Council Bluffs Cultural District Plan
Located squarely in the shadow of Omaha's larger arts and culture scene, the one in Council Bluffs has struggled to find its identity and flourish. An earlier pilot project to reclaim an old tractor factory and remodel it into an artist loft colony has met with success, creating a focus in Council Bluffs' downtown where local artists can live, work and show. The Pottawattamie Development Corporation hired us to take the arts and culture energy to the next level, working with the community to enhance the arts and entire district, creating an atmosphere of adventure and creativity that would permeate the public realm and private development. A prominent feature in the project was a multi-day storefront studio conducted in the Harvester Lofts display gallery. More than 100 citizens took part, including a large portion of the artists-in-residence, resulting in an organic, home-grown strategy to make the arts more prominent in the community's landscape and to discover new approaches to launch local artists in marketing their work. The resulting report produced specific strategic implementation recommendations, many of which built on the City's recent APA recognition of the downtown as one of America's "greatest places."
Client Reference:
Rick Sorich
Pottawattamie Development Council
Dates of Involvement: 2016 – 2017
Cost: $50,000
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