California Arts Council
Encyclopedia
The California Arts Council is a state agency
based in Sacramento
. Its eleven council members are appointed by the Governor
and the state Legislature
. The agency's mission is to advance California through the arts and creativity.
,http://www.petercoyote.com/keynote.html who dissolved the existing 15-member California Arts Commission, which had been in existence since 1963.http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8510(198010)14%3A4%3C35%3ATAITAO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-5
The opening paragraph of California Code Section 8750-8756 reads:
• The Legislature perceives that life in California is enriched by art.
• The source of art is in the natural flow of the human mind. Realizing craft and beauty is demanding, however, the people of the state desire to encourage and nourish these skills wherever they occur, to the benefit of all.
[For the government code, see http://law.justia.com/california/codes/gov/8750-8756.html .]
Over the past 35 years, the California Arts Council has administered dozens of grant programs and initiatives that have affected hundreds of artists and organizations, and in turn millions of Californians.
All 50 states and the six U.S. jurisdictions (American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) have state arts agencies. The NEA is required by law to allocate 40% of its grant funds to states and regions. State arts agencies, including the California Arts Council, use these dollars to leverage matching funds, to address local needs, and to expand the reach and impact of federal arts funding across the country.
During the fiscal crisis of 2003-2004, the California Arts Council lost 94% of its funding from the state legislature, resulting in deep cuts to arts council programs and staff. Ripple effects from these cuts were felt throughout the creative economy (for example, in 2003 funding from the California Arts Council supported 54 local arts councils in counties and cities throughout the state; by 2006 many of these local agencies had disappeared). California now dedicates fewer tax dollars per capita to support the arts than any other state or territory of the United States, despite having more arts-related businesses and more people employed in the creative industries than any other state. However, the California Arts Council receives revenue from two income streams that are not dependent on allocation of tax dollars: the Arts License Plate and voluntary contributions, both of which the Franchise Tax Board deems tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the California Arts Council.
began offering the first specialty license plate in the United States to directly benefit the arts. The image on the plate, Coastline, was created by renowned California artist Wayne Thiebaud
, who retains copyright to the image but gifted its use to the California Arts Council for the production and promotion of the Arts License Plate. The license plate is available to California car owners for a modest fee, with the bulk of the proceeds dedicated by the California Arts Council to fund their programs. The funds received from sales of the Arts License Plate provide approximately sixty percent of the arts council's budget.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings of the California Arts Council to offer support, voice concerns, and share ideas about the arts in California. Meetings are held approximately quarterly, at locations throughout the state. Each meeting's agenda is posted on the California Arts Council's website a minimum of ten days prior to the meeting. Minutes from previous meetings are also posted on the website.
The California Arts Council provides information for artists and the public on its website at www.arts.ca.gov. In addition to detailed information about the California Arts Council's current grants and programs, including application instructions, the website includes links and information to grants from other agencies and foundations, arts jobs postings, arts news and links to articles of interest, information about California Poetry Out Loud, festivals around the state, events such as California Arts Day
(which occurs on the first Friday of October, National Arts & Humanities Month
), and much more.
The public may view the California Arts Council’s Strategic Plan here, and view annual reports for the past decade here.
The California Arts Council established a social media presence in 2009 as part of its constituent outreach. It can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/californiaartscouncil and on Twitter at @CalArtsCouncil.
. In 2010, the legislature passed [ftp://leginfo.public.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_2601-2650/ab_2610_cfa_20100630_101203_sen_floor.html AB 2610], which Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law, requiring the Council Members to select the Director.
California executive branch
The California executive branch of the state of California includes many agencies including those listed below.-Governor:Agencies under the direction of a secretary that report directly to the Governor are cabinet-level agencies, to which other agencies are subordinate to:*Governor**Office of the...
based in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
. Its eleven council members are appointed by the Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
and the state Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
. The agency's mission is to advance California through the arts and creativity.
History
The California Arts Council was established in 1975 and signed into law by Governor Jerry BrownJerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
,http://www.petercoyote.com/keynote.html who dissolved the existing 15-member California Arts Commission, which had been in existence since 1963.http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8510(198010)14%3A4%3C35%3ATAITAO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-5
The opening paragraph of California Code Section 8750-8756 reads:
• The Legislature perceives that life in California is enriched by art.
• The source of art is in the natural flow of the human mind. Realizing craft and beauty is demanding, however, the people of the state desire to encourage and nourish these skills wherever they occur, to the benefit of all.
[For the government code, see http://law.justia.com/california/codes/gov/8750-8756.html .]
Over the past 35 years, the California Arts Council has administered dozens of grant programs and initiatives that have affected hundreds of artists and organizations, and in turn millions of Californians.
Purpose of state arts agencies
When Congress created the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 1965, it required the NEA to apportion funds to any state that established an arts agency. State arts agencies increase public access to the arts and work to ensure that every community in America enjoys the cultural, civic, economic and educational benefits of a thriving arts sector. To do this, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, state arts agencies: provide grant funding for artists, arts institutions, schools and community groups; offer training and information that strengthens the management and entrepreneurial skills of artists and arts organizations; support in- and out-of-school arts activities for young people; lead special initiatives to foster economic and civic development through the arts; advance arts education through teacher training, curriculum development and assessment projects; conduct research that documents the impact of the arts; educate the public about the essential role of the arts in American life; preserve and celebrate the unique cultural traditions of each state; and recognize and promote artistic achievement.All 50 states and the six U.S. jurisdictions (American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) have state arts agencies. The NEA is required by law to allocate 40% of its grant funds to states and regions. State arts agencies, including the California Arts Council, use these dollars to leverage matching funds, to address local needs, and to expand the reach and impact of federal arts funding across the country.
Budget
Although the structure of state arts agencies anticipated that the bulk of their funding would come from annual or biennial appropriations from state legislatures, in California that has not always been the case. Funding of the California Arts Council has followed the general fiscal trends in the state.During the fiscal crisis of 2003-2004, the California Arts Council lost 94% of its funding from the state legislature, resulting in deep cuts to arts council programs and staff. Ripple effects from these cuts were felt throughout the creative economy (for example, in 2003 funding from the California Arts Council supported 54 local arts councils in counties and cities throughout the state; by 2006 many of these local agencies had disappeared). California now dedicates fewer tax dollars per capita to support the arts than any other state or territory of the United States, despite having more arts-related businesses and more people employed in the creative industries than any other state. However, the California Arts Council receives revenue from two income streams that are not dependent on allocation of tax dollars: the Arts License Plate and voluntary contributions, both of which the Franchise Tax Board deems tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the California Arts Council.
Arts license plate
In 1994, through special legislation, the California Arts Council and the California Department of Motor VehiclesCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles
The California Department of Motor Vehicles is the state agency responsible for the registration of motor vehicles and boats and the issuance of driver's licenses in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for regulating new car dealers , commercial cargo carriers, private driving...
began offering the first specialty license plate in the United States to directly benefit the arts. The image on the plate, Coastline, was created by renowned California artist Wayne Thiebaud
Wayne Thiebaud
Wayne Thiebaud is an American painter whose most famous works are of cakes, pastries, boots, toilets, toys and lipsticks. He is associated with the Pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, although his works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate...
, who retains copyright to the image but gifted its use to the California Arts Council for the production and promotion of the Arts License Plate. The license plate is available to California car owners for a modest fee, with the bulk of the proceeds dedicated by the California Arts Council to fund their programs. The funds received from sales of the Arts License Plate provide approximately sixty percent of the arts council's budget.
Tax check-off box (voluntary contribution fund)
In 2010, the legislature passed SB 1076 by Senator Curren Price, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed it into law. The California Arts Council is included on the 2010 "Voluntary Contribution" portion of the state tax form. By choosing "Arts Council Fund" and indicating the amount they wish to contribute, individual taxpayers may make tax-deductible contributions in amounts of $1 or more.The California Arts Council today
Arts Council members and staff come from many walks of life and have experience in the arts, creative industries, arts education, community development, state and local government, and the nonprofit and for-profit sectors of California's economy. As a state agency, the California Arts Council encourages widespread public participation in the arts in all areas of the state, helps build strong arts organizations at the local level, assists with the professional development of arts leaders, promotes awareness of the value of the arts, and directly funds arts programs for California citizens, emphasizing arts in education and reaching rural and under-served communities. The California Arts Council also assists in locating artists and artists' estates that are due monies under California's unique Resale Royalty Act (California Civil Code Section 986), and distributes these royalties when artists are found.Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings of the California Arts Council to offer support, voice concerns, and share ideas about the arts in California. Meetings are held approximately quarterly, at locations throughout the state. Each meeting's agenda is posted on the California Arts Council's website a minimum of ten days prior to the meeting. Minutes from previous meetings are also posted on the website.
The California Arts Council provides information for artists and the public on its website at www.arts.ca.gov. In addition to detailed information about the California Arts Council's current grants and programs, including application instructions, the website includes links and information to grants from other agencies and foundations, arts jobs postings, arts news and links to articles of interest, information about California Poetry Out Loud, festivals around the state, events such as California Arts Day
California Arts Day
California Arts Day was created by the California Arts Council and established by Proclamation of the Governor. It takes place the first Friday of October every year during National Arts & Humanities Month....
(which occurs on the first Friday of October, National Arts & Humanities Month
National Arts & Humanities Month
National Arts & Humanities Month was established in 1993 and is celebrated every October in the United States. It was initiated to encourage Americans to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives, and to begin a lifelong habit of active participation in the arts and humanities...
), and much more.
The public may view the California Arts Council’s Strategic Plan here, and view annual reports for the past decade here.
The California Arts Council established a social media presence in 2009 as part of its constituent outreach. It can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/californiaartscouncil and on Twitter at @CalArtsCouncil.
Current Council members
- Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, Chair
- William Turner, Vice Chair
- Wylie Aitken
- Michael Alexander
- Adam Hubbard
- Andrew David Green
- Charmaine Jefferson
- Terry Lenihan
- Susan Steinhauser
Directors
Prior to 2011, Directors were appointed by the Governor of CaliforniaGovernor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
. In 2010, the legislature passed [ftp://leginfo.public.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_2601-2650/ab_2610_cfa_20100630_101203_sen_floor.html AB 2610], which Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law, requiring the Council Members to select the Director.
- Marilyn Nielsen (2011 Interim Director)
- Muriel Johnson (2005-2011)
- Juan Carrillo (2004-2005 Interim Director)
- Barry Hessenius (2000-2004)
- Barbara Pieper (1993-2000)
- Joanne Kozberg (1991-1993)
- Robert Reid (1986-1991)
- Marilyn Ryan (1982-1986)
- Bill Cook (1979-1982)
- Gloriamalia Flores (Perez) (1978-1979 Acting Director)
- Clark Mitze (1976-1978)
- Eloise Smith (1976)