CA for the Arts is pleased to have been selected as one of the regional partners for The California Arts Council (CAC) Creative Economies in Action: 2025 Statewide Engagement Tour.

This comprehensive tour is designed to drive the implementation of California’s first Creative Economy Strategic Plan. Through deep community engagement, compelling storytelling, and a series of public events, this initiative will directly inform the development of a comprehensive plan addendum, which will be submitted to the Governor’s Office and State Legislature in spring of 2026.

CA For the Arts will collaborate with local partners in several counties to host town hall events to help introduce the First Ever Strategic Plan for Cultural Resilience, Economic Growth, and Global Leadership and gather input and stories from the community.

Representatives from the Creative Economy Workgroup, the CAC and other community leaders will be part of the presentation, followed by a question and answer session and some small break out groups to discuss aspects of the plan and its impact on the creative economy in the community.

We hope you will join us to provide input that will directly shape the future of California’s vibrant creative economy.

Region-specific virtual sessions will be added for those who prefer or require remote access. Virtual sessions may also offer live translation options to increase accessibility and ensure inclusion of California’s diverse population.

The creative economy in California is an intertwined and generative ecosystem that adds exponential value to our state’s creative, cultural, and business economies in a way that fosters income generation, job creation and innovation. Using an equity lens, the Creative Economy Workgroup (CEW) responds to the ideas, strengths and needs of our communities that reaches and includes historically marginalized communities.  

Established with the 2023-24 state budget, the CEW is tasked with developing a strategic plan which will conduct a comparative analysis with other jurisdictions, evaluate existing financing models and government initiatives, identify opportunities for educational programs as well as earn and learn job training employment, detail the geographic areas with the least amount of access or opportunity for a creative economy, and analyze existing initiatives and projects, including the role that local governments can play in creating a stronger creative economy. The strategic plan is due to the Legislature by June 30, 2025. 

Purpose statement for workgroup members:  

• Our lived experience as members of the CEW includes participation in and the leadership of the countless forms of artistic expression found throughout the state.
• We are focused on retaining our arts and culture bearers and organizations in a healthy economy that is good for artists and arts-oriented business.
• Guiding our efforts is a strategy that provides attainable and ample opportunities for California’s artists to be more competitive nationally and internationally for the purposes of earning, learning, development, and forming important lasting relationships that will grow both the impact and sustainability of California’s creative ecosystem.

Click here to learn more about the members of the Creative Economy Workgroup.