Introduction and Who We Are
Richmond Renaissance: A fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts and Media that is a collective of community leaders and artists dedicated to bringing arts to all residents in Richmond and a beginning focus of establishing and cultivating an Arts Corridor that is for our community and from our community.
Critical Impact Consulting: A consulting agency headed by Ratha Lai who has been a longtime community organizer and responsible for long lasting and impactful community initiatives that has improved Richmond, California and the broader national communities involved with environmental justice.
Kyndelle Johnson: Current Richmond and West Contra Costa County Resident who currently and has worked in roles pertaining to community engagement and Land Trust Management. She has grown memberships from zero to over a hundred people and led an effort to involve community members in real estate projects.
Independent Arts and Media (IAM): Founded in 2000, IAM built a vibrant array of accessible, affordable media and arts services for producers in the San Francisco Bay Area. IAM currently supports over 100 affiliate projects dedicated to non-commercial work in media and the arts, including publishing, theater, dance, music, visual art, film and video, journalism, history, and public events production.
Requested in the RFP
● Policy Review of existing background documents, including but not limited to the 2030 General Plan, updated Art Ordinances and Art Policies and Art Procedures, and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Fund Guidelines.
● Identify and recommend existing and new City support roles and resources, such as public art programming and temporary and permanent art commissions. ● Meaningful Community Engagement process that includes the neighborhood councils, small businesses, community based organizations, artists, and other community stakeholders. ● Arts Corridor Strategic Plan mission, vision and goals, boundaries and location areas, 12 priorities with 10-20-year financial forecast.
● As an additional and ongoing basis we will identify and cultivate additional funding sources outside of Richmond towards the Arts Corridor development.
Policy Review and City Recommendations
● The city would benefit from the work we have already done that would be applied to this project. ● Identified the American Relief Plan Act and the identification of Arts as a community priority from the community engagement report provided from that process. ● Identified the connection between the city’s effort for Traffic Calming Art and its connection to the city ● Completing a report on Urban Greening the Arts Corridor where we reviewed the City’s Urban Greening Master Plan and have conducted a report on how to integrate urban greening into the Arts Corridor.
● Several former Art Commissioners on the steering committee who will be advising and providing strategic feedback throughout the project.
Meaningful Community Engagement
● The city would benefit from the work we have already done that would be applied to this project.
● We have a network of community organizations in the arts already engaged in the Arts Corridor. We have had hundreds of conversations and several community meetings engaging the community.
● Our organizations will host community listening sessions that will tap directly into their membership base.
● Combined and collective reach in the arts community and bringing community partners together to collaborate and add community support towards the Arts Corridor.
Community Connections
● Arts Builds Community
● ARTSCCC
● Art at Vibe
● Black History Preservation - Richmond
● Bridges Art and Storage Space
● Community Leaders, Artists and Musicians
● Contra Costa Chorale
● East Bay Center for the Performing Arts
● NIAD Art Center
● Richmond Museum of History and Culture
● Richmond Art Center
● RYSE Youth Center
● Safe Organized Spaces (SOS)
● Spirit and Image Entertainment
● Tiny Village
● Visual Artists of Richmond
Media Interests
● Filmmaker: Babatunde
● Featured in the East Bay Express
Foundations
● Community Visions
● Lesher Foundation
● San Francisco Foundation
● Zellerbach Family Foundation
Conceptual Framework
● We have developed a conceptual framework for the Richmond Arts Corridor through our ongoing work on outreach since October 2022.
● The core values of our conceptual framework is to sustain, cultivate and unite our community with the Arts corridor.
● Using the framework will make it easier for stakeholders to have something to respond to and build on as opposed to starting from scratch and generate more in- depth feedback.
● We will incorporate feedback from the community engagement process into the conceptual framework.
● We will provide a feedback form that will be publically available online for anybody to provide written feedback on the arts corridor.
● Share and publicize conceptual framework to community members, neighborhood council members, and other stakeholders.
● 1 on 1 Follow ups: Along with sharing the conceptual framework, we will provide an automated link to schedule a one on one phone call and provide more in-depth feedback. ● Neighborhood Council: After a month, we will analyze the information collected, identify key themes, and present our findings at the neighborhood coordinating council meeting and gather feedback specifically in regard to the neighborhood council. ● Canvassing the Corridor: We will canvass the corridor to reach businesses and organizations directly in the corridor area. We will work with community organizations to gather information from their members, attend events to spread awareness and provide options for feedback, such as the community survey or attending a community listening session.
Step 1: Gather Feedback on
Conceptual Framework
Step 2: Host Seven
Community Listening Sessions
Organizations in our network will host a community listening session for their members.
Listening Sessions will engage community members to provide input through small groups, written feedback, and interactive brainstorming sessions.
We will include a graphic note-taker and ensure translations are provided as needed.
We will schedule and promote all the listening sessions throughout a two-month period.
These listening sessions will include
● General Public (Online)
● Working Artists and Cultural Practitioners
● BIPOC Youth and Educators
● Businesses and Small Business
● Art Organizations
● Residents
● Non-Profits and Anti-displacement groups
● + Neighborhood Council
● Once all the information is collected, we will analyze the data for trends, themes, considerations, and concerns.
● We will use the data and provide a list to the city of the attendees and participating organizations.
Step 3 Analyze information and incorporate
findings into the Strategic Plan
Community Engagement
Core Messaging and Framing:
Sustain: Honor and Preserve Richmond’s Cultural Heritage Protect and promote the rich cultural assets of Richmond’s diverse communities, especially Black and Brown residents, by ensuring that public art and cultural initiatives reflect and celebrate their histories, traditions, and way of life. Prioritize projects that empower local residents to shape the future of the arts corridor while preserving the essence of Richmond’s cultural identity.
Cultivate: Elevate Community Arts and Enrich Quality of Life Support and amplify local cultural traditions by creating opportunities for mentorship, artistic growth, and collaboration. Focus on fostering a thriving creative environment that enhances the quality of life for residents, using art to promote healing, joy, and connection across all neighborhoods.
Unite: Build Strong Partnerships and Community Collaboration Coordinate efforts between the city, local organizations, artists, and businesses to ensure a unified approach to revitalizing Richmond through the arts. Promote shared resources, foster community- driven decision-making, and strengthen partnerships that prioritize the empowerment and well-being of Richmond’s residents.
Stakeholders to Engage
● Artists
● Arts Organizations
● Cultural Practitioners
● Educators and Schools
● Funders
● Housing Justice Advocates
● Residents
● Small Businesses
● Youth
● Others as recommended
Strategic Plan
Strategic Plan Contents
Executive Summary: The executive summary will cover the purpose, process and highlights of the strategic plan.
Policy Review and Analysis: This section covers a policy analysis that reviews the City of Richmond’s policies and ordinances and how they impact the Arts Corridor. Policies we have reviewed as part of our process has been the American Relief Plan Act, Traffic Calming Initiative, One Percent for the Arts, Urban Greening Master Plan.
Values and Vision: This section will cover the values the Arts Corridor as well as the long term vision for the Corridor.
Arts Corridor priority projects: This section will list the priority projects of the arts corridor for each phase of the strategic plan. The priorities will be informed by the feedback from the community.
Conceptual Map: We will include a conceptual map of the arts corridor that will identify the project overlaid over a map.
Community Engagement Findings: This section will include the findings from the community engagement survey, and listening sessions.
Strategic Plan Contents
Implementation Plan: The implementation plan will include three phases of developing the arts corridor that will be differentiated in the level of financial investment and length of time. There is both a long term plan but also many opportunities to create and transform the designated area into an arts corridor within a year.
Phase 1: Quick Wins/High Return Low Risk Projects: This section will include identifying the location for transforming the visual aesthetic of the corridor. These examples would include renovating and developing new murals, street banners, art installations, traffic calming street art, urban greening projects, cultural events and activities.
Phase 2: Improving Existing Assets: This section will identify a list of improvement projects for city assets, buildings, parks, community assets and small businesses. Examples include the city auditorium, supporting small businesses, specific geographic focuses such as the BART to City Auditorium walk.
Phase 3: Capital Projects: This section will include large scale capital projects such as the purchasing and repurposing of buildings, purchasing land and development of mixed use business and affordable housing.
Economic Analysis and Financial Projections:
We will combine comparative benchmarking, scenario analysis, and bottom-up forecasting to create a comprehensive financial forecast for developing the Arts Corridor strategic plan.
Comparative Benchmarking: We will examine similar arts corridor projects or cultural districts for financial data and create a baseline forecast. This would include comparing visitor numbers, average revenue per visitor, rental income, and operating costs.
Scenario Analysis: We will also analyze different scenarios that would impact the comparative benchmarking, such as differentiating asset improvements and capital projects from one-time art murals and street painting projects
Bottom-up forecasting: We will also detail the projected costs of each phase, including the capital costs for improving existing assets and capital project costs for purchasing land or building acquisitions and renovations.
Financial Forecast and Economic Analysis
Existing Assets
City Property Address City Property Address
Richmond Main Post Office 1025 Nevin Ave Police/Fire Dispatch Center 326 27th ST.
Richmond Child Care 445 8TH ST Paratransit 2560 Macdonald Ave Richmond Museum of History and
Culture 400 Nevin Ave Engineering(Former) 2566 Macdonald Ave Nevin Community Center 598 Nevin Ave Richmond Senior Center 2525 Macdonald Ave Parking Garage 11TH & Nevin Ave Richmond Art Center 2540 Barret Ave Winter's Building 333 11th ST. Parks Department 3230 Macdonald Ave Civic Center Plaza 440 Civic Center Plaza Police Activity League (PAL) 2200 Macdonald Ave City Council Chambers 440 Civic Center Plaza Veterans Memorial Hall 968 23rd ST. Richmond Convention Center 403 Civic Center Plaza Community Assets Main Library 325 Civic Center Plaza East Bay Performing Arts Center 339 11th Street
Community Services Center 330 25th ST. NIAD Art Center 551 23rd St Housing Authority 330 24th ST. RYSE Center 3939 Bissell Ave Recreation Complex 3230 Macdonald Ave Vibe Bistro 1508 Macdonald Ave Suite B Parks Field Office 3201 Leona WY
Project Timeline and Checkpoints
Month 1: Share conceptual framework and gather feedback from stakeholders including neighborhood councilmembers.
Month 2: Community Engagement and Listening Sessions
Month 3: Analysis Integration of community feedback
Month 4: Strategic Plan Development
Qualifications
Richmond Renaissance
The Steering Committee has over 100 years of combined experience and is led by BK Williams, Bryan Alvarez, Michele Seville, Nava Mizrahhi, Florene Wiley, and Jenny Balisle. The group has also worked with advisors and mentors along the way, creating room for all interested parties.
Richmond Visual Artists’ Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez brings the artist group to the table with expertise and independent artists.
Richmond Renaissance operates with a Steering Committee using multiple levels of expertise in the arts including performance, visual, fine arts, arts advocacy and activism.
The group has come together over a 12 month period and has successfully engaged the community and moved the idea of an Arts Corridor from inception to a City Council approved action. The group has committees focused on fundraising, production, events, research and cultivation of communities in order to achieve success while strengthening the social and economic network in Richmond. They have partnered with the Richmond Police Department, all anchor arts organizations, and community members as excitement has grown over the Arts Corridor.
Qualifications
Critical Impact Consulting, Ratha Lai (Primary Consultant/Subcontractor) Interdisciplinary Community Engagement Strategies: Since 2009, Ratha has been developing and refining the best practices for community engagement that stem from cutting-edge theories from UC Berkeley, such as the use of framing and metaphors combined with traditional outreach practices such as equitable facilitation, active listening as well as strategies from businesses such as the lean experimental method as well as marketing strategies that all get implemented to ensure that every community engagement initiative is done with extreme attention to detail and thoughtfulness that empowers communities and make long-lasting change.
Successful Community Engagement Initiatives
● 2012 CA Statewide Community Listening Sessions:
● 2014-2017 Air District Community Engagement
● 2016 Richmond Our Power Festival
● 2017 Richmond People’s Assembly
● 2021 African Americans The Virus and the Vaccine
● 2022-2023 Spare The Air Resource Teams (Bay Area Air Quality Management District) ● 2023 AB 617 West Contra Costa Community Emissions Reduction Plan Committee Qualifications
Kyndelle Johnson ( Community Engagement Support),
Education and Background: A current Richmond West Contra Costa County resident, Kyndelle grew up in Richmond and El Cerrito and studied Spanish and Politics at Oberlin College. She specialized in international studies and took courses in sociology and art history to understand how artistic and cultural expression can build community power.
Successful Community Engagement Project
In her past role as membership coordinator at a Richmond-based housing organization, she spread local awareness about a movement toward community-owned housing. Using in-person outreach, digital organizing, and adult education efforts, she grew the membership to over 100 people. She coordinated a group of local leaders to champion real estate projects in their neighborhood. In advocating for community involvement and real estate development, she has used arts and culture to connect residents and local artists to share their stories to build understanding and power.
Qualifications
Independent Arts and Media ( Fiscal Sponsor)
Founded in 2000, IAM built a vibrant array of accessible, affordable media and arts services for producers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Early programs included fiscal sponsorship, the award-winning journalism project Newsdesk.org, and public events such as the annual Expo for the Artist & Musician. While independently managed, these programs shared core values of free expression, public participation and informed civic dialogue.
From 2000 to 2010, the Expo for the Artist & Musician served as a signature organizing and connection event for the Bay Area creative community and beyond, bringing in participants from as far away as San Diego, Portland, and the Sierras.
Over the years, IAM would go on to provide fiscal sponsorship to over 200 programs and producers that share our Mission. These programs have won distinguished awards and served crucial roles in empowering community participation in local culture and community.
IAM currently supports over 100 affiliate projects dedicated to non-commercial work in media and the arts, including publishing, theater, dance, music, visual art, film and video, journalism, history, and public events production.
Expenses Cost Discount Final Cost
Principal Consultant $50,000 $25,000 $25,000.00
Community Engagement Consultant $25,000 $15,000 $10,000.00 Steering Committee Participation $5,500 $5,500 $0.00
Community Organization Stipends for
hosting Listening Sessions $7,000.00
Visual Note Taker $1,500.00
Outreach Materials $500.00
Fiscal Sponsorship Fee $6,000.00
Total $50,000.00
Estimated Services Cost
Value Added Services
Marketing and Outreach
Our approach to marketing and outreach adds value by leveraging creative strategies to maximize visibility and engagement within the community. We recognize the importance of effectively communicating the Arts District project's mission, goals, and activities to a diverse audience. Through targeted messaging, creative content, and strategic partnerships, we aim to generate excitement, interest, and support for the project among community members, stakeholders, and potential collaborators. By amplifying the project's reach and impact, our marketing and outreach efforts build awareness, foster connections, and mobilize participation in the Arts District initiative.
Private Funder Engagement
Our engagement with private funders and foundations adds value by cultivating meaningful relationships and securing critical resources to support the sustainability and growth of the Arts District project. We understand the importance of this and believe this effort aligns with the mission and objectives of potential donors. We have already secured interest from several funders and will contribute to resourcing the Arts District’s programs and initiatives.
Value Added Services
Expert Volunteer Time
Our utilization of expert volunteer community leadership time adds value by harnessing the knowledge, skills, and passion of experienced individuals to drive the success of the Arts District project. We recognize the invaluable contributions that volunteers can make in providing expertise, guidance, and leadership across various aspects of the initiative. Whether through advisory roles, committee participation, or specialized project support, our approach empowers volunteers to leverage their unique talents and networks to advance the mission and objectives of the Arts District. By tapping into the collective wisdom and dedication of community leaders, we enrich the project with diverse perspectives, expertise, and resources, thereby strengthening its impact and sustainability for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Research Initiatives
We have two research initiatives happening right now that will be a value add for this project. Those two research initiatives include surveying how Urban Greening can be implemented into the Arts District/Corridor and conducting interviews with other Arts Districts locally and around the world to learn about best practices, lessons learned and promote Richmond’s visibility and connectedness to other Arts Districts.
Next Steps
Should we be awarded this opportunity we can start immediately by beginning to share the conceptual framework with stakeholders, conduct the review of policies and schedule the listening sessions with organizations in our network.
What we have learned in our outreach is our community is ready to start this now. There are already so many organizations doing amazing work and looking for a way to collaborate and develop a collective identity such as the Arts Corridor.