Arts in the community

• The visibility of a community is directly linked to its Arts, Culture and Creativity.

• For communities of color, the Arts are symbiotically connected to its culture.

Arts funding in California

• Major budget cuts in the arts have had a dire impact
• Before budget cuts…
• The CAC budget used to be $32 million.
• Filipino American artists were among the top most funded ethnic groups in the competitive grant cycles.
• California Arts Council (CAC) funding supported cultural programming, providing people from all backgrounds the experience of our state’s cultural diversity.
• Now…
• California ranks 50th in arts funding in the U.S. That means we’re last.
• California spends 3 cents per person on the arts. The national average is $1.15. France spends $56 per person.
• All grants programs by the CAC have been stopped indefinitely. This includes
• Artists in Residence
• Arts Programs for 850,000 K-12 students
• Funding for cultural dance, music, poets and authors, visual artists, media artists, etc.

The Arts teach children to be more tolerant and open, boost their overall academic performance, and provide an alternative to delinquent behavior.

Did You Know? http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/facts/default.asp

1. Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:

· 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement

· 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools

· 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair

· 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance

· 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

2. Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:

· Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently

· Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently

· Read for pleasure nearly twice as often

· Perform community service more than four times as often

Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations, Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998)

 

For more information from Americans for the Arts: http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/facts/default.asp

 

You can advocate for the arts too! Click here to find out how.