Arts and culture define communities. They shape how residents experience their city, how visitors perceive a place, and how young people decide where to build their futures. Springfield and the surrounding Ozarks region possess remarkable cultural assets, historic theaters, museums, emerging arts districts, vibrant music scenes, and passionate creative communities. Forward SGF, the City of Springfield’s comprehensive plan, identifies arts and culture as a key theme running throughout the city’s vision for its future, and this Regional Cultural Plan supports that vision. By creating a formal arts and culture element that complements the comprehensive plan, Springfield positions cultural development as integral to, not separate from, the community’s overall growth strategy.

Developed through extensive community engagement in 2025, this plan reflects the voices of more than 1,000 community members who participated in surveys and focus groups, sharing their vision for a region where arts and culture thrive, where creative talent chooses to stay and grow, and where cultural vitality drives both quality of life and economic opportunity.