Washington council formalizes downtown arts-district initiative, asks for five-year plan

The Washington City Council on June 15 introduced and recorded a resolution to create a downtown Washington arts-district initiative and directed the preparation of a five-year arts-district vision and implementation plan to be submitted within 180 days.

The resolution describes the downtown district as the historic, cultural and economic heart of Washington and says a coordinated arts district will celebrate artists, galleries, studios, musicians and literary artists while strengthening partnerships among private arts organizations, nonprofits and the city. The document states the initiative requires no initial city funding and directs the Rivertown Arts Foundation, downtown partners and city representatives to prepare a plan covering branding, marketing, partnership roles and measurable implementation steps.

Sis Kaiser, identified in the packet as associated with Rivertown Arts Foundation, spoke at the meeting and thanked the council and community volunteers, saying the initiative will help “coalesce all of the great efforts that are already in place.”

City leaders said the five-year plan should include visibility goals, branding and marketing strategies, partnership roles and recommendations for sustainable implementation. The resolution directs that the plan be submitted within 180 days and ordered the resolution to be made part of the city’s official records.

The council did not request city funding at adoption; staff and council members said the plan will focus on coordinating public resources with private arts organizations. The next steps are drafting the five-year plan with named partners and returning to council with the implementation recommendations and measurable performance goals.