In December 2012, the following published articles mentioned the work of the Foundation or our grantees:

• Leaders of the Year: Craig McNamara
  (Sacramento Business Journal, 12/28/12)
• James Irvine Foundation Grants $14.5 million for Arts, Youth and Learning
  (Sage, 12/21/12)
• Sundance Institute announces documentary grant recipients
  (Examiner, 12/17/12)
• Shakespeare for All in Salida
  (Modesto Bee, 12/6/12)
• reFRAME: Watts Village Theater Company
  (KCET-TV, 12/6/12)

By Manuel Pastor, University of Southern California

As part of our 75th anniversary, Irvine commissioned a series of posts from California experts and thought leaders about the state’s most important trends and how we might collectively respond to them. This post is the last in the series. We invite you to read other posts in the series and share your reactions below.

The lore of California has been one of a place of plenty — abundant harvests, growing industries, excesses of land and opportunity. While that vision has not always rung true for some, in the last few years, many in the state are starting to question if there is, indeed, enough to go around. It’s little wonder they wonder: earnings for those in the bottom four-fifths of the state’s income distribution have been falling for decades, and the current recession has left gaping holes in both our state budget and our private hopes.

My colleague, Angela Glover Blackwell, and I have a saying — it’s more hers than mine, but she’s a sharer — “equity is the superior growth model.” It’s not just warm-hearted rhetoric: Using sophisticated statistical techniques, we have been able to demonstrate that metropolitan regions that pay attention to reducing inequality and racial segregation experience more sustained economic expansion, with our seemingly controversial results confirmed by none other than the Cleveland Federal Reserve.

Staying relevant amid a shifting landscape is an obstacle that’s very familiar in our field: arts organizations are challenged to meet the changing expectations of communities they serve. My predecessors at Irvine responded to that growing relevance gap in 2006 and launched the Arts Innovation Fund (AIF), a multiyear initiative that provided support for 19 large, established arts institutions in California to experiment with different ways they might adapt. The grants were intended to create the necessary space and freedom to try something new — and to learn from it.

We all know that a robust and vibrant arts community is essential to the general well-being of our many communities in California and beyond. And we also know that the past several decades have seen a significant overall decline in the number of people who attend arts events in California and throughout the U.S.

Findings from this initiative are now available following an independent report by Slover Linett Strategies. In keeping with the theme of innovation, we’re pleased to make an overview of these findings available in an exciting new format: an interactive infographic designed for viewing online or on your tablet. These findings are significant to arts organizations of all sizes, as well as to funders, policymakers and others who care about the vitality of the arts.

In November 2012, the following published articles mentioned the work of the Foundation or our grantees:

• First Lady Michelle Obama Honors Community Youth Programs in the Arts and Humanities
  (The White House Blog, 11/19/12)
• The Corcoran’s Transformation Effort: What Five Experts Think
  (The Washington Post, 11/9/12)
• Top Business and Policy Leaders Gather at Inaugural Milken Institute Summit - California on November 15 in Los Angeles
  (Milken Institute, 11/8/12)
• The Bowers Museum Receives $520,000 from The James Irvine Foundation
  (Art Media Agency, 11/2/12)

By Stephen Levy, Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy

As part of our 75th anniversary, Irvine commissioned a series of posts from California experts and thought leaders who discuss the state’s most important trends and how we might collectively respond to them. This is one of those posts and we invite you to check back throughout the fall to read more of these entries and share your reactions below.

Over the next 20 years, the largest and most highly educated cohort of workers will retire from the California workforce and need to be replaced. This will happen even with baby boomers working longer and retiring later. At the same time, the economy is projected to add nearly 4 million jobs as the state regains the jobs lost in the recession and continues to add jobs.

Replacing retiring baby boomers and preparing for future job growth means we will need new workers at all skill levels. For every high-tech worker or teacher who retires, there is also a plumber, firefighter, truck driver and mechanic who will need to be replaced. These opportunities provide hope to families worried about their future and the future of their children. But the opportunities must be converted to success if our economy and residents are to prosper.

Dear Friends,