Introduction

Many state arts agencies, including the California Arts Council, have experienced significant budget reductions in recent years. We responded by conducting a critical assessment of our practices and priorities. We also evaluated resources, examined alternatives, and conducted strategic planning. The California Arts Council recognized that it must develop new strategies to maintain its mission and remain relevant to its authorizers – the Administration, the Legislature, and the Public. The Council met publicly over a period of six months – September 2005 to March 2006 – following in April 2006 with eight focus group sessions and an online questionnaire. Through this process, the Council developed a strategic plan that will guide the agency for the next three to five years.

The strategic plan, adopted by the Council in May 2006, has three main components: public awareness of the arts, advocacy for the arts, and programs that emphasize the importance of arts education in California schools.

Key Objectives
Public Awareness

Increase the public’s understanding of how the arts strengthen the state’s culture, communities and economy.
Encourage more Californians to participate in the arts in their communities.
Position the California Arts Council as the public’s arts agency to promote, expand, diversify, and deepen the role of the arts in the state.

Advocacy

Create and maintain a favorable authorizing environment for the arts in California.

Programs

Develop public value-driven programs that emphasize support for arts in education.
Ensure that at least 50 percent of California Arts Council’s program funds are allocated to arts in education.
Support the state’s infrastructure organizations, statewide service networks, convenings, initiatives, and implementation of the other components of the strategic plan.

2006-07 Programs

Programs in 2006-2007 include:

Artists in Schools – Support for arts organizations that partner with schools and/or school districts to facilitate artists-in-residence activities in the classroom and after-school programs.
Creating Public Value – Support for arts organizations in rural or underserved areas to implement projects making a positive contribution to communities.
Statewide Networks – Support for culturally specific, multicultural and discipline-based arts networks and service organizations to strengthen constituencies and promote the public value of the arts in communities.
State-Local Partnership – Support for local arts agencies designated by county Boards of Supervisors to develop and sustain the arts and culture of local communities.
My California Story Slam – Encourages educators to explore creative writing in their high school classrooms and to draw upon the expressive skills of their students.
Poetry Out Loud – National recitation contest that encourages high school students to experience poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Poetry Out Loud is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
American Masterpieces: California – An initiative of the NEA developed to introduce Americans to the best of their artistic and cultural legacy. Two tours are being promoted for 2007-08 presentations in California: American Tap Masterpieces -The Hollywood Journey, and Música Festiva de las Misiones.

The Future

The California Arts Council recognizes that without arts education in schools a high percentage of Californians will never be exposed to the arts. Over a generation or two, the intrinsic - and practical - value of the arts could be lost to many, impoverishing our citizens in ways large and small. The Council’s Strategic Plan reaffirms the agency’s commitment to arts in education and emphasizes the importance of sequential arts instruction for grades K-12. The plan will guide the Council’s efforts for the next three to five years toward providing small grants, implementing special initiatives, working with our partners to advance the arts throughout the state, and ensuring at least 50 percent of the Council’s program funds support arts in education.

In Recognition

The Council’s planning process was supported in part with contributions from the Teichert Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), and was facilitated by FocusedMomentum under the direction of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.