The Mission of the Arts Council of Northwest Florida is to create a premiere arts community in the Pensacola Bay Area. As an umbrella organization, we enrich the quality of life by providing leadership, advocacy, financial support and education.
The short:
We are a combination "United Way" and "Chamber of Commerce" for artists and arts groups. That is, by raising money in the United Arts Fund Campaign, we provide grants to area cultural organizations, which amounted to $146,157 in 2005-2006. And under our "chamber hat" we promote the cultural industry in Northwest Florida through technical and administrative assistance, communications and publications, programs to increase the earnings of area artists and arts organizations, and arts education.
Our key commitments:
Improving Quality - At the heart of the Council is its umbrella of programs, services and events which serve to upgrade the artistic and administrative quality of individual artists and arts organizations in the region.
Extending and Equalizing Access - The Council, sensitive to shifting demographics, as well as to economic, physical and cultural barriers throughout Florida's Panhandle, is committed to creating a more broad-based group of arts producers and consumers through increased options, exposure and educational opportunities in all parts of the region.
Preserving Cultural Pluralism and Promoting Diversity - The Council recognizes the need to nurture and support a multicultural diversity of art, heritage and cultural traditions which promote African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, and other ethnic and folk expressions of culture along side traditional Eurocentric art forms.
Creating a Nurturing a Cultural Environment - The Council is committed to supporting artists and arts organizations in urban, suburban and rural communities throughout Escambia County. Increasingly, these concerns include the development of cultural facilities and artists' spaces, information resources, technical assistance and training, initiatives for "underserved" communities, and support for new art forms.
Conduct Ongoing Cultural Planning - As the leading authority on cultural development and data analysis, the Council views cultural planning as its major role - from neighborhood initiatives to comprehensive regional planning - and values public participation in the planning process.