Say we wanted to start from scratch.
How would we build a neighborhood, city, metropolitan area, state, country, world where the arts permeated the place?
Can we think bigger than a non-profit organization, or even an arts council?
How do we work on the cultural policy and urban planning level?
Can we sit the artists side by side with the policy makers and the planners from the first meeting?
What might things look like then?
Some links to peruse:
The Motherlode – Compendium, a country by country look at cultural policy in Europe. You could write a dissertatation on the stuff in this site.
Look just a little bit under the surface there and you can check out:
National Cultural Canons as a Cultural Policy Response to Globalisation? (Does Portland have a cultural canon? That would sure be one way to establish a “Portland Sound”)
Interested in decentralization as a theme in Governmental policy? See Norway ” During the 1970s major efforts were made to decentralise the cultural policy and administration system in Norway. Cultural affairs committees were established in most municipalities, and the municipal authorities gradually appointed directors and secretaries of cultural affairs. A similar system was developed at the county level and new grant schemes were introduced. In this way, substantial responsibilities were decentralized in order to bring decision-making closer to the general population.”
Could that work in the states?
Or how about the way France went about it.
I like the term “devolution” to describe making smaller, more purpose-driven agencies out of big conglomerated ones.
There’s more here I’m sure, but this seems like a good place to start digging.
On the Territory 