North Carolina: SmART Cities / SmART Towns Initiative

The North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC) is spearheading a collaborative initiative for arts-driven economic development: SmART Cities/SmART Towns. SmART Cities/SmART Towns is about using the arts, design and culture to strengthen the economies of North Carolina’s communities. A task force comprised of business, civic, government and arts leaders recently released a draft framework for the initiative, which is designed to shape policy and practice at both the state and local levels. The framework recommends the pursuit of policies, partnerships, resource development and coordinated information dissemination in six key areas:

place-based economic development
public art
cultural districts
tourism partnerships
government support
private investment

NCAC is coordinating the initiative and will manage a pilot program demonstrating the approach. Towns and cities with existing arts clusters, significant cultural traditions, and strong arts and civic leadership will be selected for participation in the pilot. For more information, contact NCAC Public Art and Community Design Director Brendan Greaves.