CANVAS Cultural Plan

Orange County and the City of Orlando are proud to announce "CANVAS: A Cultural Plan for the City of Orlando and Orange County", a comprehensive cultural plan aimed at harnessing the power of the region's diverse cultural assets and creating a roadmap for the future. This plan seeks to align and celebrate the area's unique and robust creative sector while fostering greater opportunity and sustainability.

A cultural plan is a long-term strategy to advance arts, culture, and creativity for the benefit of both residents and visitors. The plan is based on inclusive listening, public engagement, and thorough research into current conditions and opportunities within Orange County.

Throughout the planning process, Orange County residents had multiple opportunities to contribute their ideas and help shape the plan's aspirations and goals.

Timeline

The project unfolded in five phases:

Engagement and Research: July 2024 - January 2025

Cross County Site Visits
Cross Sector Workshop
County and City Leadership Discussions
Over 55 Stakeholder and Community Discussions
1. County Leadership
2. City of Orlando Leadership
3. Municipality Leadership
4. Main Street Directors
5. Libraries
6. Healthcare Leaders
7. Arts Education Leaders
8. Arts Organizations Leaders
9. Artists and Creatives
10. Corporate Leaders
11. Developer leaders
12. Faith Community
13. Funders
14. Staff Interviews
15. Teaching Artists
16. Tourism Sector
17. Social Service Organizations
27 members on the Steering Committee
Staff Engagement at events across County
Community survey with over 1,000 responses
Vision Board

People VALUE the arts and want to support the artistic community
1. 88% view arts/creative learning as essential for families.
2. 53% feel their culture is well represented in the arts and culture activities in their local area.
People PARTICIPATE in Orange County
1. 90% attend events within Orange County, 70% in the community in which they live and 20% in another community in Orange County.
2. 73% attend events in the City of Orlando most often, followed by Winter Park at 11%.
3. 84% favor increased local government funding to support arts, cultural and creative growth in the County.
4. Support for increased funding is strong among respondents residing in both the City of Orlando and elsewhere in Orange County.
Overall Priorities
1. Enhanced Cultural Identity
2. Creative market development for artists and makers
3. Arts as part of daily life and placemaking across the county
4. Spaces and community venues
5. Cross sector and governmental partnerships
6. Funding and sustainability
7. Marketing and awareness initiatives for impact

See CANVAS Plan presentation and acceptance at September 16, 2025 Board of County Commissioners meeting HERE.

This planning process was a collaborative effort led by the City of Orlando and Orange County. The Cultural Planning Group, a national firm specializing in arts and culture planning, was engaged to lead the process.

The Plan

Read the plan HERE. Click HERE to see its appendices.

See one-sheet overview of the CANVAS Plan HERE.

Plan Goals

At its core, CANVAS recognizes that The City of Orlando and Orange County's true strengths are in the intersection of artistic excellence, community connection, and strategic investment. The plan's goals reflect this understanding by focusing on both infrastructure development and human-centered approaches to cultural growth.

Goal 01

Position The City of Orlando and Orange County as Global Creative Leaders

Goal 02

Ensure Arts Access for All Communities

Goal 03

Catalyze Artists and the Creative Workforce

Goal 04

Strengthen Creative Placemaking and Public Art

Goal 05

Build Cultural Sector Resilience

Goal 06

Elevate the Arts as a Strategic Civic Partner

Progress

Click HERE to find information about upcoming CANVAS Cultural Plan Committee Meetings. The mission of this committee is “To steward implementation of the CANVAS Cultural Plan through action-centered community connections and partnerships.”

Contact Us

Vicki Landon, Administrator
Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1393
Orlando, Florida, 32802-1393
Offices: 450 E. South St., Suite 345
Orlando, Florida, 32801

Email: ArtsandCulturalAffairs@ocfl.net
Phone: (407) 836-5540

All e-mail sent to this address becomes part of Orange County public record. Comments received by our e-mail subsystem can be read by anyone who requests that privilege. In compliance with "Government in the Sunshine" laws, Orange County Government must make available, at request, any and all information not deemed a threat to the security of law enforcement agencies and personnel.