ARTS FOR LA RELEASES 2023 POLICY AND ADVOCACY AGENDA WITH EMPHASIS IN BUILDING A THRIVING CREATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
Prioritizes addressing inadequate government funding in the LA region and barriers
for BIPOC and low-income communities in art spaces
March 6, 2023 (Los Angeles, CA) — Arts for LA, the leading voice for arts advocacy in Greater Los Angeles, today unveiled its 2023 Arts for LA’s Policy and Advocacy Agenda: Building a Thriving Creative Infrastructure, the roadmap for advancing Los Angeles’ artistic foundation. While Los Angeles holds stature as one of the premiere creative capitals of the world, the region has yet to fully develop a Creative Infrastructure that can adequately support its thriving creative communities, art institutions, and global impact. The agenda aims to inform, engage and mobilize individuals and organizations to advocate for improved Creative Infrastructure which includes more affordable housing and creative spaces and living wages for arts workers.
“Despite being the top per capita provider of arts in the nation, Los Angeles ranks 259th in government funding allocation. This disparity disproportionately affects BIPOC and low-income communities as well as BIPOC-centered organizations,” said Gustavo Herrera, CEO, Arts for LA. “We must work together to dismantle these funding barriers and strengthen our creative infrastructure that will ultimately benefit all of Los Angeles.”
The agenda details Arts for LA’s four priority policy areas of focus including Resources & Capital, Equitable Arts Education, Creative Jobs, and Affordable Space. These four areas are critical in Arts for LA’s mission to build a thriving creative infrastructure that supports arts providers in the Greater Los Angeles Region. The agenda dives into the pressing issues facing the arts community, a process that engaged hundreds of artists, arts workers, arts advocates, and civic leaders from across the region in conversations and surveys to establish the policy priorities for the creative sector.
“Artists have taken notice of the rising costs of housing and the lack of affordable housing and workspace options in Los Angeles which are driving practitioners, arts workers, and arts & culture organizations out of the Los Angeles region,” said Amy Aquino, Board President of Arts for LA. “Our agenda will help bring these issues of access to the forefront.”
Along with advancing more affordable spaces and increased funding, an equitable arts education is another priority. Arts for LA will focus on the creation of a high-quality, well-resourced, and culturally meaningful arts education system described in the Regional Arts Education Blueprint, funded by Proposition 28. Part of this effort will include leading a coalition of regional arts education stakeholders to ensure equitable implementation of Proposition 28 funded programming.
Arts for LA will also continue its decade-long initiative to create 10,000 living wage arts, culture, and entertainment jobs in the Greater Los Angeles area, aligning with another core area of focus, the Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII). Launched in 2022, CJCII was developed after COVID-19 exacerbated deep structural inequities within the creative workforce, a lack of racial diversity, low and stagnant wages, and employment insecurity due to chronic undercapitalization of arts & culture organizations.
For the full 2023 Arts for LA’s Policy and Advocacy Agenda, please visit the Arts for LA website.
Arts for LA, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, was incorporated in 2006 by a group of arts leaders who had met informally for years to discuss and address the region’s most pressing arts issues. Since that time, Arts for LA has expanded its reach and deepened its roots in neighborhoods and school districts across Los Angeles County. Today, Arts for LA includes 55,000 supporters, 400 Member Advocates, and 165 Member Organizations.
