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Oceanside arts commissioner outlines elements of successful arts master plan
Summary
A visiting Oceanside arts commissioner described Oceanside’s Arts Master Plan—its goals, community engagement process and funding realities—to Encinitas’ Commission for the Arts as the city begins work on an arts element for its general plan.
CJ Demento, chair of the Oceanside Commission for the Arts, told the Encinitas Commission for the Arts on Monday night that Oceanside’s master plan for the arts centers on four goals: support arts-driven economic development, enhance cityscape through creative placemaking, make the city a place for artists to thrive, and strengthen arts governance.
The presentation was framed with a short video and a summary of the O Arts Master Plan. Demento said the plan grew from multi-year community engagement and an RFP that hired a consultant to collate public workshops and stakeholder meetings. “The arts matter for youth development and education,” she told the commission, quoting the plan’s outreach messaging.
Why it matters: Encinitas staff and the commission said they hope lessons from Oceanside will inform the arts element they have been asked to draft for Encinitas’ general plan. Demento emphasized that Oceanside built its plan as a grassroots effort that later sought sustained city funding, and that adoption of a plan does not automatically create recurring operating funds.
Key details: Demento said Oceanside’s arts commission saved operating funds to pay a consultant and did two Arts & Economic Prosperity studies: one for the cultural district and one citywide. The studies showed about 80% of arts-and-culture spending occurred within the designated cultural district, which Demento said highlights both the district’s value and the need to “spread the love” to the rest of the city.
She described Oceanside’s approach to engagement as a mix of stakeholder meetings and public workshops held in libraries and community centers; a steering committee then worked with the consultant to distill feedback into concise strategies. Demento said the plan was finished in 2019 after several years of preparation and that Oceanside treats its cultural plan as a 10-year document.
Funding and governance: Demento said the arts commission had an annual allocation of about $25,000 that at one point was doubled to $50,000; she and attendees noted that such amounts do not cover large operational needs for a city of Oceanside’s size and that the plan intentionally avoided prescriptive funding commitments at adoption. Demento recommended building political will over time before asking for measures such as “percent for art.”
Next steps in Encinitas: Commissioners thanked Demento and said they would use Oceanside’s experience on community engagement and program sequencing as they prepare an arts element and an October public workshop focused on goals for the arts element. The commission asked staff to post background materials and examples for the public workshop.
Ending: The commission’s October meeting will be used as a public workshop to develop draft goals for an arts element for Encinitas’ general plan.
