The California Arts Council collectively announced today a series of leadership and personnel changes to both staff and Council determined by appointment and election processes that happened throughout the month of December.  

Governor Newsom Announces Appointment for Executive Director of the California Arts Council

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Contact:
Eduardo Robles
eduardo@caforthearts.org 
Director of Communications
916.520.6049 ext.102

California Celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month 2024 and the Impact of the Arts and Humanities in Our Civic Life

October 1, 2024—(Sacramento, California)—The California State Library, California for the Arts, California Humanities, and the California Arts Council join thousands of humanities and arts organizations, learning centers, and heritage sites across the nation to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month throughout October. We will carry this message to all of California through information and activities that honor the efforts of artists, historians, teachers, and cultural groups working to make the arts and humanities a familiar part of everyday life.

Everyone in the community is encouraged to participate in what has become the country’s largest annual collective celebration of the arts and humanities. The following special events are planned for National Arts and Humanities Month across California:

The California State Library will host a passive program all month long in Gillis Hall at 914 Capitol Mall in Sacramento. The program will debut at the Sacramento Archives Crawl on Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, click here. Additionally, a limited tour for the public is being offered on Tuesday, October 22, at 10 a.m. Space is limited; please register here.

California for the Arts will host A Deep Dive Into the 2024 Elections! webinar on Wednesday, October 9, at 12 p.m. RSVP for free here. Additionally, CA for the Arts is making available for download the 2024 Election Candidate Engagement Resource Guide – click here to download.

California Humanities will host a special panel discussion in Sacramento on Thursday, October 3, at 5:30 p.m., focused on the state’s election history since 1960, and how these insights can improve voter participation across the country. A reception with drinks and snacks will follow. Participants can also register to vote at the program’s voter registration table. RSVP for free here.

California Arts Council will convene a meeting of its Creative Economy Workgroup (CEW) on Tuesday, October 15, from 9 to 4:30 p.m. at El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista. Using an equity lens, the CEW responds to the ideas, strengths and needs of our communities that reaches and includes historically marginalized communities to develop a strategic plan for California’s creative workforce. 

This year, the State Library, CA for the Arts, California Humanities, and the CAC will spotlight the crucial role that the arts and humanities play in our civic life. Supporting accessible and engaging arts and humanities experiences within our state’s cultural organizations and educational systems prepare all people, young and old, for civic participation, allowing us to exercise our citizenship by assessing the evolution of our core values and making space for creative expression of those values. 

Said State Librarian Greg Lucas: “We at the California State Library encourage all Californians to join in the fun, experience the incredible programs and events happening throughout the state, and discover how the arts and humanities deepen connection to civic life, foster new perspectives, and bring us closer together.”

“The celebration of arts and humanities is embedded in everything we do at the California Arts Council, and we are pleased to partner with the State Library, California Humanities, and California for the Arts to advance our collective vision this month,” said California Arts Council Executive Director Danielle Brazell. “Creativity’s pride of place at the intersections of our economy, education, and the wellness of our state’s communities is what makes California a unique and unparalleled place to live.”  

“In this election year, let’s not take for granted the importance of the Arts and Humanities in our civic lives,” said California Humanities President and CEO Rick Noguchi. “Indeed, our freedom of expression through the arts and humanities are at stake, when they should be the solution.”

“Arts and Humanities hold the possibility to transform our civic infrastructure, national identity, and sense of belonging. Access to arts and humanities is the key to healthy communities and a more inclusive and just nation. From economic opportunity, social cohesion, innovation, and equity to environmental sustainability, health, wellness, and healing, now is the time to celebrate the strength of arts and humanities,” said Julie Baker, CEO of California for the Arts.

National Arts and Humanities Month is coordinated by Americans for the Arts, the national organization working to empower communities with the resources and support necessary to provide access to the arts for everyone. This month-long celebration grew out of National Arts Week, which was started in 1985 by the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts.More information about National Arts and Humanities Month is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/nahm.

California State Library, About the State Library: Established in 1850, the California State Library is the central reference and research library for state government and the legislature. The library collection includes more than 4 million titles, 6,000 maps and 250,000 photographs, and includes an extensive collection of documents from and about the state’s rich history. Around the state, the State Library also serves California’s local libraries, providing more than $500 million state and federal funds to support public libraries and delivering statewide library programs and services. Visit library.ca.gov.

California for the Arts is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary advocacy service organization focused on building resources and public awareness of the value and impact of arts, culture, and creativity across California. Visit caforthearts.com.

California Humanities, a statewide nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, promotes the humanities—focused on ideas, conversation, and learning—as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect people to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more, visit calhum.org.

California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. It supports local arts infrastructure and programming statewide through grants, initiatives, and services. The California Arts Council envisions a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts. Learn more at arts.ca.gov.

California Celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month 2024 And the Impact of the Arts and Humanities in Our Civic Life

Admission to an art museum in the US might set you back $15 or $25 or nothing at all, depending on where and who you are. But a new study that sets out to measure the societal value of museums in monetary terms estimates that a single visit will pay dividends many times over in benefits to your well-being, equivalent to more than $900 per adult visitor.

Eleven medium to large US art museums participated in the study, conducted by the Oregon-based Institute for Learning Innovation, including the Barnes Foundation; Cleveland Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Milwaukee Art Museum; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; New Orleans Museum of Art; Oakland Museum of California; Saint Louis Art Museum and Walters Art Museum. The findings were presented at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) annual conference in Denver last month.

US Art Museums Generate $52 Billion in Well-Being Benefits Annually

Despite Sacramento’s vibrant creative and cultural ecosystem, the creative sector faces challenges to its growth. Recent legislative budget cuts coupled with the enduring impacts of the pandemic and statewide industry job losses  show how volatile the arts economy can be.

To gain deeper insights into these challenges and potential solutions, we spoke with Julie Baker, CEO of California for the Arts and CA Arts Advocates — two separate nonprofit organizations with a shared board and staff working to strengthen Sacramento’s creative economy through advocacy at the capital and beyond.

CA Arts Advocate’s mission is “to increase California’s investment in the arts, make creativity an integral part of our economy, and give artists in California a voice in Sacramento.” How do you accomplish this?

Our goal is to make sure that we’re in the conversation, that arts and culture is represented when we’re talking about economic and community development, when we’re talking about a regional approach to building community, when we’re talking about things like Clean California initiatives, when we’re talking about natural resources in the parks, when we’re talking about a small business — all of the different ways that the arts intersect, and health being another big piece.

The key for us is, “How do we show people who are holding the keys to budgets and grants and contracts that this is a part of the solution, and that artists and cultural bearers who’ve been doing this work for decades and hundreds of years are compensated for their contributions to [the] community?” So that’s really where we really focus in on — is ensuring that the artwork is seen as labor and is compensated accordingly.

California for the Arts CEO Julie Baker weighs in on budget challenges facing Sacramento’s creative sector

With the state budget falling $27 billion short this year and an even larger deficit projected for next year, Gov. Gavin Newsom is planning broad, deep cuts across California government. But while he recommends state public entities as a whole shrink by nearly 8%, some agencies and programs would be hit harder than others. 

Among the sectors disproportionately affected is the arts, with his revised budget proposal introduced last week showing a 38% decrease in funding to the California Arts Council, the main way the state supports the arts. He would also gut the $12.5 million previously promised to the Equitable Payroll Fund, which was created to help small arts companies comply with so-called gig-work bill AB5, and send all those monies back to the general fund. 

“A cut of this size would greatly impact our ability to be more responsive to the needs of the cultural and creative communities of our great state,” CAC Executive Director Danielle Brazell said in a statement to the Chronicle.

‘Devastating and disappointing’: Newsom’s proposed budget cuts to the arts would place California 45th nationwide

Frustration came through loud and clear as legislators hurled question after question at the head of the state’s homelessness interagency council: Why, after years of planning and billions of dollars invested, is there so little to show for the effort? 

“You come into a budget committee and there’s no numbers,” Assemblymember Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat, said at the May 6 Assembly committee hearing. “Why is it taking so long?”

Assemblymember Vince Fong, a Bakersfield Republican, took issue with the council saying it needed more money to compile the data. And Chris Ward, a Democrat from San Diego, said he’d been asking the same questions since 2022: “The fact that we’re still now, three years later here as a state is incredibly frustrating because that guides our decision making here as a budget.” 

What drives California’s budget decisions? A lot of politics, not as much data

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency will assign artists to treasured bodies of water in the United States under a new program announced Tuesday at a White House-sponsored conference on exploring ways to use the arts and humanities as another instrument for problem-solving.

Leaders from government, the arts, academia and philanthropy gathered in Washington for “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities.” Panel discussions focused on turning to the arts and humanities to solve challenges, from improving health to bridging divides.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the White House Domestic Policy Council hosted the daylong conference, which was the product of a September 2022 executive order from President Joe Biden.

White House-hosted arts summit explores how to incorporate arts and humanities into problem-solving

We assess communities’ vibrancy through a data-driven approach using data available in all U.S. communities to remove influences of opinion or geographically-limited data on the final results. The vibrancy assessment consists of rubrics covering aspects of supply, demand, and public support for arts and culture.

The results of this analysis are not based on a simple counting exercise that might benefit areas with higher populations or the most arts and cultural institutions. Adjusting values on a per capita basis as well as accounting for differences in costs of living enable this analysis to level the playing field as much as possible. Large cities and small communities alike can showcase their vibrant characteristics compared to all other communities across the country.

2023 Arts Vibrancy Index ranks San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA as the #1

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s an election year. So, what does it mean for art and culture? Well the hard truth is, culture never makes the cut. Despite how much we value it, when it comes to elections, people want their leaders to solve crime, fix housing and sort the environment. All incredibly important of course — but we only have to imagine a world without creativity to understand how much it means to us.

Culture matters. So why is it always treated as an optional extra?

Tatyana Kim and her husband Anatoliy O immigrated to Los Angeles from Almaty, Kazakhstan, 12 years ago in pursuit of the Hollywood dream.

When the filmmaking duo first arrived in the United States, they scraped by, living in small rooms and back houses in Pasadena while studying their crafts at L.A.-area arts colleges.

They eventually upgraded to a rent-controlled apartment in Hollywood, where they paid $1,500 a month to share a single bedroom with their infant daughter. At the nearby TCL Chinese Theatre, the couple would eat oatmeal for dinner while waiting in line for movie screenings.

But even that relatively low housing cost was a stretch for independent artists trying to make it in an increasingly challenging industry while taking care of a young child and juggling extra film and commercial producing gigs to pay the bills.

“Let’s just be transparent,” O said. “Most artists who I know are having a day job. That’s the reality of it. There’s no way around it.”

These entertainment workers could barely make rent. A Hollywood housing complex offers relief

The arts have long been recognized for enriching our lives, but they can also play a powerful role in our health. In recent years, a growing body of research suggests that arts-based interventions can help tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – from cardiovascular diseases to cancer. A new report from WHO/Europe, which builds on the “Learning from the arts” conference held in Budapest, suggests how arts can be integrated into health systems to supplement NCD treatment and prevention. 

“As if the chemotherapy had disappeared for that period”

During the Budapest conference held in December 2022, Christopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead at WHO, shared his experience of struggling with obesity and cancer. Christopher recalled how the stories he used to share in his personal blog, and plays he wrote for theatre, helped him to get through his fight with cancer, recover from chemotherapy and rethink the way he perceives what being healthy is like.

New WHO Report Shows How Arts Can Help Beat Noncommunicable Diseases

"Music," said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, "can, in a matter of seconds, make me feel better." He spoke from the Constitution Center in Washington, D.C., continuing, "I've prescribed a lot of medicines as a doctor over the years. There are few I've seen that have that kind of extraordinary, instantaneous effect."

It was exactly the kind of message organizers of "Healing, Bridging, Thriving," wanted to convey.

The summit was organized by the White House Domestic Policy Council and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Policy makers, arts and community leaders, funders and artists attended.

The arts span every facet of life – the White House just hosted a summit about it

In recognition of Immigrant Heritage Month, these exhibitions, celebrating our diverse immigrant communities, will debut in public spaces across the City in June. 

Drawing inspiration from a poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty, Mireles titled his photo project “The New Colossus: A Photographic Celebration of San Diego’s Immigrant Communities.” The project aims to capture the lives of San Diego’s immigrants through portraits taken in their everyday surroundings. 

“The exhibition itself serves a similar purpose as the Statue of Liberty - to welcome immigrants into our homeland. Instead of molded copper, this series of installations uses photography - but its purpose remains the same,” said Mireles. “The title ‘New Colossus’ implies that there exists an old one or multiple old ones. The reality is that immigration, and our discussion of it is an issue older than our country itself. However, it’s also forever a new topic, fraught with both celebration and controversy. By adopting this title, this exhibition acknowledges America's history of immigration while also welcoming its place in our present and future.” 

San Diego Arts and Culture Launches Photo Exhibits During Immigrant Heritage Month

The 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Manual is eligible for possible revision in 2028. The SOC is a tool that organizes workers, including artists, by code. The federal government then uses the SOC to collect, analyze and report data about the United States labor force. This data is typically used to inform policy-making and practice that then affects workers.

From now through Aug. 12, workers are invited to offer feedback on the current SOC. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has issued a call to artists to exercise their voices and comment by visiting regulations.gov.

One of the concerns voiced by the NEA is that there is no code for artists working across multiple disciplines. 

A new research report commissioned by United States Artists and written by Joanna Woronkowicz of Indiana University surveyed artists, analyzed existing labor data and offered suggestions to help artists comment on the SOC. Among Workonkowicz’s recommendations is the creation of a detailed SOC code for “Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Artists. The study also pushes for the creation of “Visual Arts” and “Performing Arts” taxonomies to better align data with the work field.

Sunil Iyengar, who directs the Office of Research and Analysis at the NEA, wrote about Worokowicz findings for the NEA’s website, saying, “If these labels have gone unchanged, then how well do the numbers reflect macro-level shifts in the functions and characteristics of working artists in the first quarter of this century? Put another way, have the job titles, the technologies used, the nature of work performed, and educational requirements altered to such an extent that we now should reconsider who counts as an artist?”

NEA Advocates for Artists to Weigh In on Federal Job Coding

Campaign to Voice Opposition to Significant Program Changes at the CAC

First, we want to thank everyone who took the time to sign the letter to the California Arts Council (CAC) urging them to reconsider proposed changes to field-serving programs. You can read more about the issues we took collective action on and the signed letter at our #FundCAarts webpage.

Almost 1,400 advocates signed on and your advocacy worked! The committee released an updated memorandum ahead of their Nov. 17th meeting, and their amended proposals and subsequent discussion at that meeting reflect that the council members are listening and responding to the needs of the field. The Notes from the Field meeting summary provides more details on the CAC deliberations as they design next year’s grant programs.

For those tracking this process, please let us know how proposed changes to CAC grant programs may positively or negatively affect your work or organization. Email our Director of Field Engagement, Tracy Hudak at tracy@californiansforthearts.org

CAA understands difficult decisions need to be made based on the limited funds available to the agency and yet we firmly believe that the CAC, one of the only statewide funders for arts and culture, should remain an agency that serves the entire ecosystem including all regions, all budget size organizations, and all artists and culture bearers across the state. We know that what is most needed now is multi year general operating support. We recommend that instead of offering new programs at this time of the agency’s transition, the council focuses on expanding the general operating support category. 

We look forward to working in partnership with the Council and the arts sector to advocate for increased funding for the agency while also contributing the field’s perspective on best practices for equitable grantmaking and a thorough review of grant guidelines, application and reporting questions and the panel process.

In a letter dated November 21, Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas has announced appointments to standing committees. Below are excerpts from the letter that highlight committees we interact with for creative industries advocacy. If you have a strong relationship with any of the newly appointed chairs, live or work in their districts or want to strengthen your strategy to advocate directly, please contact Tracy Hudak, Director of Field Engagement. Tracy@californiansforthearts.org

Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism 

I have appointed Assemblymember Mike Gipson to replace Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva as Chair of the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism Committee. 

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks will replace Assemblymember Chris Holden as Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.. 

I have appointed Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel to replace Assemblymember Phil Ting as Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. I have also appointed Assemblymembers Sharon Quirk-Silva and Avelino Valencia to the committee.

I have appointed Assemblymember Isaac Bryan to replace Assemblymember Luz Rivas as Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. Assemblymember Luz Rivas has been removed from the committee. 

Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration 

I have appointed Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva as Chair of Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration. 

Every year, CAA works to influence the California budget process to invest more in artists and the creative workforce. With that, we keep a close eye on state budget forecasting so we understand the climate in which we are operating. Due to state income tax filing extensions until November 16, the outlook for the budget forecast for 2024 - 25 is still unknown. 

However, we do know that in October, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee, “The department projected that, because of an unprecedented six-month extension in the state’s tax filing deadline earlier this year, California would collect $42 billion in October. That figure represented nearly a quarter of this fiscal year’s total projected personal income tax and a third of the corporation tax. But, as of Oct. 25, California collected just $18 billion, according to new disclosures from the agency. Should the revenue collected and tallied by the state in the coming weeks fail to catch up to its forecasts, Newsom and lawmakers will need to fill a wider budget gap than anticipated next year.” Stay tuned for updates as the news continues to unfold.

What’s Next for CAC Advocacy - Partnering and Campaigning for a $20M Increase

We are working in partnership closely with CAC council members and staff to inform each other of the needs of the field and to identify state policy changes that might help improve agency function and better support their work. And we are knowledge-sharing and building coalitions between arts services organizations to better understand their role in strengthening the arts ecosystem. Stay tuned!


But the single biggest difference we can make as advocates is to increase funding levels to the CAC. The state funds the agency at $26M a year, which ranks California 23rd in the nation in per capita state spending on the arts. This low level of investment is not commensurate with the outsized impact that arts, culture and creativity have on our communities and economy. This is why we submitted a Letter to the Governor on [date], urging him to include a $20M increase to that funding in his January budget. CAA will be launching campaigns in the coming months and we will need your help.

Save The Music’s old tag line was “Music Equals Brainpower.” But how does music improve the mind? How does playing music affect the brain? Is it actually true that playing an instrument makes you smarter?

Amongst musicians, teachers and parents, there is a strong intuitive sense that music education and academic performance are linked. But are there studies on music and learning or music and intelligence? How does music help the brain? How does music help you learn? What music makes you smart?

Here are three very rigorous research pieces and music articles for students on how music helps you learn, plus links and additional resources on music and intelligence if you want to dig in more.

How Does Music Improve The Mind

The nature of the creative youth development field we support at The Lewis Prize for Music demonstrates this. The recently launched Creating Abundance Collaborative is dedicated to supporting young people’s stories, ideas, and dreams through creative expression and honoring their lived experiences. The Collaborative is facilitating cross-sector dialogue and learning in four areas: 

Community development+creative placemaking. 

These sectors are a blend in our lives and experienced simultaneously when arts and culture are at the center, even as systems operate separately. To ensure everyone benefits from the integrity of arts’ holistic alchemy, we must work together to inspire large-scale public and private investment in arts and culture across all sectors. 

Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Reflection from the Creative Youth Development Caucus

Arts education and programs that promote community practice of arts equity, and monthly meetups for artists are also the work of the council, according to Tudor.

The California Arts Council has received $60 million from the state budget as part of the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery Act signed by Governor Gavin Newsom as part of COVID-19 relief, according to Tudor.

Nevada County Arts Council was selected as the ‘administering organization’ for the upstate region, responsible for distributing $3.38 million out of the $60 million in grant funding across the 19 counties.

Media outreach and engagement campaigns that increase the awareness for environment related issues and solutions—such as water or energy conservation, climate mitigation, or emergency preparedness—are being implemented by various arts organizations with $463,598 designated for 15 Nevada County based projects.

A few of the projects receiving parts of the grant include Sierra Roots, ‘No Place to Go’; Yasmin Badshamiah, ‘Say Something!’; The Poetry Crashers, ‘Postcards From Earth’; Monica Fabiarz, ‘MAI- the Salmon Journey’, and Troy Corliss, ‘Talisman of the Watershed.’

The arts provide a healthy economy for Nevada County, according to Tudor.

“Arts and economic prosperity showed us that sector right here locally generated $66 million in economic activity during the reporting period of 2020 to ‘23—almost $32 million in spending by arts and culture organizations, and an additional $34 million in event related expenditures by the audiences that economic activities supported...1,359 jobs provided $39.5 million dollars in personal income to residents,” Tudor said.

FEATURED
Arts community supports economic stability in the County and social services are recognized by Supervisors

Passionate artists, arts organizations, supporters, and advocates will descend upon the capital city on April 16 and 17 to highlight why arts are essential to both local communities and the state of California. This will be the second year that California for the Arts will hold its CA Arts & Culture Summit in Sacramento with the intent of advocating for more support and funding for artists and their communities.⁠
⁠
The sold out summit will be held Tuesday, April 16 at The Sofia, followed by Arts Advocacy Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 17, where a rally will be held, followed by meetings with local and state elected representatives and leaders.⁠
⁠
In Sacramento County, $241.7 million was generated by the arts and culture sector, supporting 4,343 jobs and $164.8 million in personal income in 2022, according to a study conducted by Americans for the Arts.⁠

Press Feature: Arts and Culture Summit Coming to Capital City

Eduardo Robles
Senior Manager of Communications
eduardo@caforthearts.org



Ted Russell, longtime philanthropic leader in the arts, will partner with CA for the Arts to establish a Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program in San Francisco and Oakland. A grant from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation will support this work.

Ted Russell will join CA for the Arts as Program Consultant Lead to help launch the Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program. He is charged with developing a program that centers artists in grassroots advocacy efforts and cultivates more support for arts advocates statewide. This innovative grant program will establish a partnership between CA for the Arts and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation to test new philanthropic models to achieve the following:

Identify and connect a diverse and inclusive network of artist advocates working toward policy change. 

Share knowledge and participant learnings with others in the field to strengthen statewide efforts.

Grow philanthropic support for arts advocacy efforts.

Shelley Trott, Chief Program Officer at the Rainin Foundation, said: "We are thrilled to support California for the Arts in launching the Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program. Under Ted Russell’s leadership, this initiative is uniquely positioned to help artists thrive by empowering them to advocate for solutions critical to their livelihoods."

“I want to thank the Rainin Foundation for their leadership in supporting arts advocacy and welcome Ted Russell as a consultant to the California for the Arts team,” said Julie Baker, CEO. “This is not only an incredible gift to our organization but also to the communities we serve. Providing grant funding for artists to become advocates engaged in public policy combined with Ted’s strategic leadership and experience in the field of both philanthropy and arts programming is an innovative approach. We applaud the Rainin Foundation for their vision."

Ted Russell has over thirty years of experience launching and scaling initiatives, building the capacity of organizations and helping artists and creative workers thrive. His consultancy focuses on arts advocacy, research, strategic planning, and coaching. Previously, he served as Director of Arts Strategy & Ventures for the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, where he led the strategic direction for the arts, supporting diverse, visionary artists and collaborating with artists, partners, and funders to advance systemic change and foster an equitable ecosystem.

“I’ve seen arts advocacy evolve and grow in sophistication and effectiveness in recent years. The next frontier is empowering individual artists. Drawing from my years serving the arts as a funder, I'm joining forces with the incredible CA for the Arts team to revolutionize how we support artists to be powerful advocates on their own behalf,” said Ted Russell. 

More information will be released in the coming months about the Grassroots Artists Advocacy Program (GAAP) for artists in San Francisco and Oakland to participate in this opportunity.


CA for the Arts is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary advocacy service organization focused on building resources and public awareness of the value and impact of arts, culture, and creativity across California.

Ted Russell Joins the CA for the Arts Team as Program Consultant Lead

Advocacy victory! Final California budget restores 75% of arts funding cuts.  

Governor Newsom, Senate President pro-Tempore Mike McGuire, and Speaker Robert Rivas have announced the California budget plan for 2024-25. An agreement was reached between legislators to restore approximately 75% of state funding for the arts that had been cut in the Governor’s May budget. The Governor has signed the final budget proposal which has restored $12.5 million to launch the long awaited Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund. The final budget plan also reduces the proposed cut to the California Arts Council to just $5 million for two years, restoring the agency’s budget for local assistance grants back to $26 million in 2026-27. The initial budget proposed a $10 million ongoing cut to the agency's funding. 

Advocates submitted over 11,000 letters, as well as made phone calls, provided public comment in hearings, and met with their representatives. A number of legislators provided critical leadership and support. The author of SB 1116, Senator Anthony Portantino spearheaded along with Assembly Member Mike Gipson, Chair of the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, & Tourism Committee, to secure the signatures of twenty colleagues in opposition to the cuts. Additional leadership came from Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire, Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva, Chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration and Senator Steve Padilla, Chair of Budget Subcommittee #4 on State Administration.

"We are grateful to Governor Newsom for restoring 75% of arts funding cuts in the final 24-25 budget. The Legislature and the people spoke, arts are essential and we need public investment to ensure access for all. The Governor has been a strong supporter of the arts and we remain committed to working with him and the Legislature to ensure California remains a leading state for creativity and innovation," says Julie Baker, CEO of CA Arts Advocates and CA for the Arts.

“I’m grateful to Gov. Newsom for signing this budget that restores arts funding that will put thousands of union members across California to work in good-paying jobs,” said Al Vincent Jr., Executive Director, Actors’ Equity Association. “The legislature clearly understands that when people go to see live arts events, they generate economic activity and that investing in the arts is a positive return on investment for the state. My thanks to Sen. Anthony Portantino and Asm. Mike Gipson for their leadership in fighting to restore this funding.”

Since 2020, a broad coalition of arts and culture workers, labor unions, producers, nonprofits, live entertainment venues, music, film, tv, and movie theater representatives have worked together on public policies and resources to ensure the recovery and sustainability of the creative industries. However, while some parts of the arts and culture ecosystem have recovered from the impact of COVID, many have not, most notably the nonprofit performing arts. The sweep of the $12.5 million intended for the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, a groundbreaking program to supports live arts workers at smaller, nonprofit companies, was approved just a few years ago with a strong, bipartisan support from the Legislature. This policy innovation remains critical to stabilizing the performing arts workforce and this funding has now been restored.

The Governor’s May revision had proposed a $10 million ongoing cut to the California Arts Council’s budget for Local Assistance Funding which represented a greater than 38% reduction to the $26 million allocation level at which it has been stalled for the past seven years. The final budget allocates just $19 million to the agency for the next two years. While the projected budget deficit understandably demanded tough decisions on spending, the state arts agency was already functioning at cut level, having just 67¢ per person to serve the entire state. Advocates will be watching closely to ensure California increases this investment, which is needed to support the state's cultural sector and ensure equitable access to the arts for all.

Advocacy victory! Final California budget restores 75% of arts funding cuts.

[Sacramento, Calif.] – Students returning to California public schools – and every Californian with a library card – now have free access from their phones or their laptops to a large collection of performing arts videos, Ken Burns’ documentaries, world music and 11,000 plays. 

The expanded arts, history and social studies collections are part of COMPASS – California Online Media Program for Access and Student Success – which provides a broad range of online resources to local schools and libraries that includes Britannica, TeachingBooks, National Geographic for Kids and PebbleGo Science.

“COMPASS is an incredible service that already digitally puts the world at the fingertips of every student and every Californian,” said Greg Lucas, California State Librarian. “Now it’s even cooler with even more wonderful musical and cultural adventures to explore.”

COMPASS and all the new material just added to it is available to more than 90 percent of California’s almost 6 million public school students and available through 95 percent of California’s public libraries. COMPASS has generated more than 607 million unique investigations and searches over the past five years.

This new content will expand on collections already offered to schools and libraries through the ProQuest Alexander Street platform, a part of Clarivate.

“Statewide arts resources such as thousands of drama texts and hours of dance instruction video for public schools – and anyone with a California library card – is something to celebrate,” said Julie Baker, CEO of California for the Arts.

“The arts, like libraries, are public goods. Every person in California should have access to the health and economic benefits of arts participation and arts education. Our goal now is to ensure that folks who benefit from these free resources know they exist!”

Some of the new Alexander Street content highlights are:

• Thousands of drama texts, including 20th Century classics and culturally diverse plays;

• History and social studies videos, including over 1,000 mini-documentaries from CNN and full-length history documentaries from producers such as Ken Burns, PBS and The History Channel;

• Expansions of various professional performing arts video and audio collections of classical music, folk, jazz, and world music; and

• Dance instruction videos encompassing hundreds of hours of instruction.

“At Clarivate, we connect students, teachers and communities to trusted content that inspires and transforms their perspectives and our world,” said Susan Bokern, Vice President, Product Management, at Clarivate. “We are honored to bring high-quality history, social studies and performing arts content to California public school students and public library patrons. The COMPASS team’s selection of diverse content, in alignment with new state standards, is something we are proud to support.”

Fun Free Stuff for Back-to-School: More Access to Online Dance Instruction, Performing Arts, Historical & Current Events Documentaries and Plays

Arts Advocates Launch Campaign Urging Governor Newsom to Reverse Arts Funding Cuts Proposed in May Revise

Newsom’s Draconian 58% Cuts to Critical Arts Programming to have Catastrophic Consequences on Creative Industry That Supports 847,688 Jobs; Rural Communities and Communities of Color to be Most Impacted

On Friday, May 10, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom presented his May Revision proposal for the 2024-25 State Budget. With a remaining $27.6 billion dollar deficit in the current year, the arts were among the hardest hit in Newsom’s proposed spending cuts. The May Revise proposes fully cutting the state’s innovative Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund ($12.5 million), plus a reduction of 38%($10 million) in state grant funding for small arts nonprofits through the California Arts Council (CAC).

 “In total, we’re looking at budget cuts upwards of 58% that will decimate California’s small nonprofit arts organizations and industry workers reliant on this funding,” said Julie Baker, CEO, CA Arts Advocates. “While we understand that every agency and sector must play their part to balance the budget with a 7.95% reduction across nearly all departments, the additional cuts to arts and culture are massively disproportionate. We had hoped we were long past the days when the arts were the first to be cut and undervalued. The state’s recent investments recognized the creative industry’s essential service for bolstering the economic and social health of local communities, especially as an industry still very much in post-pandemic recovery.”

 Since 2020, a broad coalition of arts and culture workers, entertainment unions, producers, nonprofits, live entertainment venues, music  film, tv, and movie theater representatives have worked together on public policies and resources to ensure the recovery and sustainability of the creative industries. However, while some parts of the arts and culture ecosystem have recovered from the impact of COVID, many have not, most notably the nonprofit performing arts. The sweep of the $12.5 million intended for the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, a groundbreaking program that supports live arts workers at smaller, nonprofit companies, was approved just a few years ago with a strong, bipartisan vote from the Legislature. This policy innovation remains critical to stabilizing the performing arts workforce. The Governor's cut erases five years of building a legislative solution to address the deleterious impacts of both rising labor and operational costs and the pandemic on California’s small performing arts organizations. 

 “Over the past four years, our small performing arts nonprofits have suffered severe losses. During this time, our coalition urged the Legislature to act or risk decimating the live arts sector. The stakes today remain high: artists make up one of the most vulnerable populations in California and their jobs are crucial to preserve the State's creative workforce. Last September, pilot funding for the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund (EPF) was welcomed as a strategy to restore sustainability. Though $12.5M won't balance the state budget, it will save many arts workers' livelihoods,” says Martha Demson, Board President of Theatre Producers of Southern California.

Currently, Arts & Culture production drives 8% of California's economy, producing over $290 billion in direct impact and supporting 847,688 jobs; it also drives 7.3% of state tax revenues.  Meanwhile, the California Arts Council is already functioning at a cut-level and the performing arts community is facing unprecedented challenges.

 “The state’s commitment to the arts through modest investments deliver outsized impacts for California and must be protected to ensure a future that integrates arts and culture into solving civic issues, fostering social cohesion, revitalizing neighborhoods and ensuring access to the tools of creative expression and innovation for all,” says Al Vincent Jr., Executive Director, Actors’ Equity Association. “When people go to see live arts events, they generate economic activity – everything from spending on dinner and drinks to parking and childcare. When there is less arts funding, there is less economic activity in small cities and towns across the state. California has a chance to be a leader that prioritizes the arts and artists, not just when times are easy, but when times are hard. As the budget process proceeds, we look forward to engaging the Newsom Administration and the Legislature to restore this critical funding for the arts.”

 In total, the Governor’s proposed $10 million cut to the California Arts Council’s budget for Local Assistance Funding represents a greater than 38% reduction to the $26 million allocation level at which it has been stalled for the past seven years. The highpoint of support for the California Arts Council’s programming was at $30.7 million in the 2000-2001 budget, which in today’s dollars counting for inflation would be $54.7 million. Since 2018-19, general fund support has plateaued at $26 million – just .67 cents per California resident.  At this level, California ranks 36th in the nation in per capita arts spending. In contrast, Florida spends almost $2.00 per resident. The $10 million cut to this program would position California at 45th in the nation in local arts assistance funding, just above Kentucky, Kansas and Georgia. 

 “It is unthinkable that California would fall to 45th in the nation when it comes to funding for the arts, trailing behind Alabama and Florida. The California Arts Council’s budget is already too small to meet the needs of this state with close to 850,000 workers employed in the arts and culture industry alone. In the 2023 grant cycle, roughly 54% of applicants were denied due to a lack of available funding. If this program is cut further, this will have a devastating impact on the field, especially in rural communities and communities of color,” says Jennifer Laine, Board President, CA Arts Advocates and Executive Director of the San Benito County Arts Council.

Julie Baker, CEO, CA Arts Advocates | julie@caartsadvocates.org | 916-296-1838

Martha Demson,  Board President of Theatre Producers of Southern California | martha.demson@gmail.com | 310-614-6759

David Levy | press@actorsequity.org | 212-869-8530, ext. 115

Over the past decade, philanthropic leaders and others working for progressive social change have increasingly focused on culture. This growing interest in culture comes from a dual understanding that achieving systemic, lasting change requires a shift on a cultural level—our worldviews, lifestyles, norms, social relations, and values—and that cultural strategies and methods can help catalyze and accelerate change.

Culture and Community Power Building

Advocates, Lawmakers Rally to Restore Massive Cuts to State Arts Funding

SACRAMENTO – Advocates and lawmakers will hold a rally at 11:00 am on Wednesday, May 29th to ask the legislature to restore more than $22 million in cuts to state arts funding included in Governor Newsom’s recent revised budget. If approved as proposed, the cuts would position California at 45th in the nation in local arts assistance funding, just above Kentucky, Kansas, and Georgia. 

Newsom’s proposal includes a $10 million cut to the California Arts Council representing a greater than 38% reduction to its $26 million grants budget, a base level that has not increased in more than 7 years. It also entirely eliminates $12.5 million in funding for SB 1116, the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund.

WHO:
Sen. Anthony Portantino, Senate District 25
Asm. Mike Gipson, Assembly District 65
Asm. Josh Lowenthal, Assembly District 69
Julie Baker, CEO, California Arts Advocates
Brian Herndon, Member, Actors’ Equity Association
Jose Luis Valenzuela, Artistic Director, Latino Theater Company at LATC
Sean Fenton, Executive Director, Theatre Bay Area

WHAT: Rally to Restore State Arts Funding
WHERE: North Side Capitol, L, between 10-11th Street
WHEN: Wednesday, May 29th at 11:00 am

Eduardo Robles
eduardo@caforthearts.org 
Senior Manager of Communications
916. 520.6049 ext. 102

Back by popular demand! California for the Arts, a leading statewide arts advocacy organization, presents the second annual CA Arts & Culture Summit and Arts Advocacy Day in Sacramento, building on creative sector momentum around the essential role of artists in workforce development, climate change, health + wellness, and the economy.

Sacramento, CA - Join CA for the Arts for the second annual CA Arts & Culture Summit in Sacramento on Tuesday, April 16. The Summit will take place during CA for the Arts 6th Annual Arts, Culture & Creativity Month (ACCM) with this year’s thematic focus “Art Work is Real Work.”

The Summit produced in partnership with Unseen Heroes, a Sacramento based community driven events and marketing agency, will bring together over 350 arts advocates, cultural policy thought leaders, public and private arts funders, artists, creatives, educators, culture bearers, teaching artists, students, public officials, and creative industry representatives from across the state to reinforce the movement to prioritize arts, culture, and creativity as essential for California’s key initiatives including, equity and justice, education, workforce development, health, climate resilience, and economic mobility. The summit will also address thriving working conditions for artists, culture bearers, and creative workers.


With the creative industries contributing 225 billion + dollars to the California economy, it is up to the creative sector to ensure policies are in place for the sustainability and growth of its industry and to build public awareness of the intrinsic value of arts, culture, and creativity as not only a public good – transforming communities and individuals – but also its role as a driver of prosperity for the California state economy. 

This CA Arts & Culture Summit isn't just another event; it's a transformative experience tailored for arts leaders across disciplines and practices. By facilitating exchange between fellow professionals who share a passion for creativity, we are fostering a movement of arts champions dedicated to impact and change through innovative strategies and solutions.

Summit panel discussions will cover diverse topics from leading voices in the field, including arts & health, economic justice, climate change, artists on artist’s work, youth engagement, affordable housing/work space, cultural equity, civic engagement, public art, and more with an emphasis on the public policies and advocacy needed to support the creative industries and workforce.

CA for the Arts is pleased to announce Nataki Garrett as this year's distinguished keynote speaker. Nataki Garrett brings a wealth of expertise and visionary leadership as co-Artistic Director of One Nation/One Project and the national Arts and Health initiative #ArtsforEveryBody. 

Featured panelists include: Deborah Cullinan, Chris Appleton, Indre Viskontas, Ph.D., Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer, Heather Heslup, Arianna Chavez, Roshaun Davis, Nikko Kimzin, Nurit Siegel Smith, Nicole Hendrix, Marcus Mitchell, Tiara Amar, Jamie Hand, Penelope Oliver, Josiah Bruny, Can Foster, Clarity Cooper, Jaya King, Megan Van Voorhis, Sharmi Basu, Ken Ikeda, Keith McNutt, Sean Fenton, Sam Bempong, Venecia Prudencio, Christina Simpson, Silvi Alcivar, and Jennifer Laine.

Workshop leaders include: Tasha Golden, Ph.D., Letty Kraus, Jessica Mele, Adelaide Kuehn, Abe Flores, Lena Wolff, Miriam Klein Stahl, and Jackie Melendez. And featured presenting organizations include: California Arts Council, Arts in the Parks, City of San Diego & SDRACC, Measure P, Fresno, and Creative Corps/Kern Dance Alliance. 

We are especially excited to offer a unique workshop, “Arts on Prescription: Move You from Idea to Action”, led by Dr. Tasha Golden, Ph.D., Director of Research at the International Arts + Mind Lab. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the integration of arts and health, focusing on the concept of "arts on prescription" and practical applications in healthcare. Emphasizing the transformative power of arts and culture, the session aims to inspire creativity, foster collaboration, and develop innovative healthcare approaches through actionable activities and discussions. Tasha will also be a featured panelist on our “Arts and Health” Panel. 

View all Summit panel and workshop offerings here

In addition to the Summit on Wednesday, April 17, CA for the Arts invites the public to join arts advocates from around the state for a rally at the capitol for Arts Advocacy Day. The rally will feature dozens of speakers and performers before participants meet with state legislators to build momentum from the 23-24 legislative session with the passage of AB 812, a bill to ensure artists affordable housing in cultural districts; and a budget inclusion of $1million for a multi-agency creative economy task force and strategic plan to lift up the issues facing the sector in 2024 and beyond.

About California for the Arts (CA for the Arts)

California for the Arts is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary advocacy service organization focused on building resources and public awareness of the value and impact of arts, culture and creativity across California.

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