June 18th  |  Arts & Artists Focus Group

Key Takeaways

• While maintaining local flair is important, Panama City should be open to the opportunity for change. Allowing for traditional architecture and style to be developed alongside new styles will help to make Panama City an eclectic destination.
• Artists and the arts need to be supported as ends in themselves, not just as means for community engagement and entertainment.
• Multipurpose public spaces, such as amphitheater/performance center hybrids, are a great way to serve artists and the community.
• Panama City has the opportunity to serve as a destination center for annual arts-related events. How can annual events, and things that generate recurring revenue streams for the arts and local community, be leveraged?
  ○ Example: Floriopolis
• This group is uniquely positioned to make things happen in the short term. We can see incremental progress rapidly. One venue that was mentioned was the Bay County Arts
  alliance, and the space offered by Trigo.