Our arts ecosystem

Silicon Valley contains:

• 600 nonprofit arts organizations—ranging from Joe’s Art Garage (a new community gallery for emerging artists) to Opera San Jose (a nationally recognized arts institution). Organizations reflect the Valley’s diversity, from Chinese Performing Artists of America, to Shri Krupa Indian Dance, to MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana.

• Three million consumers: area residents who are exposed to arts—both formally and informally, both public and private art

• Hundreds of thousands of ticket holders—people who make paid admissions to arts events each year

• Thousands of donors who support the arts with gifts large and small—ranging from capital campaign donations to bequest gifts intended to sustain arts organizations

• Arts Council Silicon Valley: a coordinating council where business, government, nonprofits, donors and artists come together to advance the arts

State Funding for the Arts

Government funding for the arts in California has declined dramatically. Today, California spends about 3 cents per resident on the arts each year.

What does that mean locally?

In 2001, the California Arts Council awarded $1,674,805 in Santa Clara County. In 2005, it awarded only $58,370.

The number of arts organizations funded plummeted from 84 to 12. No local artists received funding in 2005, compared with 10 in 2001.

Local Funding for the Arts

Organizations such as Arts Council Silicon Valley have seen a decrease in City funding by more than 55% over the last 5 years. However, the County continues to provide support for the small and mid-sized nonprofit arts organizations and individual artists.

The Future of the Arts

There is no doubt that taking the arts away from our children in schools will have a number of major repercussions down the road. Not only will the future patrons of our arts community not have the full appreciation by being deprived of arts experiences growing up, but arts education has proven to provide our children with significant social and cognitive development skills that lead to better test scores and better all around learning practices.

While Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed $100 million in his budget for arts education, it is yet to be determined how this money will be distributed and to whom. It is true that while this is a start in the right direction, it is not enough and the demand for arts education in schools has to come from parents and citizens directly.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Working together to Advance the Arts

Silicon Valley is home to several ongoing arts initiatives, including:

California Arts Council - a state agency that encourages widespread public participation by supporting professional artists around the state, helping to build strong arts organizations at the local level, assist with the professional development of arts leaders, promote awareness of the value of the Arts, and directly support arts programs for children. To view them go to www.cac.ca.gov.

Americans for the Arts - the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Americans for the Arts conducts a number of programs that benefit our local arts community such as the Art. Ask for More public service campaign and the Economic Prosperity Study. To view them go to www.artsusa.org.