Media Coverage

By Brad King, Vice President Lord Cultural Resources

The title of this article is the first line of the introduction to my New Directions for University Museums, an edited volume just published by Rowman and Littlefield. And it’s true. Wherever you look, university museums are pioneering new ways to interpret collections, to use objects as teaching tools or to deliver innovative programs to engage the communities in which they are located. In former times, many were small, niche organizations, unknown to but a few: today they are more relevant than ever.

When it comes to art and culture, some of Rockford's strengths are its diversity, its parks, its architecture and proximity to Chicago and Milwaukee.

Its weaknesses are low public awareness of the city's art scene, inadequate transportation, not enough affordable housing to draw more artists to the area and gaps in arts education particularly at the grade school level.

Those were some of the key findings of the developing Rockford Region Cultural Plan, shared Wednesday evening with about 140 people during the Rockford Area Arts Council's State of Culture event held at Veterans Memorial Hall.

"We want people in Rockford to see themselves and their communities in this plan," said Eve Moros Ortega, director of Lord Cultural Resources, the global cultural consulting firm preparing the plan's report. "I think that's the biggest thing because we really want people to understand — why arts and culture are of a benefit and why we're investing time and money in this."

ROCKFORD — The Rockford region can do more to strengthen awareness about local arts and culture. It can also use the arts to bolster neighborhood development.
Those are two of the recommendations laid out in a State of Culture report presented to about 80 people Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Hall. The report is a check-point of sorts in the development of the Rockford Region Cultural Plan, a process that started earlier this year to develop priorities to support arts and culture in the region.
“People want an identity for their neighborhood. They want a sense of place. They want to feel proud of where they live, and I really do believe that arts are the vehicle for that,” said Mary McNamara Bernsten, executive director of the Rockford Area Arts Council, which is working with the consulting firm Lord Cultural Resources to develop the plan.
“We recognize these opportunities as the jumping off point,” said Tiffany Lyons, a senior consultant with Lord Cultural Resources. “What we’re really looking for is that community buy-in. It is not just the (Rockford Area Arts Council) that’s going to be implementing this plan.”

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson's commitment to celebrating its rich cultural heritage, arts, and history takes center stage with the launch of ¡Somos Uno! A Cultural Heritage Strategy.

Lord Cultural Resources is jointly led by the Office of the Mayor and the Office of the City Manager and in collaboration with the Arts Foundation of Tucson and Southern Arizona. Project oversight is provided by a Steering Committee made up of citizens of diverse backgrounds representing the cultural heritage, arts, tourism, education and business communities and sectors.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (August 25, 2023) – The City of Charlotte and a community steering group are seeking public feedback on draft strategies for the Charlotte Arts and Culture Plan. The comprehensive plan will be implemented to sustain and grow the creative sector in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

This is an opportunity for the community to help shape the future of arts and culture by providing critical feedback on draft strategies developed by community taskforces; that feedback will be used by the steering group to refine the strategies for the final plan. Participants also will be asked to envision how they can participate in creating the future of the sector by helping to implement the plan in ways that are important to them.

During the session, residents will hear from City of Charlotte leaders and the consultant team from Lord Cultural Resources.

The Rockford Area Arts Council is organizing a series of workshops and public input sessions to explore what attracts entrepreneurs, artists, and creators to the Rockford region. These sessions aim to identify the area's artistic strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities as part of the development of a Rockford Region Cultural Plan. Participants will have the opportunity to share information about specific arts and culture sectors and discuss their role in the cultural plan, as well as find ways to highlight the unique offerings of the region. The plan will provide a comprehensive overview of the arts and culture events, programs, and initiatives in the Rockford region, fostering a sense of community among creators and spectators.

“We are so honored to be working with the unique and inspiring community of Rockford and look forward to hearing what Rockford needs and wants from this cultural plan. We invite all in Rockford to share your thoughts on ways that arts and culture are part of your life and help shape a creative and equitable vision for Rockford,” said Eve Moros Ortega, Director of the U.S. Office of Lord Cultural Resources, who will lead the planning effort.

Cultural Equity Plans are being created across the world and now one northern Illinois city is joining in. Some of its organizations, residents and other groups came together last week for the city’s first cultural plan conversation.

The Council and other community groups are partnering with LORD Cultural Resources. This global company started 40 years ago. It helps communities create cultural spaces. The Arts council has worked with this team since February.

Eve Moros Ortega is a director at LORD. She said the Americans for the Arts website is a great resource, and it explains the need for these plans.

“Each one of these little slices of the pie connects to actual studies," Ortega said. "So, when we talk about these outcomes, they are backed by data, and something really important, like why we are doing this?”

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Area groups begin a major initiative that will, hopefully, put the Rockford region on the map of Arts and Cultural hotspots.

At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, the Rockford Area Arts Council (RAAC) will host the first public meeting for the Rockford Region Cultural Plan at the Riverfront Museum Park in downtown Rockford.

Lord Cultural Resources, a consulting group based in New York City, will work with the RAAC and Rockford residents, to create the directory.

“It brings meaning to our lives arts and culture but it also has a tremendous amount of data around benefits in health, in education, in workforce development, in attracting employers,” said Eve Moros Ortega, director with Lord.

Nine state museums are the responsibility of the Louisiana lieutenant governor, and nine other sites are operated by the Secretary of State. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser wants to place them under the same umbrella and create regional entities to handle their management.

He’s bringing forward the strategy as widespread issues within the Office of State Museums (OSM), which the lieutenant governor oversees, are aired in a Legislative Auditor’s report released this week. The review found museums have operated without a strategic plan or detailed budget for years. Low employee morale was also cited in the audit.  

The audit report also pulls extensively from a 2019 study the Office of State Museums commissioned from consultant Lord Cultural Resources to review its governance structure. 

The firm found “the current governance structure creates political interference and tension, makes fundraising a challenge, and could risk OSM losing accreditation.” The Lord report also noted a “long-standing tension” between the museum board and the Office of State Museums.

Lord Cultural Resources, the world’s largest cultural professional practice, recently provided its expertise to the Abrahamic Family House project, a multi-faith campus opening on 1 March 2023 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.