History
It was an “age of collaboration” said Helen Stanton, a founding member of the Visalia Arts Consortium, as she described its early years. The Consortium was formed in 1993 when then City employee Mimi McKell reached out to members from the Creative Center, the Ice House theatre, the Art League, and the Symphony. Stanton recalled that at the time, Visalia had consistent support for performing arts, but visual artists struggled just to find exhibit space. For years, the Consortium was an informal group often holding meetings with less than 5 members. By coming together, the consortium found partners in businesses who started to open their doors for artists to show their work. They also secured weekly coverage of local artistic events in the city newspaper. A renewed interest in collaboration and coordination has sparked recent growth at the Consortium amongst the art community, downtown businesses, and the City of Visalia. Meetings take place at the Creative Center, a renowned facility that offers state of the art programming for adults with disabilities, the first Tuesday of the month. 

Vision 
Recognizing the contribution of the arts, culture, and heritage to a city’s image, the city council retained a consultant to create a Cultural Plan in 2006. Representatives from the arts community, business, education, and city staff discussed their priorities and their goals.  The public was also invited to share their thoughts through multiple forums, a survey, and a Town Meeting.  The consultant conducted an in-depth analysis of demographics, Arts, and Culture in Visalia, and reported back with what is The Cultural Plan, which includes specific recommendations to enhance the Arts and Culture of Visalia.  The city strongly desires to achieve community beautification, neighborhood preservation, promotion of cultural tourism, and programs for at risk youth.  The Cultural plan outlines specific ways to support these goals, and The Arts Consortium is playing an active role following and implementing these guidelines to benefit residents of Visalia and the surrounding communities. Click here to review this document in its entirety. Visalia Cultural Plan