Meeting Oct. 25 at Brewery Arts Center to focus on Carson City’s arts and culture scene

What does a community rich in art look like? Anyone who has ideas about how to invigorate the city’s arts and culture scene can share them at an open meeting from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 at the Brewery Arts Center.

The Nevada Arts Council is partnering with the Carson City Visitors Bureau to hold a public Arts Town Meeting to assess Carson City and surrounding communities’ cultural vitality.

The meeting is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided.

The regional event is part of a series of Arts Town Meetings to be held across the state in 2016 and 2017 to gather data and ideas generated in community discussions. Later, the input will be organized and shared with cosponsors and attendees. The public’s participation will allow the Nevada Arts Council to work with local governments and groups to set arts and cultural priorities for the future.

“This is the community’s opportunity to speak and be heard about their vision for arts in our lives,” said Susan Boskoff, executive director of the council. Critical information gathered at Arts Town Meetings, along with feedback from focus groups and an online public survey, is also used to update the Nevada Arts Council’s strategic plan, “Values and Vision.”

A division of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, NAC is the agency charged with ensuring that state and national funds support cultural activity and encourage participation in the arts throughout Nevada. In addition to providing hundreds of grants to arts and community-based organizations, schools, artists and local municipalities throughout the state, the Arts Council coordinates a variety of statewide programs and activities such as the annual Poetry Out Loud recitation competition for high-school aged students, traveling exhibits, artist residencies, workshops and cultural assessments. The Nevada Arts Council is supported by the State of Nevada, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other public and private sources.

The Brewery Arts Center is at 449 W. King St., and is accessible via mobility devices. RSVPs are helpful by calling 775-687-6680 or emailing infonvartscouncil@nevadaculture.org.

For those who can’t attend an Arts Town Meeting, a public survey is available at nac.nevadaculture.org or by calling 775-687-6680. Comments may be made through 2017.