Sustainability and Arts & Culture

Our lively, dynamic arts and culture environment keeps Orange County a leading place to work and play. Art and culture helps to attract and retain creative industries and can inspire creativity and innovation in businesses. It can build bridges between the diverse elements of our communities and enhance the tourism experience of international guests and domestic visitors.

Involvement Opportunities

Sculpture on the Orange County administrative building lawn at night

Progress on our goals & strategies

Goal 21: Our Arts Organizations Are Well-Established And Stable

Arts & Culture Progress Table, Goal 21
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2019	Progress
1.	Restore contributions from Orange County's general fund to $1 per capita	Long	Task complete. Achieved goal of restoration to $1 per capita from General Fund.	100% complete
2.	Dedicate at least $2 million from TDT revenue to renovate, repair, and build cultural facilities	Medium	The new ARC of the TDC allocated over $50 million. On-going effort.	100% complete
3.	Create an incubator fund/program to support growth of culturally diverse organizations and initiatives	Long	New funding to United Arts will encourage culturally diverse organizations, but no formal incubator fund has been established.	25% complete

Goal 22: Cultural Events And Venues Are Well Attended

Arts & Culture Progress Table, Goal 22
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2019	Progress
1.	Invest in making cultural centers accessible to locals and tourists, providing public transit options and diversity of uses	Long	Previously, hours and schedules were added to SunRail for special events.	50% complete
2.	Increase tourist awareness by promoting cultural and arts offerings to hospitality industry and transit providers	Medium	A new County contract will require Visit Orlando to do more promotion.	75% complete
3.	Create a unified, centralized marketing campaign for arts organizations	Medium	Marketing through Orlando At Play.com continues.	50% complete

Goal 23: Our Cultural Reputation Is International

Arts & Culture Progress Table, Goal 23
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2019	Progress
1.	Host large-scale, blockbuster events	Medium	The "Pompeii" exhibit at the Science Center and Creative City Project's IMMERSE festival have both been funded. On-going effort.	100% complete
2.	Support noteworthy public art	Long	Active public art program/committee, includes Sculpture on the Lawn, Art in Chambers, public buildings, etc. On-going effort.	100% complete
3.	Build architecturally significant cultural venues and government buildings	Long	Several new County facilities in the early planning stages, offer an opportunity for architecturally significant design. A new Cultural Community Center in District 6 is being designed. Although there is minimal opportunity for special features on the exterior of the building due to property restrictions, there is an emphasis to showcase cultural diversity inside the building through the finishes.	50% complete

Goal 24: Arts Education Is Excellent

Arts & Culture Progress Table, Goal 24
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2019	Progress
1.	Turn STEM to STEAM—recognize the arts as an essential component of curriculum	Long	Although OCPS is not a STEAM district, the arts is recognized as an essential component of the curriculum by mandating it at every school and working to guarantee equitable access for every student. OCPS has the highest enrollment rate of any of the large urban Florida districts.	75% complete
2.	Attract top-tier art educators	Long	The OCPS Visual and Performing Arts team recruits arts educators from major arts education colleges and universities across the country and attends recruitment conferences. Two OCPS Music Educators were recent finalists for the Grammy Music Educator of the year award; an excellent example of the high-caliber arts educators at OCPS.	75% complete
3.	Expose students to professional-levels arts, in school and off campus	Long	OCPS continues to forge strong partnerships with community arts organizations to expose students to professional arts in school and off campus. Well over 100,000 students experienced arts outside of the classroom last year and the district continues to cover the cost of many arts related fieldtrips.	75% complete

Goal 25: The Arts Support Environmental Sustainability

Arts & Culture Progress Table, Goal 25
	Strategy	Time Frame	Strategy Progress Information for 2019	Progress
1.	Use artistic solutions to solve environmental problems	Long	Will be conducting a sustainability survey for arts organizations to address both the natural and human environment.	50% complete
2.	Create an ordinance to preserve historic structures and places	Medium	No progress to report.	25% complete
3.	Engage the community in using sustainable approaches to facilities and events	Medium	Will be conducting a sustainability survey for arts organizations to address both the natural and human environment.	75% complete

Our Target Measurements

This table describes how Orange County measures progress on our Sustainability goals.
Arts & Culture Indicators	Baseline	Last Reported	Current	Assessment	Target 2020
Recurring Predictable Funding	FY 2010 $2,266,000	FY 2017 $4,900,000	FY 2018* $5,300,000 *includes added adjustment	Good Progress	3% of the 1st 4 cents of the Tourist Development Tax
Average Cash Reserves (days) (overall, mean average)	2010 69 days	FY 2017 82 days for UA-funded orgs 57 days for 15 large-budget orgs	FY 2018 113 days for UA-funded orgs 83 days for 15 large-budget orgs	Good Progress	90 days
Annual attendance to arts and cultural events	FY 2010 3.5 Million	FY 2017 3.7 Million	FY 2018 4.0 Million	Good Progress	5 million
OCPS schools have Certified Visual and/or Performing Arts (VPA) Teachers	2010-2011 533 VPA teachers 6 schools without	2016-2017 708 VPA teachers 0 schools without	2017-2018 740 VPA teachers 0 schools without	Good Progress	At least one per school

Want to get involved?

Maintaining and enhancing Orange County’s position as a leader in arts and cultural attractions will provide vibrant experiences for both local residents and the millions of tourists who support our economy. See the many offerings we have throughout the County.

Take it all in!

Choir singing in the middle of a stadium

Be inspired by performances in dance, music and theater. You’ll find amazing entertainment around the County for a variety of interests. The energy, enthusiasm and creativity will make you want to visit again and again.

Discover Public Art

Sculpture on the Orange County administrative building lawn

Visit the many pieces of public art around the County and educational exhibits. Plus, there are exciting festivals throughout the year celebrating the talents and cultures of our residents.

Making History

Children standing for a photo in front of the Orange County Regional History Center

The Orange County Regional History Center is a place where residents can learn about our history and about the special topics offered through traveling exhibits. There are classes for adults, summer camps for kids and special activities for groups. Travel through time at the History Center and experience the thrill of adventure.

Funding Opportunities & Grants

Visit the Arts & Cultural Affairs Funding page to see what opportunities exist in support of the arts.