1stACT: San Jose’s Approach to Cultural Community Development
by Rebecca Ratzkin

In every project, we aim to engage a broad constituency of stakeholders and community members in all of our projects, soliciting commentary, ideas, criticism and reactions. We advocate partnership and collaboration, but there are times we and our clients struggle to become part of the wider conversation that many cities and communities undertake trying to answer the following question: how do we create a better quality of life for our citizens?

Arts and culture have repeatedly been cited as significantly contributing to a better quality of life, and yet arts leaders and organizations struggle to get to the table as leaders plan for their community’s future. Recent focus on the ‘creative class’, and research on individual artists’ role in regional economic development (Ann Markusen) have helped bring attention to arts and culture, but what are some of the strategies and potential outcomes of such attention, and what can one do to capitalize on this knowledge, build momentum, create audiences, members and donors?

In a recent conversation with Connie Martinez, director of Children’s Museum San José, we spoke about what she and her colleagues are doing to get to the table and actually direct the conversation. Martinez, in coordination with five other local arts and business leaders, co-founded 1st ACT (the ACT stands for Arts Creativity Technology). 1stACT is a “network of networks” that seeks to change the way downtown looks and how people experience it. These networks consist of various groups and individuals from small local arts organizations, such as San Jose Taiko and Teatro Vision, and larger institutions such as the San Jose Museum of Art and the Children’s Museum, to financial leaders such as the Vice-President of Investments, USB Financial, and community development organizations like American Leadership Forum.

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“We haven’t paid much attention to the aesthetics of the region,” she noted, “and quality of life is more of a factor in young people choosing places to live.” With commuting and remote networking, people can work from almost anywhere and people are more likely to choose a place to live, and a job, based on quality of life.  

Silicon Valley is no longer unique. Other Silicon Valley-esque regions (e.g., Boston and Seattle) provide multiple opportunities for high-skill tech and information workers and offer amenities – interesting and diverse urban environments, arts, entertainment and nightlife – that Silicon Valley arguably does not. “It’s about recruitment and retention,” Martinez notes. Not just for the high tech companies that still proliferate throughout the Valley, but for the arts and cultural organizations and artists as well. Martinez told us that “we get over 300,000 visitors a year, but a lot of visitors choose to come here and then leave right after, unlike Monterey where [they] make a whole day trip.” 1stACT promotes the vision of a Creative Urban Center where the streets are walkable and arts and entertainment activities readily available and accessible. Goals include extensive civic and business leader engagement in promoting and supporting the arts, increased understanding and development of funding activities (creating networks inherently enhances ability and scope of development efforts), and refashioning downtown into a cultural destination in order to attract new audiences and support a vital downtown economy.

As arts consultants and advocates we struggle to find new methods to involve the community in our planning efforts. In recognizing that the arts are part of a broader community and civic agenda, 1stACT takes the initiative in bringing others together using art, design and community pride as a vehicle to drive economic development and neighborhood revitalization.

We welcome your comments! Please check out their website at http://www.1stact.org and let us know what you think of their programming and other cultural development initiatives in your community.

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