Somerset Cultural Plan

Wesserunsett Arts Council (WesArts) had the good fortune to contract with Reinholt Consulting for the creation of the Somerset Rural Cultural Plan. It was a large project since the cultural plan encompassed the whole of Somerset County in Maine. Reinholt Consultants were diligent, resourceful, and imaginative in helping us achieve our goal. As co-chair of the WesArts board, I would recommend Reinholt Consultants and I hope WesArts has the pleasure of working with them at a later time as we implement our cultural plan.

Cultural Planning

Cultural planning provides a catalyst for the creativity that lies within every community. For years it’s been argued that the value of arts and cultural assets extends beyond the intrinsic and aesthetic. Until recently, the ability to define the value brought to communities through the presence of arts and cultural assets was limited by the lack of sufficient data available to support what many knew to be true; that not only do arts and cultural assets add to our overall enjoyment and quality of life, these assets also add significantly to the economy and serve as a powerful tool for community and economic development.

Over time, those keen on cultivating the benefits brought to communities by the presence of arts and culture worked to define what many refer to as the ‘creative economy’. Communities now have access to a growing body of data to support local, regional, and statewide planning initiatives aimed at cultivating the creative economy.

Much like land use planning serves as tool for municipalities and regional planning entities to help communities guide future development based on a community’s priorities and values, cultural planning serves as a tool for communities to develop and implement strategies to support a growing creative economy.