Iowa: 2014 Cultural Caucuses

The tradition of community dialogue and personal expression runs deep in Iowa, as Americans witness every four years when the state begins the nationwide presidential nomination process. Dynamic conversations about the future of the arts and culture are just as important to Iowans, which is why the Iowa Arts Council (IAC) has held the Iowan Cultural Caucuses every four years since 2001. The Cultural Caucuses are a legislatively mandated process through which arts stakeholders across Iowa convene to discuss issues facing arts and culture in Iowa and to inform recommendations for IAC and the Iowa general assembly regarding state arts policies and programs. The 2014 Cultural Caucuses will culminate in June at the Iowa Arts Summit, having begun last November with a series of IAC-facilitated regional conferences where stakeholders identified topics to be addressed at the statewide convening. The agenda of the 2014 Arts Summit—which is open to all citizens—focuses on how to better tell the story of the arts and culture in Iowa through audience engagement, but also includes sessions on why government should support the arts, the creative economy, rural development and strategic partnerships. For more information, contact IAC Division Administrator Matt Harris.