The James Irvine Foundation has sustained a commitment to arts and cultural organizations in California since 1937. That commitment, combined with the many changes the Foundation has observed recently in California's artistic and cultural communities, led the Foundation to embark on a project to examine the challenges facing California's arts sector today and identify strategies and recommendations that will improve the health and well-being of the sector in the future.
To assist with this project, the Foundation retained AEA Consulting to conduct research into the key issues facing the arts and cultural sector, and prepare a working paper to stimulate discussion.
For the remainder of 2006, The James Irvine Foundation and AEA Consulting are hosting this blog to encourage response and commentary on the issues raised in the working paper. We welcome your comments, and your responses to three key questions:
- Does the paper capture the most important issues facing the arts and cultural sector of California?
- What strategies could make a material difference to any or all of these challenges?
- How can sector leaders, funders and other stakeholders come together to create a healthier future for the arts in California?
