From the Director's Desk

Welcome to the California Arts Council’s brand new website! It has taken nearly a year to design and develop it, and I salute our staff members who have devoted so much enthusiasm and effort to launching it.

For more than thirty years, the California Arts Council has existed to advance California through the arts and creativity. It has run the gamut from large to modest budgets, but has always served those with special needs, been involved with multi-cultural agencies and California counties, worked with and for arts in education, and believed, as a state agency, in serving all Californians and advocating for all the arts.

Following California’s budget crisis in 2003, most grants and programs were dropped and staff was cut by more than half. During my first year as Director, we were able to grant just under a million dollars. This past year, I'm proud to tell you, the CAC expended over $3 million in programs, grants, convenings and assistance. This is largely due to the sale of Arts License Plates, which brought in $2.8 million last year.

We are grateful to former CAC Director, JoAnn Kozberg, for the idea and implementation of the Arts License Plate, as well as to esteemed artist Wayne Thiebaud, whose art graces the plate. If ever there were a gift which keeps on giving, it is the Arts License Plate! We thank all of you who have an Arts Plate on your vehicle. And for those of you who don’t have one, the easiest way to get one is by clicking here: https://vrir.dmv.ca.gov/ipp/ippMain.jsp and following the prompts!

I was so impressed by everything our small staff accomplished in 2007, that I sent a brief report to the Governor and Legislature, which you will find on our website under “At the CAC – About Us.” As of 2008, we are:

• Planning a March 4^th Arts Conference in Sacramento: “The Future – What’s Next?” in tandem with the California Arts Advocates, who will host advocacy training and Capitol visits on March 5^th. This is our first collaborative event and we will all celebrate together at an evening reception on March 4. The invitation will be on the web soon. We look forward to seeing many of you and having a very interactive dialogue as we look for creative ways to address future challenges.
• Increasing to 21 the number of counties included in Poetry Out Loud contests. The state finals will take place on March 14 in Sacramento.
• Inviting all of California’s community poets laureate to a first-ever convening, April 2 and 3.
• Kicking off the California Cultural Data Project. More information can be found at http://www.caculturaldata.org/home.aspx.
• Expanding the Story Slam contest for high school juniors.
• Finalizing a statewide tour of California’s Indian basket collection.
• Beginning a three-year effort to reestablish, strengthen and provide technical assistance to our partners – California’s local arts councils and commissions.
• Completing the panel process and granting funds to Artists in Schools – to our local partners, arts councils and commissions – to statewide network organizations – and to rural and under-served organizations, to create public value.
• Presenting an arts awareness “brand” designed by Ivelich Stone in conjunction with opinions from California arts representatives – before summer. Stay tuned!
• And yes, we will comply with the State’s need to cut all budgets by ten percent.

With your help, funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts License Plate and the State, we can accomplish all of the above and much more!

Enjoy the new website and let us hear your ideas for improvement and clarity. And enjoy the arts every day!