The City of Madison is embarking on its first ever Cultural Planning process in order to strengthen local access and participation in arts and cultural activities. The plan will present 3-5 year actionable recommendations for advancing participation, cultural facility development, and funding priorities based on information that emerges from a broad, research effort with many options for the public to participate.

A selection committee comprised of citizens and City staff selected Mary Berryman-Agard & Associates, a local consulting firm with an excellent national reputation, to lead Madison's cultural planning process. The Board of Estimates and the Madison Common Council approved the selection and the City recently entered into a contract with Berryman Agard. Later this July, work will begin on a much-anticipated Citywide cultural planning process that will identify strategies to help sustain Madison's cultural resources during the economic recession, discover the citizen's agenda for arts and cultural development, and position the city to be a leader in advancing that agenda.

"We are looking forward to working with Mary Berryman Agard and the team of experts she has assembled." says Celia Klehr, Chair of the Madison Art Commission. Karin Wolf, Madison's Arts Program Administrator in the Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development adds, "Mary has 26 years of experience in cultural planning in cities and regions of all sizes across several states. She assembled an impressive team for our project including Vandewalle & Associates, who created Madison's Healthy City Plan, and Robert Bush, a national leader in cultural planning and cultural facilities issues. With the lead and the main contractor's intimate understanding of Madison's unique assets and complex challenges the team we have chosen has a favorable vantage point from which to launch this process. The addition of Mr. Bush to their team provides a strong balance between intimate understanding of the community and a fresh, informed, and highly respected outsider's view."

If you are interested in receiving updates and information about how you can participate in the plan please email the Madison Arts Commission at madisonarts@cityofmadison.com with "Request for Information: Madison Cultural Plan Updates" in the subject line.

About Mary Berryman Agard and Associates:
MBA & Associates (formerly Hyperion Associates) is a consulting firm working to help individuals, organizations, and communities translate aspirations into accomplishments. The firm works in cultural planning, civic dialogue, public policy development, foundation management and consulting, donor services, project management, and nonprofit consulting. The firm is centered in creating dialogue and is recognized for its special skills in facilitating successful communications among powerful and disenfranchised people and groups, helping clients understand systems, issues, and options in a broader context.