Art & Culture Community Workshop to Be Held at Truman Waterfront Park
Planning is underway to enliven the recently completed Truman Waterfront Park with public art, events, and community involvement to help reimagine and shape the park. A fun, family-friendly workshop will be held on Wednesday Oct. 3, from, 5 to 7 p.m. on board the USCG Ingham that encourages community input to develop the “Art and Culture Master Plan” for the park.
The City of Key West received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town grant to hire a planning consultant who will assist with this Arts & Culture Master Plan for the park. This 8-month planning effort will look at existing arts and cultural organizations and events in the city and assess the needs and desires of residents, visitors, and others as related to Truman Waterfront Park. The plan seeks to strengthen Key West’s historic Old Town community through public art and creative placemaking in and around the newly-opened park. The goal is to further develop the park as an exceptional community gathering place that integrates public art, local culture, ecological principles, and the community.
The City has used the NEA grant funding to hire CivicMoxie, a planning and arts and cultural consultant to lead the planning process. A key goal of the project is to reach out to the community to understand how people use the park and their desires for the future to ensure park art, events, and placemaking serve residents and visitors. The consulting team is working closely with the City and with the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, as well as two cultural partners – The Studios of Key West and the Bahama Village Music Program – and a 10-person Park Arts Vision Team comprised of local artists and creatives in order to ensure the plan is grounded in local knowledge and is a reflection of the community.
At Wednesday’s event, there will be a presentation at 6 p.m. on the USCGC Ingham Afterdeck at Truman Waterfront Park. Light refreshments will be served.
