Flagstaff Arts Council is now Creative Flagstaff. Announced at the 13th Annual Viola Awards in June 2021, our new name reflects boundless creativity and an interdisciplinary spirit. It also describes a movement by which we strengthen our community by investing in our creative economy.

Our mission is to foster creative opportunity.

A lot is embodied in those simple words. Creativity as a concept broadens our perspective to value all forms of creative process and discovery, not just the formal arts.

Opportunity represents a commitment to enriching lives and building community through the creativity of others and supporting professional and personal creative practice.

Our vision is that Flagstaff is a vibrant creative community at the intersection of arts & science.

More than two decades ago, the City established the BBB supported Art & Science Fund, then known as Flagstaff Cultural Partners, Creative Flagstaff signed a contract to be art, cultural, and science agency on behalf of the City to provide leadership and manage BBB grant funds. We continue that legacy today and embrace the unique convergence of art and science in Flagstaff.

Our History

Initially known as Flagstaff Cultural Partners, Creative Flagstaff was born from a cultural needs’ assessment sponsored by the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce in 1996. In 1997, the chamber’s Arts, Business & Culture Committee focused on the formation of a Local Arts Agency.

Initially billed as a “United Way for the Arts,” the founding purpose of Flagstaff Cultural Partners shifted and expanded when the Coconino Center for the Arts announced its impending closure in March 1997. Modeled after Arlington Arts Incubator in Arlington, Virginia, Creative Flagstaff’s role as a local arts agency coalesced around the revival of Coconino Center for the Arts as a venue and hub for Flagstaff’s arts community.

Our Approach

In 2021, a dynamic new strategic plan reflecting our role as the stakeholder-stewards of Flagstaff as one of the southwest’s most creative cities was adopted.

Throughout our history, Coconino Center for the Arts has anchored our programming. Our new approach guides the agency to focus more broadly on the entire community with the creation of an Advisory Board to oversee operations of Coconino Center for the Arts.

As an umbrella agency, we focus on capacity building and differentiate between ongoing programming at Coconino Center for the Arts and catalytic programming such as the proposed Dark Sky Arts & Ideas Festival.

To learn more, please read our strategic plan and action plan.

Creative Flagstaff’s employs a dedicated team of professionals and experienced administrators to fulfill its programming, outreach, and community investment goals.

Creative Flagstaff’s Board of Directors serves as the governing body of the organization overseeing policy, financial and program strategy. Our staff and board are supported by a series of targeted committees dedicated to realizing our goals and priorities.

Financial Stewardship

Creative Flagstaff looks forward to the return of regular in-person programming. With the guidance of our strategic plan, future budgets post pandemic will represent diversified revenue as the organization grows to support new programs and initiatives.

Due to pandemic-driven uncertainty, the Creative Flagstaff board of directors adopted quarterly budgets for its current fiscal year which ends June 30, 2021. The current budget, reflected below, represents all four quarters and was adopted on March 24, 2021.

Important Documents

Explore our current vision & goals in the strategic plan, learn about our yearly achievements in our annual reports & study the research that guides our decisions.

Strategic Partnerships & Memberships

Creative Flagstaff was founded as a partnership between government, educational, and private organizations in 1999, then known as Flagstaff Cultural Partners. Many of those partnerships endure to this day.

Partners:

• City of Flagstaff / Flagstaff Convention & Visitors Bureau*
• Coconino County*
• Coconino Community College*
• Northern Arizona University*
• Flagstaff Unified School District*

*Indicates founding partner.

In 2021, Creative Flagstaff updated its bylaws to include a more flexible partnership framework.

We actively participate in and support local, regional, and national organization’s efforts to invest in our creative economy.

Memberships:

• Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce*
• Americans for the Arts
• Grantmakers in the Arts
• Arizona Citizens for the Arts

CCA features live events, exhibitions, workshops, and more, presenting creative endeavors across the arts, sciences, and humanities. Visit CCA’s website for information about the facility including rental information.

Flagstaff365.com is Flagstaff’s event calendar. Presented in partnership with Discover Flagstaff, the City’s tourism agency, the calendar features everything from festivals to classes.

First Friday ArtWalk FLG brings Downtown Flagstaff to life every first Friday of the month. Art galleries and businesses open their doors to the community with special art exhibitions, performances, live music, treats, and more. ArtWalk FLG is a partnership program of Creative Flagstaff & the Downtown Business Alliance.

Providing a regional and national platform for local artists, creatives, and thinkers, ARTx is an annual, accessible community opportunity to engage with the arts in an immersive and interactive way.