Staff reports
The City of Beaufort’s Cultural Arts District has just earned a five-year recertification from the South Carolina Cultural Districts program. The dates span July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029. The district was first approved in 2015.
What is the Cultural District?
The Beaufort Cultural District is a walkable section of downtown that encompasses a wide array of arts and cultural venues, organizations, businesses, and events. “Cultural districts are geographic areas of S.C. cities or towns that have a concentration of artistic assets, cultural facilities, creative businesses, and placemaking activities. They contribute creative economic vitality to their locality and are tourism hotspots for locals and non-locals alike,” the South Carolina Arts Commission said.
Beaufort’s District is administered by the City’s Cultural District Advisory Board (CDAB), which works to foster collaboration and cohesiveness in district marketing and identities.
The Cultural District has sponsored a number of initiatives, including the painted benches found throughout downtown and in Beaufort neighborhoods that celebrate aspects of Beaufort’s history or culture. The Cultural District also sponsored the contest for the mural at the Downtown Marina.
Significant achievement
“We’re delighted that the Cultural District’s certification has been renewed,” said Bonnie Hargrove, who is chair of the CDAB and the director of USCB’s Center for the Arts. “This designation reaffirms that our City’s rich history, culture and art continue to be a significant economic driver, and make Beaufort such a desirable place to live and visit.”
To earn its recertification, the Cultural District Advisory Board and the City had to demonstrate it met certain criteria, including a strategic plan, a marketing plan, a district map, a list of assets within the district, baseline data within the district and other factors.
In Beaufort County, Bluffton also has a designated Cultural District. There are only 12 such districts in South Carolina.
