule town hall-style meetings to discuss the results.
It is hoped that a draft plan will be ready for review and discussion by early spring of next year. The document will be presented to both boards of supervisors and all four city council’s for approval by resolution. For more information on the planning process, please send an email.