McCook Arts Council

Downtown McCook in the Creative District

McCook's Third Thursdays

WHAT DEFINES US

MISSION: The McCook Creative District cultivates a vibrant community and diverse creative economy through collaborative opportunities for artistic and cultural expression.

VISION: We are the creative hotspot for everyone.

VALUES: In McCook, we live by our values, while reaching for the S.T.A.R.S

In McCook, we believe that creativity builds a person from the inside out, and inspires the rest of the world. That’s been happening in these parts since the first person looked across our infinite horizon and uttered those magical words, “What if?”. McCook has come to be what it is today through generations of tenacity, vision, and innovation. Creativity has always had a home here. It’s in the air we breathe and the way we see the stars that we set our sights on. It shows up in both expected and unexpected ways to connect us, transform us, and remind us how good life can be.

Enjoy a tour of the Sutton House, a concert at the park, a night out at Norris Alley, or a stroll through the 6th Floor Project. And don’t forget to appreciate the vast horizons of beautiful prairies that have always breathed possibility. We’re blessed to be blanketed by the same night sky that our predecessors gazed on, populated by countless stars that remind a person of their own infinite potential. What future did those folks and those who came before them envision?
How can we, together, honor and cultivate those imaginings from the past with our present and future dreams?

When you visit us make sure to step outside after the sun sets and participate in the timeless experience yourself.

What will the stars say to you? 

McCook Creative District Goals

We are pleased to share these goals with you as part of our industrious 5-year strategic plan for the McCook Creative District. These goals have been selected by our community with a commitment to work together to bring them to fruition. We have been strategic in selecting these goals with the intention of creating stepping stones that help build a framework and elevate our future Creative District growth potential over the next 3 to 5 years. By no means is this everything that we would like to see in the McCook Creative District but it is a starting point to even more opportunities.

GOAL #1: Create a paid McCook Creative District Coordinator and hire ideal candidate
Time Frame: Begin Year 1, continue through year 5+

Total Cost: $150,000 over 5 years (a part-time position at $30,000 per year)

GOAL #2: Creation and activation of a McCook Creative District Activities and Engagement Team

Time Frame: Begin Spring 2024, continue through year 5+

Total Cost: $50,000 ($10,000 a year over the course of 5 years)

GOAL #3: Aesthetic Transformation of Creative District Infrastructure (Physical) 

Time Frame: Begin Fall 2024 - 2028+

Total Cost: $250,000 ($55,000 over the course of 4 years)

GOAL #4: ArtRail:Destination McCook Creative District

One largely underutilized asset in McCook is the Amtrak, however, we are the central point between Lincoln and Denver. Our 4th goal for our Creative District is to create an immersive arts experience in McCook where visitors can travel by train to our community, and spend 48 hours experiencing arts and culture in our Creative District. Our ArtRail project will also involve an artist-in-residence program for creatives of all disciplines to arrive by train and create in our community over the course of 2 weeks, followed by a community exhibit/sharing.
Time Frame: Begin spring 2025, continue through spring 2028 

Total Cost: $325,000 (approximately $108,000 per year over 3 years)

GOAL #5: Create a McCook Creative District Endowment

Our goal 5 is a bit different than the rest, but we feel it is an integral component of sustainability for our Creative District. McCook has a proven track record of philanthropic success, and working alongside our Creative District Coordinator and the McCook Community Foundation, our goal is to raise a 5 million dollar endowment over the course of the next 3 to 5 years.
Costs associated with creating an endowment are minimal, and mainly directed toward the proper oversight of the endowment itself. We already have a local community foundation and are affiliated with Nebraska Community Foundation, both of which will play a role in this management and oversight.