The goal of the Arts program is to promote a vibrant and inclusive artistic and cultural environment in California.

A robust cultural life is integral to California's future and should include strong arts organizations that cultivate the creativity of the state's artists and residents. California has become the world's eighth largest economy, in large part because of its creativity — its ability to innovate, to take risks and to pioneer new technologies and patterns of behavior.

Yet arts organizations — responsible for providing the institutional capacity to create, preserve and present cultural programs for the public's benefit — are in a constant struggle to raise funds, attract audiences and secure the best artists and work. Individual artists who may require years of dedicated training too often have tenuous institutional affiliations with little guarantee of the sustainability required to support their ongoing artistic work. And, as we have seen recently, government funding and public policies supporting the arts are often adversely affected by economic conditions and are particularly vulnerable in times of fiscal crisis.

Unprecedented change. Exceptional opportunity.

Looking ahead, Californians benefit from another important role the arts play in our state: enhancing mutual understanding and communication among diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. As California undergoes unprecedented demographic change in the next few decades — experiencing dramatic shifts in population and ethnicity — improved cross-cultural communication will be an invaluable asset and another significant contribution from the arts field. Recognizing these challenges, we seek to strengthen key elements in the arts, particularly at a time when the field is fragmented, under-resourced, and undergoing significant change. As one of the largest statewide funders in the arts, The James Irvine Foundation is committed to ensuring that the arts field continues to navigate these challenges and plays its critical role in stimulating our state's vitality.

Critical Issues Facing the Arts in California

Arts Working Paper: This working paper, published by the James Irvine Foundation and AEA Consulting, identifies the major challenges facing the arts and cultural sector in California. Based on interviews with arts leaders and a review of the relevant literature, the paper describes five key themes that, if not addressed, may threaten the health and well-being of the sector going forward. The themes are: Access, Cultural Policy, Arts Education, Nonprofit Business Model and Preparing the Next Generation of Artists and Arts Managers.

As a result of the working paper, a new statewide collaboration of public and private funders will begin collecting comprehensive data about the California cultural sector in January 2008. The California Cultural Data Project will provide a standardized online system for collecting historical financial and organizational data and will be used for grant applications to many of the participating funders throughout California. Organizations only need to complete a Data Profile (the online form used for collecting financial and other operational information) once each fiscal year. Organizations will be able to use this system to track their own trends over time. The Data Project will also benefit the cultural sector by providing comprehensive, standardized data on arts and culture. This data will allow the cultural community to articulate and provide evidence for the sector’s assets and needs, and its contributions to the state.