Arts & Cultural Commission

About the Arts & Cultural Commission

Our meetings are typically held the third Monday of every month at 1 pm in Conference Room A at Portsmouth City Hall (1 Junkins Avenue). See the City calendar for our next meeting.

Our mission is to preserve the cultural identity of Portsmouth and to foster a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible arts and culture community. We are doing this by enacting the Portsmouth 2023 Cultural plan, our guiding pillars are as follows:

Resources for Arts and Culture - To understand Portsmouth’s arts and culture community (the institutions, the people, and the places) and address its needs and challenges by leveraging opportunities that align with the goals of the community at large.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Access (DIA) - We will create an arts and culture environment that welcomes and supports the creative interests of all.

Communication and Community Engagement - Portsmouth is an actively engaged arts community. Residents, arts organizations, artists and other consumers of arts and cultural offerings report a need for efficient, streamlined communication about arts and cultural events, programming

Education - Increase availability, diversity, and accessibility to arts and cultural educational offerings and experiences in safe and inclusive environments

Preserving Our Historical Identity -To connect diverse constituencies to our historic spaces and artifacts for the purpose of reflection, enjoyment, understanding, and inspiration; and to champion resources to ensure their long-term care and preservation.