Residents Driving Change : Community Vision and Voice : Building an Arts District

The Center for Community & Cultural Arts

In early 2010, a series of focus groups were held with local residents and artists to discuss how to promote and support the arts in The Village. They expressed interest in a partnership with the cultural institutions in Balboa Park. At the time, several of the institutions were creating plans to broaden their audience base. The feedback was enthusiastic and the Center for Community & Cultural Arts (CCCA) was born, with museum directors from the Balboa Park institutions joining the team of residents and artists in a Learning Partnership.

The Partnership has adopted eight “understandings,” stating that art helps people: discover their gifts and talents, shift their understanding of themselves and their world, feel honored and valued, think creatively, discover their human connection, build trust and caring relationships, and move from individual activities to collective action. To support the creation of the two-way bridge, the Partnership is currently developing joint exhibitions and programming that will take place in the summer of 2011. Through this work, the partners will gain greater understanding of the space and programming needs of the Center for Community & Cultural Arts. Based on these learnings, the model for the Center – including staffing, programming, space and budget needs – will be developed.