[Filed with Secretary of State June 1, 2016.]
ACR 124, Calderon. Arts Council: 40th anniversary.
This measure would declare the importance of the arts to the state and the essential role of the Arts Council in promoting the arts throughout the state, and would congratulate the Arts Council on 40 years of service to state and honor the Art Council’s rich history and celebrate a bright future for the arts in our state.
WHEREAS, Our state arts agency, the California Arts Council, was established by Governor Edmund G. Brown and came into being on January 1, 1976; and
WHEREAS, Governor Brown created the California Arts Council on the basis that the arts are central to the lives of Californians; and
WHEREAS, Since the 1970s, the Arts Council, also known as the California Arts Council, has served the state by strategically promoting increased access to the arts for all Californians, particularly for residents living in communities that lack sufficient and convenient opportunities to experience the benefits of the arts in their lives; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, California’s state arts agency celebrates its 40th anniversary. During its four decades of existence, the California Arts Council has awarded thousands of grants with a total investment of $368,000,000. California is home to more artists than any other state, and the creative industries account for one in 10 jobs statewide; and
WHEREAS, The arts are fundamental to our human experience. The arts inspire us to see our human potential by fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts help us express our values, build bridges between cultures, and bring people together, regardless of perceived differences in ethnicity, religion, or age. As a well-known idiom reminds us, “When times are tough, art is salve for the ache”; and
WHEREAS, The arts invigorate the state and national economies. The creative sector has become one of the state’s most important drivers of economic growth. The 2013 OTIS Report on the Creative Economy, analyzing the economic impact of the creative economy in the state, concluded that 9.7 percent of jobs in the state are connected, directly or indirectly, to the creative industries. A recent report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis concluded that the arts and culture sector represents 3.2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product in 2011; and
WHEREAS, The arts bolster small and large businesses and the nonprofit sector. Local merchants directly benefit when people attend art events in their community because attendees make purchases related to the event, including, among other things, meals and parking. Nationally, in 2011, exports from the United States of art-related goods, including, but not limited to, movies, paintings, and jewelry, substantially increased and resulted in a trade surplus within the arts industry. The national nonprofit arts industry annually generates billions in economic activity and provides millions of jobs; and
WHEREAS, The arts increase tourism and travel. Arts travelers are ideal tourists, staying longer and spending more to seek out authentic cultural experiences than other types of travelers. Reports show that the percentage of international travelers visiting museums and attending concerts and theater performances has steadily grown since 2003; and
WHEREAS, The arts spark creativity and innovation in the workforce. Creativity is recognized as one of the top five applied employee skills sought by business leaders. Nobel Laureates in the sciences are 17 times more likely to be actively engaged in the arts than other scientists; and
WHEREAS, The arts enhance our society. A recent study demonstrated that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, improved child welfare, and lower poverty rates. A vibrant arts community ensures that young people are not left to experience their society through a pop culture and tabloid marketplace; and
WHEREAS, The arts improve health care. Nearly one-half of the nation’s health care institutions provide arts programming for patients, families, and staff on the basis that art programs promote healing in patients, resulting in shorter hospital stays, better pain management, and less medication; and
WHEREAS, The arts improve academic performance. Students with an education rich in the arts have higher grades and standardized test scores and lower rates of dropping out of school. Students with four years of arts or music in high school average 100 more points on their SAT scores than students with just one-half of a year of arts or music. While arts education is mandated by state law, California is failing to provide a sufficient arts education. For the past 30 years arts education in schools has been disappearing at an alarming rate. Between 1999 and 2004, student enrollment in music education declined by almost half. The state’s recent fiscal crisis has resulted in still more dramatic cuts to visual and performing arts education programs for students throughout the state; and
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares the importance of the arts to the state and the essential role of the Arts Council in promoting the arts throughout the state; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature joins arts supporters from around the state to congratulate the Arts Council on 40 years of service to the state and its residents and to honor the Arts Council’s rich history and celebrate a bright future for the arts in our state; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit sufficient copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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