Des Moines Sun

The Windsor Heights City Council recently received a presentation from the Bravo Des Moines community arts and culture organization.

During the a Windsor Heights council meeting, officials welcomed representatives from Bravo Des Moines, an organization for the great Des Moines area dedicated to providing funding, resources, and support for arts and culture in the community. It was started in 2004 by nine partner municipalities and has since grown to include 17 local communities. 

Since it's inception, Bravo Des Moines has facilitated $50 million in funding, and in 2022 the organization funded 78 cultural programs in 11 of the 17 partner communities. The organization has planned an economic impact study, which was postponed due to the current impacts from the pandemic and economic volatility. 

Bravo’s Executive Director Sally Dix shared some recent successes of the organization and the group's new strategic plan, which would be guiding their efforts for the next three years, through 2025. 

"The arts and culture are uniquely positioned to advance those regional priorities," Dix said at the meeting. "So everything from talent attraction, retention, workforce diversity, equity and inclusion, these are the four things that guide our work to make sure that we're alive to culture. So we have everyday, everywhere art: more art, more places, more people. We are strengthening the creative economy, making sure our creative professionals feel connected to the resources available in the community, to other small businesses and other professionals. We certainly want to make sure that everyone that lives in our community sees themselves in the arts, culture and heritage that is presented and represented and funded especially with public dollars. And then, of course, youth connections. We know that more access to arts and culture that people have, it makes them better grownups."

The new strategic plan has four pillars: Support, Connect, Amplify, Cultivate. They want to support by investing in specific and strategic cultural programs and organizations in the community, continuing their excellent grant support work. The connect aspect looks to build relationships with additional programs and organizations, but also between some of their partner groups, so that they can support and grow with each other’s help and resources continually. Amplify is their focus on showcasing and promoting cultural and heritage arts in the community, making sure all people groups are heard and celebrated. Finally, cultivate is to create opportunities for future leaders and artists to step into, making change for the rest of the community to follow.

The council pledged its continued support and funding for the program.