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Congratulations to Danielle Brazell for her appointment by Governor Newsom as the Executive Director of the California Arts Council!
We are thrilled with the appointment of Danielle Brazell. Her selection signals that the Newsom administration clearly values the impact of Arts & Culture and its contributions to state government. We are grateful to the Governor for his steadfast support of the creative industry and to Ms. Brazell for her leadership stepping into this position at such a pivotal moment. She has the experience, the passion, and the strategic acumen to lead the agency and to support the critical work of the Arts & Culture ahead. We look forward to our continued partnership with the CAC under Brazell’s leadership!
We also congratulate the newly selected CAC Chair: Roxanne Messina Captor and Vice Chair Leah Goodwin. We thank them both for their service and look forward to supporting their leadership. Finally, we want to thank outgoing ED Jonathan Moscone and former-Chair Chelo Montoya for their stewardship and for their commitment to advancing the mission of the agency.
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. Read More Here.
Last month, I had the honor of sitting on a panel at the California Economic Summit, speaking with State Senator Anthony Portantino (25th District), Julie Baker, CEO of Californians for the Arts, Kristen Dolan, executive director of the California Desert Arts Council and Yaya Ortiz, co-founder of Culturas Music and Arts.
This panel was the first time the Creative Economy had been talked about from the plenary stage at this high-profile annual event. How strange is that? It's strange because the creative economy contributes between 7.5 to 23 percent of the state’s annual economic output depending on what you include in that category. Read More.
The California Arts Council (CAC) Programs Policy Committee has made their recommendations public in the CAC packet published today in advance of the virtual council meeting on October 25. To read just the committee report, please download here.
Californians for the Arts is pleased to announce the launch of CalPayArt, a mission driven nonprofit paymaster service program, specifically designed to support payroll compliance and aggregate lower insurance and unemployment coverage costs for small nonprofit performing arts organizations in California. All qualified applicants will be accepted, and custom solutions will be designed for each participant’s unique circumstances by program administrators at Austin Creative Alliance, who have over a decade of experience providing this service to small arts nonprofits in twenty-eight states. The service is now available for interested parties to sign up and access the benefits of a nonprofit paymaster.
Governor Newsom Signs Groundbreaking Law Promoting Affordable Housing for Artists Working in Cultural Districts, Helping Set Protections for the State’s Cultural Treasures and Greater Economic Opportunity for Artists.
Did you know October is National Arts & Humanities Month? It’s a month-long recognition of the importance of culture in America, and we are excited to celebrate with you! The arts and humanities are an important part of our lives every day – they connect cultures, promote well-being, address initiatives, and make our society healthier and stronger in so many ways. This month of October, California Humanities, California Arts Council, and Californians for the Arts are partnering to celebrate all the ways the arts and humanities enrich our state.
California - Advocacy works! California Arts Advocates (CAA) is thrilled to share that funding to implement the Equitable Payroll Fund (SB1116) has been included in the SB104 budget act, signed by Governor Newsom. The Equitable Payroll Fund was introduced in 2022 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D – Burbank) and signed into law by Governor Newsom, but until now remained unfunded. The current challenges facing the performing arts have been well documented, the trend of theater closures and contractions is being seen across the state.
Los Angeles -– Actors’ Equity Association released the following statement commending California for language in SB 104/AB 104 trailer bills, that would reallocate $11.5 million in unused arts funding for SB 1116, a measure introduced by Senator Anthony Portantino (D – Burbank), which creates a payroll fund to support small nonprofit performing arts organizations (SNPAOs).