Art-Speak is the City of Portsmouth Cultural Commission. It was created to support Portsmouth’s arts, history and culture following a recommendation by the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Arts and Culture in 2002. Art-Speak has non-profit status, which enables us to secure private funding from donations , sponsorships and grants to accomplish the City's arts and cultural goals.
Art-Speak achieves the following on behalf of Portsmouth’s citizens, arts and cultural-related organizations, businesses and the City of Portsmouth itself:
•Promotes appreciation, awareness, participation and dialogue in support of the invaluable contribution that arts, culture and history makes to our city’s vitality and quality of life.
•Implements and periodically updates the Portsmouth Cultural Plan.
•Markets and promotes Portsmouth as a cultural destination
•Creates new resources to support local artists and cultural organizations
•Performs a coordination function for local arts and cultural organizations and advocates on their behalf at local, state and national levels
•Convenes an annual form for community dialogue related to arts and culture
•Introduces businesses to expectations and the importance of supporting our cultural community
•Serve as an advisor to all departments of City government on arts and cultural issues
•Prepares annually a state-of-the-city State of the Arts report for the City Council
•Collaborates with regional and state arts and cultural organizations
