The steering committee for the Arts in the California Governor’s Race campaign is pleased to announce the final report for the effort is now available. Click here to view and print the .PDF file of the report.
Recently Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation that would allow school districts to dilute art education requirements in California high schools. He made the right call: The plan was a misguided attempt to ease dropout rates. The arts don’t always make it into political campaigns, least of all for governor, but the veto shows that the subject can matter significantly.
Now, a nonpartisan coalition seeks to move the arts onto a front burner — or at least somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen — before November’s election. Arts in the California Governor’s Race describes itself as a consortium of “nonprofit arts organizations, arts support groups, artists and concerned individual supporters of the arts [who] believe strongly in the need for meaningful public support for the arts and arts education.”
ARTS IN THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE
Questions for the Candidates
1) The arts and creative sector in California is an economic engine, accounting for almost half a million jobs, and contributing over $20 billion in total economic impact, including exports and tourism. Please describe how a Brown/Whitman administration would support the arts and creative industries of California and what departments in the state government could be leveraged to help the arts?
2) There is substantial evidence that students who take arts courses perform better academically and on a host of other markers – from classroom attendance to college track graduation. With the dropout rate reaching epidemic proportions and the achievement gap growing, do you see an increasing role for arts education in transforming our educational system? If so, what leverage would you do as Governor to drive that kind of transformation?
3) Latino and multicultural arts and culture play a central role in community development and education. Cultural traditions and creative expressions help keep families together, encourage positive behavior by our kids, and foster stronger cross cultural ties. There is a saying in Spanish – “la cultural cura” – or “healing through culture” that reinforces the idea that arts and culture is a critical part of what makes a healthy community. The cuts to arts funding over the past five years have hit the Latino and multicultural communities hard. What would you do as Governor to make California a leader in the arts and bolster support for Latino and multicultural arts and cultural expression?
4) Though California was once globally regarded as a citadel of creativity and innovation in both the for-profit entertainment industry and the non-profit arts industry, it continues to rank dead last in per capita support – beneath even Guam and Puerto Rico. How would you recognize the value of the creative sector and what support would you offer to return California to the front ranks?
5) What do you view as the role that the art and creative sectors can play in addressing California’s most pressing social issues?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 6-7:30pm
Noè Restaurant at the Omni Hotel / Cal Plaza
251 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles CA 90012
On Tuesday, October 12th join the Arts in the California Governors Race committee at Noè Restaurant at the Omni Hotel in Downtown LA from 6-7:30pm for a debate viewing party. The two candidates, Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown, will be engaged in their last major debate prior to the November 4th election. Join other supporters of arts and culture to watch the televised debate, network and enjoy Noè’s award-winning cuisine.
The Arts in the California Governor’s Race project (ACGR) is a non-partisan effort created to ensure that issues related to the arts and the creative economy are successfully inserted into the California Governor’s race. Organized by a consortium of non-profit arts leaders, arts support groups, artists, and concerned individual supporters of the arts, the consortium participants believe strongly in the need for meaningful public support for the arts and arts education.
The debate will be broadcast on television screens within the restaurant. This party is a fundraiser for ACGR, with $10 suggested donations and at least one beverage purchase.
The central Debate Party is hosted by
Michael Alexander, Grand Performances
Tomas Benitez, Latino Arts Network
Danielle Brazell, Arts for LA
Terence McFarland, LA Stage Alliance
Cora Mirikatani, Center for Cultural Innovation
Tara Scroggins, ACGR Satellite Chair / Emerging Arts Leaders Los Angeles
Mark Slavkin, Music Center of Los Angeles County
Arts in the California Governor’s Race Meet and Greet!
When: Monday, September 20
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Zeitgeist @ 199 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA
What: A meet and greet for the Arts in the California Governor’s Race campaign.
Second Gubernatorial Debate between Jerry Brown (D) and Meg Whitman (R) at California State in Fresno
When: Saturday, October 2
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Where: California State University, Fresno, CA
What: The Fresno State forum, the second of three televised debates, will be co-produced by Univision Television Group, moderated by a Univision network news anchor and broadcast statewide in Spanish. Sponsors are The Fresno Bee; Univision; the Fresno-Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; California State University, Fresno; and the city of Fresno.
Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/09/08/2070267/brown-agrees-to-debate-in-fresno.html#ixzz0yy17KUw9
Creative Industries in California Generate More Than $20 Billion Dollars in Economic Impact; Campaign to Inform 2010 California Governor’s Race Launches
CALIFORNIA — September 9, 2010 — A committee of arts advocates, leaders of non-profit arts organizations, creative business owners, and concerned individuals today announced a non-partisan campaign, called Arts in the California Governor’s Race, to raise public awareness and inform the 2010 gubernatorial candidates about the significance of California’s creative industries in fueling the world’s 8th largest economy (Legislative Analyst’s Office, Cal Facts 2006).
“Despite being the home of hundreds of thousands of artists, world-renowned symphonies, operas, theatres and museums, and even though we are the global center of popular film, California has fallen to 50th nationwide in per-capita funding for the arts and cultural policy initiatives,” said Brad Erickson, president of California Arts Advocates and co-chair of the steering committee, “that is why we created this campaign.”
California’s economy is fueled by its creative industries, including both for-profit and non-profit creative businesses and organizations. Art galleries, individual artists, writers, and performers in California earned over $12 billion in 2008, while photography, music, book, and record store sales totaled over $3.2 billion according to the Creative Vitality™ Index, an economic development tool developed by the Western States Arts Federation. While the billions of dollars in film industry revenues is common knowledge, foreign sales of motion-picture and video products totaled over $10.4 billion just a few years ago, a number that continues to rise. In addition, California’s non-profit arts sector alone generates $5.4 billion in total economic impact each year, creating 66,000 full-time and 95,000 part-time jobs, and returning $300 million in state and local taxes.
The goal of the Arts in the California Governor’s Race campaign is to educate both the public and the 2010 gubernatorial candidates about the important roles of quality public education, non-profit public/private partnerships, and small business in ensuring a robust creative economy. The campaign will work closely with gubernatorial campaign managers to brief each candidate about California’s creative sector. The campaign will also encourage each of the candidates to prepare a public statement indicating her or his awareness of the creative industries and commitment to ensuring California regains its competitive economic edge when the next governor takes office.
Through its newly launched website and a field activist, the steering committee of Arts in the California Governor’s Race is currently working in communities throughout the state to educate voters about the important role of the creative industries in ensuring that students thrive, communities succeed, and that California’s economy flourishes.
“This campaign is an exciting new effort to help bridge the gap between the arts and politics, both in this gubernatorial race as well as the future. The campaign will strengthen the California’s broad arts communities and show our local and state representatives that we are an important constituency,” said Michael Alexander, current member of the California Arts Council.
To learn more, please visit CAArts.org or contact Field Activist Jackie Koppell by e-mail at jackie@CAArts.org or by phone at (917) 817-4418.
Tuesday :: 10.12.2010
Second Gubernatorial Debate between Jerry Brown (D) and Meg Whitman (R) at the Dominican University of California
When: Tuesday, October 12
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Dominican University of California, Angelico Hall, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901
What: Dominican University of California will host gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman in the second of three televised debates on October 12. Sponsored by Dominican University and NBC.
Source: http://www.cagovdebate.com/
Tuesday :: 9.28.2010
First Gubernatorial Debate between Jerry Brown (D) and Meg Whitman (R) at UC Davis
When: Tuesday, September 28
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Mondavi Center, UC-Davis campus, Davis, CA
What: UC Davis will host gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman for the first of three televised debates on September 28. The live one-hour debate will be held at the Mondavi Center at 6 p.m. and is sponsored by UC Davis, Capital Public Radio, KCRA-TV Sacramento, and The Sacramento Bee.
Source: http://theaggie.org/article/2010/08/23/uc-davis-to-host-gubernatorial-debate
Friday :: 8.20.2010
The San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition and the California Arts Advocates invite you to attend:
2010 Arts and Culture Election Mixer
When: Friday, August 20
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park
What: San Diego Arts and Culture Supporters are invited to join the California Arts Advocates Board of Directors to mix and mingle with local candidates for city, county, school board, and state offices. Hear about local and state efforts to ensure candidates understand the importance of arts and culture, and learn how you can support these efforts during the 2010 elections. Light refreshments provided!
Please forward this invitation to artists, arts and culture board members and administrators, and patrons
R.S.V.P. to advocacy@californiaartsadvocates.org
