Background

The Delaware Division of the Arts partnered with the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement to develop a new strategic plan for 2021–2025 that identifies and incorporates the ideas, issues and initiatives of Delaware’s arts community including its artists, organizations, audiences and educators.

This strategic plan will reinforce and recognize the value of the arts as it relates to economic prosperity, education, strong communities, and individual health and wellbeing.

A primary focus in this planning process has been to identify ways in which the Division can better serve and elevate the arts sector in an equitable manner to cultivate expanded diversity and inclusion in programming, access, and allocation of resources.

The public input process included one-on-one phone and virtual interviews with individuals, focus groups, multiple online surveys and virtual town halls.

In late February 2021, a draft of the Division’s new Strategic Plan for 2021–2025 was released for public input, and in June 2021, the final plan will be formally approved by the Delaware State Arts Council and printed and published on the Division’s website here.

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Completed Activities

One-on-one interviews

Completed October 2020

Thirty interviews with national and state leaders and stakeholders whose work exemplifies areas of interest to the Division, reveals important trends that can shape the Division’s future work, or offers visionary ideas that provide inspiration for the plan. The selected individuals will represent the diversity of Delaware’s communities.

Focus Groups

Completed October 2020

Focus groups will represent a variety of perspectives, including:

• Arts organizations
• Arts-related businesses
• Community-based arts education
• Community-based arts programming
• Foundations/Donors
• Individual Artists
• Media/Communications
• School-based arts education 

Virtual Town Halls

Completed November 2020

The town halls will focus on various themes that emerge from the one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and Division Strategic Planning Working Group.  Town halls are designed to:

• Be conducted as Zoom sessions, during which all Delaware constituents will have an opportunity to provide input
• Engage all interested Delawareans to participate in one or more meetings to have their thoughts and opinions heard
• Provide a safe space to contribute to the discussion

Online Surveys

Completed December 2020

Online surveys will collect input in a variety of categories, including:

• Arts patrons and donors
• Artists and arts educators
• Arts and community-based organizations providing arts programming
• Non-arts organizations that do not provide arts programming, but recognize its value in their communities

Public Comment Period

Completed March 2021

• Draft Plan: DDOA_2021-2025_Strategic_Plan_Draft.pdf
• Draft Plan Appendix:DDOA_2021-2025_Strategic_Plan_Appendix.pdf

Following review of the comments and final editing, the final plan will be formally approved by the Delaware State Arts Council and printed and published on the Division’s website here.

For More Information

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The Delaware Division of the Arts is pleased to present Design Delaware 2.0, our strategic plan for FY2016-FY2020. With input from more than 900 participants statewide, this plan represents the goals and aspirations of the people we serve. View the Design Delaware 2.0 plan. This plan, with Council approval, was extended to FY2021 in order to align new strategic plans with Delaware’s four-year gubernatorial cycles.