Art and Culture

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announces county's first Arts and Culture Liaison. 

Click here to read the entire press release. 

Committee Accomplishments

The Shelby County Nonprofit Committee brought together nonprofits across varied sectors to share concerns and draw attention to issues that are barriers to residents’ success. We collectively identified major issues per sector and identified ways to address a part of a systemic problem. This is a different approach. Our focus has been on narrowing a focus, coming up with a project that chips away at a big problem, that’s achievable in a year. Previous projects in this sector include:

  • Problem: Advocacy and representation of and for the arts were missing in the public sector. We are the only city and county of our size that doesn’t have a formal office of staff member devoted to arts and culture.
  • Strategy: The Art and Culture Committee researched and developed a plan to create an Arts and Culture Liaison position to advocate for this important sector and create more coordination, funding opportunities, and a stronger and more sustainable sector. We welcome Nykesha Cole, our new Liaison for Arts and Culture, in July 2022. 
  • Problem:Awareness of Art and Culture Contributions are lacking in the county. Many residents don’t know about the breadth of art and cultural organizations around the county and in their own neighborhood.
  • Strategy: The Art and Culture Committee created a large scale arts awareness campaign to generate pride and enthusiasm for this sector that was hit the hardest amongst nonprofit organizations during Covid-19, culminating in a series of events.

Participating Nonprofits