#CAArtsChampion: Julie Baker
It’s April and that means it’s arts, culture and creativity month in California. I could not think of a better time to celebrate and recognize the impact of arts and artists in our lives and communities. Now more than ever we need the power of art to provide hope, comfort, entertainment, joy, humor and empathy. We look to the arts to create shared experiences, to communicate difficult truths and to build communities. As we learn to “shelter at home” in order to save lives, we know the arts will give us life. And once we return to gathering, arts will bring us together with new stories and insights to be shared through performance, music, dance, poetry and more and our towns will begin the process of revitalization with arts programming as a platform for economic and personal recovery. Arts are essential services and artists are important investors in our communities’ ability to adapt and thrive. I believe arts are critical and are deserving of investment.