HASTINGS — A local committee recently submitted a strategic plan and application to the Nebraska Arts Council to create a creative district in downtown Hastings.

Hastings’ creative district is called the Heartbeat Creative District and includes the city center as well as several neighborhoods that extend beyond the typical city center boundaries and include nearby creative businesses and organizations.

Levels of grant funding available through the Creative District process include a $10,000 Creative District Certification Grant and a $250,000 Grant.

The Creative District Development Grant and community and community center funding fund were made possible through a City application from the Creative District Partnership.

Creative districts are designated areas that focus on funding the arts and creativity. In Nebraska, creative districts are created by the Nebraska Arts Council.

Funding can be used for new efforts and growth opportunities. Funding can also help support ongoing efforts.

Hastings began seeking creative district designation at the end of 2022. In December 2022, Hastings City Council members approved the submission of a letter of support to the Nebraska Arts Council on behalf of the Business Improvement District to apply for a Creative District Development Grant.

Partners for Local Solutions for Expression (PULSE) was organized in 2023, and the same year, the Heartbeat Creative District was assessed for eligibility by the Nebraska Arts Council.

PULSE is made up of representatives from the BID, the City of Hastings, the arts community, Heartbeat businesses and other stakeholders.

PULSE members also conducted a community survey in May, which received 269 responses that were used to develop the strategic plan. This strategic plan was presented to the Nebraska Arts Council in October 2024.

Key priorities identified in the survey include various topics such as marketing, cultural improvements and downtown beautification. This includes focusing on areas of improvement, such as targeting marketing efforts to specific demographics and preferred communication channels, and supporting cultural activities through the creation of landscaping (structures and sidewalks) and open green or recreational spaces.

Marketing will be a key component in the future to ensure that citizens are aware of events and projects taking place in the area. The $10,000 certification grant is intended to be used for various marketing aspects, including hiring a consultant, creating a social media plan and translating the creative district strategic plan into Spanish.

A consultant, preferably local, will be tasked with developing a market study for the area. The purpose of this survey is to help identify areas for marketing improvement and to inform future marketing plans.

In addition, the social media plan, also created by the consultant, aims to link the identity of downtown Hastings with the Business Improvement District (BID) and the newly created creative district through targeted outreach on downtown Hastings’ social media pages.
Additionally, a vital component of marketing will be the translation of the strategic plan to ensure continued outreach and accessibility to the Hispanic community. One of the key findings from the SWOT analysis focused on the Hispanic community, completed in August 2024, was the lack of information in Spanish.

Finally, the certification grant is designed to develop various templates that will be used to develop and evaluate projects that the creative district will undertake. These templates will define how the project achieves the creative district’s goals and show a clear path to project completion.

For more information about the Heartbeat Creative District, go to: https://engage.cityofhastings.org/creative-district.