Newsroom

Happy holiday season to our Arts for LA family!

This month, we are excited to officially release the 2020 Laura Zucker Research Fellowship Report. Click here to read the full report. Our 2020 fellow Nahal Jalali’s research considers the case for integrating artists and the arts into municipal governments – beyond arts and culture departments – to spur innovation. Click here to learn moreand read on to download the full report.

Even in the midst of a worsening global pandemic, the creative sector continues to look towards the future. The LA County Department of Arts and Culture has released a slate of reopening guidelines produced in partnership with the LA County Department of Public Health. Click here for more information about this essential topic.

We are also excited to announce some upcoming events and opportunities, including Arts for LA’s new partnership with Bank of America.

This week, we will launch our end-of-year fundraising drive. With your help, we can meet a $10,000 matching grant generously offered by the Herb Alpert Foundation. Stay tuned to learn how you can help us meet our goals.

Onward!

Gustavo Herrera
Executive Director

SPOTLIGHT: BANK OF AMERICA
Arts for LA is excited to announce a new collaboration with Bank of America. Together, we will work to advance our mutual commitment to building dynamic, thriving communities in Los Angeles County.

With the support of Bank of America, Arts for LA will continue to build the technical leadership skills in our community’s workforce and we will continue advocating for our sector as we recover from the economic, social, and health crises to ensure our communities have the support, tools and resources they need to rebuild a vibrant and healthy LA.

We are so grateful to Bank of America for their investment in our mission, and we are very excited to develop this strategic partnership to ensure our communities have the tools they need to thrive.

THE WORK AHEAD

During the 2020 election cycle, nearly 4.3 million LA County residents voted in this November’s election, with so many of you working tirelessly to achieve a remarkable 75% turnout rate. Across California, and the nation, we saw record numbers of voters under the age of 30. We are grateful for your participation in our 2020 Voting for the Arts Series, advocacy, and dedication to building a more equitable, creative LA region.

Arts for LA endorsed California State Propositions 15 and 16 because we understood these measures as crucial steps towards a fully funded, inclusive creative sector. The failure of both propositions to be approved by a majority of Californians is a clear call to action: now is the time for the arts + culture sector to think critically about its role in the movement for California’s schools, local governments, and the fight for racial equity.

Arts for LA will be leading a series of community gatherings beginning in early 2021 to advance a policy and advocacy agenda that unapologetically centers racial and economic equity, as well as increased public investment in the resources so essential to a vibrant, diverse arts + culture sector. Stay tuned for more info about how you can join these monthly meetings.

We are also closely tracking the implementation process of Measure J (see pg. 19 of this explainer for more info), which was approved by a majority of LA County voters earlier this month. We will continue to advocate for the role of arts + culture in this revisioning process and update our community as the implementation phase continues.

2020 LAURA ZUCKER REPORT

ART AS INNOVATION: EMBEDDING ARTISTS AND CREATIVITY ACROSS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN LA COUNTY
The arts — and artists in particular — are increasingly brought into non-arts organizations to offer fresh perspectives and incubate creative solutions to cross-sector challenges. While the value these creative roles bring is increasingly recognized, the 2020 Laura Zucker Report focuses on deepening the impact of the arts in the civic sphere – specifically, local municipalities across LA County.

The report provides a baseline understanding of:

The extent to which the arts, or artists, are currently present and valued
by non-arts departments across the County and a handful of cities in
the region.
The appetite of non-arts department leaders to hire artists or integrate
the arts in a strategic capacity on their teams.
The report also highlights the benefits to strategically embedding the arts, artists, and creative skills across non-arts departments, as well as perceived challenges and obstacles to that integration. The report concludes with potential models for embedding artists as innovators and provides tactical recommendations to artists and municipal leaders championing an expanded role for the arts.

CELEBRATING WOMEN COMPOSERS
Presented by The Hildegards, Arts for LA, LA Opera Connects and the Women’s Opera Network of OPERA America, we are pleased to invite you to: Celebrating Women Composers, An intimate conversation with composers Laura Karpman, Gabriela Lena Frank, Juhi Bansal & Nia Imani Franklin on December 3rd at 5:00pm.

Strengthen your ties with your colleagues in Los Angeles – and beyond – and help set the course for a more vibrant, inclusive future. The Hildegards, in partnership with the Women’s Opera Network of OPERA America, LA Opera Connects and Arts for LA, invite you to join us for an intimate conversation with four composers (Laura Karpman, Gabriela Lena Frank, Juhi Bansal and Nia Imani Franklin) making their mark on the classical and film music scenes.

This event is open to all. Program is free, but reservations are required.

Seminar is provided safely via Zoom invitation. You can join via computer or telephone.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Angel City Chorale invites you to haul out the holly, dust off the dreidel, and celebrate the holidays with us at It’s Not the Holidays ’til the Angels Sing, our first-ever, free virtual concert available worldwide on December 12th at 6:00pm PST!

RSVP above and get a chance to access two very special pre and post concert events! To get a taste of what’s to come, watch the concert promo video!