HomeMy Public PortalAboutIntroduction and Exec Summary.docIntroduction and Executive Summary
The City of Tybee Island on April 14, 2005 re-activated the Tybee Island Fine Arts Commission as a means of managing the growth of the arts on the Island.
The City revised Municipal Code Chapter 7-4 Fine Arts and appointed a nine-member Fine Arts Commission to serve as an advisory group to the City.
Patricia Miller, Master of Arts Administration, New York University was named Chair of the Commission.
As a first step in fulfilling its mission, the Commission wrote and received a grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts to employ a consultant(s) to develop a Strategic Plan whose
ultimate goal is
to transform the City of Tybee Island from a community with scattered, disparate arts organizations and uncoordinated efforts for the arts into a community with a focus on building community
culture and promoting cultural tourism.
Additional goals of the plan are
To help create an identity for the Fine Arts Commission as a support system for all local arts groups,
To eliminate duplication of efforts, increase the sharing of ideas, promote resource sharing,
To increase advocacy for the arts and create a unifying force for a wide variety of arts expression to allow the achievement of collective goals.
The consulting firm of Blackmarr, Tibbetts & Associates of Tifton, Georgia, specialists in visioning, planning and marketing, was employed after a search of appropriate consultants to
conduct the planning process and develop the strategic plan.
Strategic Analysis
The consultants researched the history and current status of Tybee through individual interviews and contacts, printed documents, multiple web sites and community meetings. They also
reviewed the Georgia Department of Community Development Quality Growth Team's plan for the City in development to determine its implications and opportunities for the arts.
The information gleaned from this research revealed:
a small island city undergoing dramatic changes with the potential to destroy or dilute those elements which have attracted residents and visitors to its shores for decades.
many active and healthy cultural and cultural-related organizations, but no common threads or communication tools, which bind and strengthen those groups for the good of the community.
a rich historical bounty in architecture, museums and legends, but no locally organized plan for celebrating and sharing those riches.
a kaleidoscope of fun-focused events, but a dearth of viable alternatives which could provide a more balanced cultural community.
a business community with vast financial potential to support a lively arts city, but no plan for advocacy or education.
media professionals with a commitment to marketing Tybee cultural events, but no coordinated system among arts presenters and organizers.to share their information
a dynamic group of artists and advocates for the youth who live on and visit Tybee, but only minimal programs to develop budding creative talents.
nearly 1200 citizens 55 and over, but a limited range of arts programs for their specific interests.
SUMMARY
Tybee is a resort island which attracts more than 30,000 people in the summer months. Its full time residents number close to 4,000. The City is dependent on tourist dollars for its
economic well being. Its greatest strengths are its beaches, marshes and marine life - and its strategic location.
Only 18 miles from historic Savannah, which attracts 5 million visitors annually, Tybee's own unique history could be an even mightier magnet for the well-educated, well-heeled heritage
and cultural tourist, who would spend time and dollars on Tybee in the economically-challenged off season periods.
Travelers who include cultural events on their trips spend more time and money than other travelers - $631 vs. $457; are more likely to spend - $1000 -18% vs. 12%; use a hotel, motel
or a Bed and Breakfast - 62% vs. 56%; travel longer -
5.2 nights vs. 4.1 nights, and are more likely to shop- 44% vs. 33%.
The Strategic Cultural Plan for Tybee Island, then, addresses both the potential for cultural and heritage tourists and the need for a varied cultural life for its residents.