From the near-closure of the San Diego Opera to controversies surrounding the heads of the city’s museums and cultural programs, San Diego has struggled to maintain a lively, accessible arts scene. Yet in size and wealth, the city rivals America’s most culturally rich destinations. What’s holding it back?

In recent years, the city has made a big push to bolster arts institutions and offerings. New people are running arts organizations. The long-delayed construction of a central city park, which will double as a large performance space, finally is underway. And the San Diego Performing Arts League, back from the brink, is poised to launch the city’s first-ever Theater Week.

Is San Diego finally on track to make its mark in the arts globally? Or will it always be relegated to the shadows of America’s arts leaders like San Francisco and New York? In advance of the February 20 Zócalo event “Will San Diego Ever Become a Great Art City?,” we asked experts in the city’s arts scene: What attributes—cultural, economic, and social—must San Diego develop to become a world-class arts city?

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