HASTINGS — A local committee recently submitted a strategic plan and application to the Nebraska Arts Council to establish a creative district in downtown Hastings.
The creative district identified in Hastings is called the Heartbeat Creative District, and includes the downtown area, plus a few blocks extending beyond the typical boundaries of downtown to include nearby creative businesses and organizations.
Grant funding levels accessible through the creative district process include a $10,000 Creative District Certification Grant and $250,000
Creative District Development Grant, plus civic and community center financing fund made possible through a city application with the creative district partnership.
Creative Districts are designated areas that focus on funding for art and creativity. In Nebraska, creative districts are set by the Nebraska Arts Council.
Funding can be used for new efforts and opportunities for growth. Funding can also help sustain current efforts.
Hastings began pursuing the creative district designation at the end of 2022. Members of the Hastings City Council approved in December, 2022 submitting a letter of support to the Nebraska Arts Council on behalf of the Business Improvement District for the creative district development grant application.
Partners Undertaking Local Solutions for Expressions (PULSE) organized in 2023, and the Heartbeat Creative District project went through the Nebraska Arts Council eligibility assessment that same year.
PULSE includes representatives of the BID, City of Hastings, artists, representatives of businesses within the Heartbeat footprint and other interested individuals.
PULSE members also conducted a community survey in May that had 269 responses which were used to develop the strategic plan. This strategic plan was submitted to the Nebraska Arts Council in October 2024.
Key priorities identified in the survey include various topics such as marketing, cultural improvements, and downtown improvements. This includes focusing on areas of improvement such as targeting marketing efforts to certain demographics and preferred communication channels as well as supporting cultural events through the development of hardscaping (structures and sidewalks) and outdoor green or recreational spaces.
Marketing will be a key component going forward to ensure that citizens know about events and projects happening in the area. The $10,000 Certification Grant Award is intended to be used on various marketing aspects including hiring a consultant, creating a social media plan, and translating the creative district strategic plan into Spanish.
A consultant, preferably local, will be tasked with developing a marketing survey for the district. This survey is intended to help identify areas for marketing improvements as well as inform a future marketing plan.
Additionally, a social media plan, also created by the consultant, is intended to tie the Downtown Hastings identity to the Business Improvement District (BID) and newly created creative district through targeted outreach on the Downtown Hastings social media pages.
Furthermore, a vital component of marketing will be translating the strategic plan to ensure continued outreach and accessibility to the Hispanic community. One of the key findings from the SWOT analysis targeted towards the Hispanic community, completed in August 2024, was a lack of information available in Spanish.
Finally, the certification grant is intended to be used to develop various templates that will be used to develop and evaluate projects that the creative district will do. These templates will identify how a project achieves the creative district’s goals and show a clear path toward project completion.
For more information about the Heartbeat Creative District, go to: https://engage.cityofhastings.org/creative-district.
