City of Stratford Municipal Cultural Plan
In 2022, STEPS Public Art was hired by the City of Stratford to build cultural and public art strategies for Stratford, Ontario. Through community engagement initiatives, consultations, focus groups, surveys, interviews, and other research methodologies, STEPS created the City of Stratford Municipal Cultural Plan (as well as the Downtown Stratford BIA Public Art Plan) to advance art and culture across the city.
Project at a glance
7
cultural exploratory tour participants
31
youth data gathering participants
35
focus group attendees
40
data gathering station participants
46
direct interview participants
130+
virtual community survey responses
312
cultural assets mapped
About the project
A cultural plan is a strategic document that identifies a city-wide vision for the development of culture into the future and provides clear guidelines to enable culture to thrive. In 2022, the City of Stratford hired STEPS Public Art as the lead consultant to conduct the City’s cultural planning strategies and create a cultural plan that will guide the City’s culture for a five-year period.
The cultural planning process included:
- Discovery–Defining Stratford’s culture through community engagement, research, and understanding of the City’s assets and needs
- Design–Analyzing findings and shaping the vision for culture in Stratford
- Delivery–Delivering the cultural plan for review and approval by City Council
The City of Stratford Municipal Cultural Plan was presented to City Council and approved in June 2023.
City of Stratford’s Guiding Principles
The City of Stratford Municipal Cultural Plan outlines guiding principles for cultivating culture within the community.
Vision: Stratford is a year-round cultural city cherished by residents and visitors alike, where cultural offerings celebrate diversity and inclusion and reflect the city’s unique community values and heritage.
Mission: The Municipality will support cultural initiatives, assets, and opportunities that inclusively elevate the quality of life in Stratford for current and future generations.
Guiding Principles:
- Inclusive
- Accessible and equitable
- Collaborative
- Engaged
- Committed to Reconciliation and Decolonization
- Cultural excellence
- Sustainable and resilient
Strategic Cultural Priorities
The City of Stratford Municipal Cultural Plan identifies four strategic priorities (also known as Pathways) that support the holistic vision of culture in Stratford:
- Strive for creativity and innovation
- Celebrate diversity and support inclusion
- Instill community pride through the promotion of a shared, authentic identity
- Further Truth and Reconciliation
In the full municipal plan, each strategic priority (or pathway) outlines guiding goals, recommendations, and potential action items.
Read the full cultural plan to view the City of Stratford’s pathways to fostering culture and community across the city.
Community Engagement Events
STEPS Public Art conducted the community engagement process to understand the current cultural landscape of Stratford, identify gaps and opportunities, and discover what culture means to the residents of Stratford.
Community engagement activities that shaped the City of Stratford Municipal Cultural Plan included:
- Exploratory tour of cultural resources
- Virtual and in-person focus groups
- One-on-one interviews with internal and external stakeholders
- Pop-up data gathering station through a series of hands-on activities
- Youth data gathering activity
- Virtual community survey
Downtown Stratford BIA Public Art Plan
The Downtown Stratford Business Improvement Area (BIA) commissioned a public art plan to guide the growth of public art in Stratford’s downtown core (in the absence of the municipal plan that was created in 2023). In May 2022, STEPS Public Art was hired to bring together community members to build a strategic vision for the development of public art.
Our community-led approach reached over 500 stakeholders, including:
6
local artists
9
arts/cultural organizations
7
property/business owners
30
tourists
7
City Staff, Councillors, and Advisory Committees
450+
local residents
The Downtown Stratford BIA Public Art Plan was developed through a phased engagement approach:
- Phase 1–Exploring and asset mapping to connect with stakeholders and identify potential challenges and opportunities
- Phase 2–Community outreach and participatory arts engagement to identify the role of public art in the city and create a vision for public art in Downtown Stratford
The Public Art Plan outlined approaches to public art pilot projects for short-term, mid-term, as well as long-term investment. A vision and guiding principles were developed, as well as an implementation plan for success. Other guidelines covered:
- Community engagement framework
- Project management and permits
- Public art acquisition and artist engagement approach
- Public art maintenance and remediation strategy
- Communications strategy
- Funding
The Downtown Stratford BIA Public Art Plan is available online.
STEPS and the Downtown Stratford BIA continue to work together on unique public art activations that engage local artists and bring vibrancy to the downtown core.
Artist credit: Kellen Hatanaka as part of the I HeART Main Street Program
Photo credit: Kris Von Kleist
“The knowledge that STEPS has to bring our art plan to reality is amazing. STEPS is like the coach of the team and helps manage the direction of a project extremely well. Every time we’ve worked with STEPS, I learn much more about the art world and working with artists.”
Partners
Have a great public art idea?
Our Cultural Planning service helps you realize your community’s public art goals and transforms your city. With our range of expertise and experience, we’ll guide your cultural planning and development from start to finish. Book a call with us today to learn more.