New exhibit showcases The Road to Iowa’s Great Places
For Immediate Release January 12, 2006
(DES MOINES, Iowa) – A new exhibit showcasing Iowa’s Great Places — including 146 participating places, 73 offer presentations and the three pilot Great Places — opens next week at the State Historical Museum.
The Road to Iowa’s Great Places offers a close-up look at the cultural attractions, historic preservation, recreational opportunities and other unique and authentic qualities that make each of the participating communities great places to live, work and play. It opens Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at the State Historical Museum, which is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. The State Historical Museum is at 600 E. Locust Street in the heart of Des Moines’ Historic East Village.
“This exhibit captures the essence and character that make Iowa great,” Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Anita Walker said. “Visitors will be able to follow the timeline this program took during its first year, pick up each offer and peruse the presentation materials each community submitted to the Great Places Citizen Advisory Board. They’ll also see displays created by the three pilot places— Clinton, Coon Rapids and Sioux City — that highlight the framework of their Great Places visions and plans.”
Iowa Governor Thomas Vilsack announced the Great Places program last year, setting an aggressive time frame for bringing Iowa’s communities and state agencies together in a new kind of partnership that leverages state programs and builds on local cultural, historic, recreational and other assets.
“This program identifies and streamlines access to state government programs and delivers high-impact results for Iowans,” Walker said. “As we continue to move through this learning process, Clinton, Coon Rapids and Sioux City leaders are working closely with state agencies to identify the programs that can be brought into play to achieve their visions.”
Each of the 146 places participating in the program invited state “coaches” to help them create presentation offers to the Great Places Citizen Advisory Board, which carefully considered proposals from 73 communities before naming Clinton, Coon Rapids and Sioux City as pilot places. Vilsack is expected to sign letters of agreement with the three pilot places during the Iowa Cultural Coalition’s Cultural Advocacy Day January 24, 2006, at the State Capitol.
In selecting the pilot places, the advisory board considered the following criteria: a unique sense of place; engaging experiences; a rich, diverse social fabric; a vital, creative economy; a pleasing environment; a strong foundation; and a creative culture. The board also reviewed each place’s degree of readiness to move forward with implementing the offer.
The program is designed to move Iowa deeper into the “creative economy,” which builds on the synergy created by cultural workers — artists, musicians, authors, graphic designers, architects, bookstore and café owners, and others — who want to live, work and create jobs in communities that offer cultural, historic, recreational and entertainment opportunities.
In his Condition of the State address on Tuesday, Vilsack proposed $1.5 million
for the program in FY07, including $1 million in gap funding for infrastructure
projects. Additional information about Iowa Great Places is available at www.iowagreatplaces.gov.
###
