City of Boulder Releases Boulder Arts Blueprint

The City of Boulder is releasing the Boulder Arts Blueprint, a community-informed plan to guide and strengthen the city's arts and cultural ecosystem over the next 10 years. Developed over 18 months with input from more than 2,000 community members, the Blueprint connects vision to action through policies, funding strategies, programs and partnerships. It provides a clear roadmap for sustained investment while outlining practical steps to support artists, creative businesses, neighborhoods and cultural life across Boulder.

The Boulder Arts Blueprint is intentionally aligned with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan update, serving as an implementation-focused framework that advances its long-term vision through the lens of arts, culture and creativity. Together, the plans reflect a shared understanding that arts and culture are not standalone amenities but essential civic infrastructure that support equity, economic opportunity, community wellbeing and regional resilience.

The Blueprint is grounded in a community-driven vision for the arts:

Creative expression is at the core of Boulder. Creativity energizes and renews Boulder's spirit. It is central to the city's sense of self, to its quality of life, to its global reputation. Here, the arts are supported and seen; here, culture threads the fabric of everyday life. Here, talent is nourished, cultural heritage honored and risk-taking embraced.

The plan is organized around seven goals:

• Accessibility and Inclusion: Ensure cultural amenities and creative experiences are widely available and accessible to all Boulder communities.
• Entrepreneurship and Workforce: Make resources, programs and training available to build pathways for creative enterprises and entrepreneurship.
• Reputation and Identity: Celebrate arts, culture and creativity as central to Boulder's identity, reputation and attractiveness.
• Public Art and Public Space: Expand public art and creative expression across public spaces
• Nonprofits and Institutions: Amplify the impact of the nonprofit cultural sector to strengthen sustainability, partnerships and collaboration.
• Experimentation and Innovation: Incentivize cutting-edge, innovative and experimental practices.
• Scenes and Affinities: Recognize and nurture organic creative communities and "scenes."

"Creativity is part of Boulder's character and helps define what makes our community exceptional," said City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde. "The Arts Blueprint reflects what we heard clearly from our community - that creativity is not a luxury, but an essential part of how we live, connect and thrive. This plan invites us to recognize that value, invest in it and carry it forward together."

Community members are invited to celebrate the launch of the Boulder Arts Blueprint at a free public eventon April 12, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m. at KGNU's new facility (1720 14th St.). Accessible parking options are available, and public transit is encouraged. The event will close out Boulder Arts Weekand feature opportunities to meet artists, hear from speakers and learn about upcoming programs from the Office of Arts and Culture.

On March 25, 2026, the Boulder Arts Commission approved the Boulder Arts Blueprint. It will go before City Council during the April 9 study session.

To read the Boulder Arts Blueprint and learn more, visit the Arts Blueprint Hub.

Image Credit: Mariposa Collective, photo from RESONANCE by Virginia Harold, "Cubania," by Jesus Munoz and Micaela Sabbi