Member Spotlight on the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County

Submitted by SuJ'n on January 3, 2017

To start the new year, this month GIA's photo banner features artists and work supported by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. Founded in 1973 by business owner and community activist Alexander W. Dreyfoos, the Council operates as a non-profit, membership-based corporation and administers $4.5 million in grants annually partly through the management of tourist development taxes in contract with the Palm Beach County government. The Council is the designated agency for arts and culture in the county, serving nonprofit organizations and artists, supporting arts and cultural education, and providing capacity-building training and advocacy for arts funding and policies.

Cultural planning will be a significant focus for the Council in 2017. The Council is embarking on a multi-faceted planning initiative with the Palm Beach County’s cultural sector, which is Florida’s largest per capita. Bringing strategic planning experts, arts administration leaders and coalition builders together to work on groundbreaking strategies will lead to the commencement of several major initiatives including increased funding for the arts and the elevation of the cultural sector as a community priority.

"It’s an exciting time of growth and planning at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County," shares Jan Rodusky, the Council's Chief Grants Officer.

Another major project the Council is funding is the creation of a cultural plan for downtown Lake Worth that will bring prosperity to the area via arts-related strategies that bring artists and arts-related businesses to the city and deliver new programs. One such program called Arts in My Backyard brings arts integration to neighborhood after-school programs, field trips to the Council’s galleries, Family Saturdays, and an outreach program.

These developments alongside the breadth of other projects the Council supports, and the programs and services it provides, ensure that Palm Beach County continues to be a thriving cultural community for its 1.4 million residents and a key cultural destination for visitors.

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County has been a GIA member since 2011.

Learn more about the Council and its grant programs.

You can also visit the photo gallery on our Photo Credits page.