To ensure this work is shaped by the people the Arts Council would serve, a community Steering Committee guided the planning process. Selected from a pool of 59 applicants through a self-nomination process, their role was to provide insight, ensure broad community perspectives are represented, and co-create recommendations for how a future Arts Council can equitably serve the city's diverse arts and culture ecosystem.

This 15-person group included 9 artists and represented 14 organizations or municipalities: the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, CACVB, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, Live Arts, CreativeMornings, Empowered Players, the Music Resource Center, Visible Records, the Charlottesville Black Arts Collective, McGuffey Art Center, PVCC’s Art Department, UVA’s Studio Art program, and Light House Studio.

What Does the Steering Committee Do?

The Steering Committee served as a core advisory group for a community-driven effort to explore and establish a future Arts Council for the Charlottesville area. The Steering Committee:

• Offered insights and feedback throughout the planning process

• Helped shape the vision, values, and proposed structure of a future Arts Council

• Elevated community needs and ideas through collaborative discussion

Steering Committee’s Guiding Principles

The Steering Committee included artists, arts workers, cultural organizers, community members, arts supporters, and arts grantmakers who live or work in the Charlottesville area region including the surrounding counties; are involved in or deeply care about the arts, culture, and creative communities; represent a range of disciplines, identities, and experiences; and believe in and practice equity, collaboration, and community-centered leadership.

View the Steering Committee Charter here.

Steering Committee Members