March Member Spotlight on Los Angeles County Arts Commission

We all know that the past few years have been financially challenging for arts organizations. As we move into 2013, we're all encouraged by the fact that the California State budget is balanced. Budgetary projections for Los Angeles County are looking good, and the general rebound of the economy is sure to shape interesting opportunities for creative growth.

Arts organizations have always been asked to do much with little, and that built-in resilience has meant that very few organizations within the County were forced to shut down altogether. We're grateful for the important role our Board of Supervisors played in sustaining jobs at hundreds of organizations through our grant and internship programs for the past several challenging years. We are coming out of the recession with our region's arts ecology relatively intact and, with some repairs, poised to move forward in innovative ways.

The fact that there is additional money for California State school districts is promising. The removal of the financial cloud that has hung over school districts' heads for some time, and the implementation of the Common Core standards beginning in 2014, should result in more - and integrated - possibilities for arts education. During the recession, the County continued to move forward with large construction projects, due in part to the desire to create and sustain jobs. This has translated, through public and private municipal arts programs, into a record number of civic art projects that provide additional opportunities for artists and communities to come together.

The Los Angeles County arts community has proven to be resilient, and we’re looking forward to what we can do together in 2013.