With crucial funding in peril across the nation, a coalition of San Diego arts-and-culture groups, along with the city of San Diego, today will launch a new initiative aimed at helping artists on both sides of the border.
The program, called Artists Count: San Diego + Tijuana, is propped up by $1.3 million to ensure artists “will have access to funding, entrepreneurship training, knowledge sharing and cross-border networking opportunities,” according to a statement.
The coalition behind the initiative and funding is composed of San Diego ART Matters, the National City-based International Community Foundation, the Prebys Foundation and the city of San Diego.
Today’s announcement comes just days after the launch in San Diego of Arts, Culture & Creativity Month, where Erin Harkey, CEO of the nation’s leading arts advocacy group, Americans for the Arts, delivered a speech that served as a clarion call.
“We certainly are in a moment where things are shifting quickly,” she warned on April 2. “I’ve heard somebody describe it as a high-velocity event. But the work we do — grounded in creativity, expression and community — is being questioned in new ways. It’s being politicized, and in some cases, it’s being directly challenged. … The arts are not optional, they’re essential.”
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Local leaders are calling the new program “a landmark binational initiative” that is designed to deliver funding straight to the region’s creative workforce, an army of culture bearers and art makers that includes visual artists, musicians, actors, poets, writers, dancers and more.
“The goal of Artists Count is to uplift and support regional artists for the long-term,” said Felicia Shaw, project lead for Artists Count and deputy director of San Diego ART Matters, the region’s largest arts advocacy organization.
“We want to better understand the challenges that artists face and identify ways we can support them in achieving their professional aspirations.”
Emily Young, vice president of programs at the Prebys Foundation, said the initiative is not only needed, it’s “essential.”
“Supporting artists at pivotal moments in their practice — and ensuring funding — is essential in a region where the high cost of living makes building a creative career increasingly challenging,” she said.
The initiative has a two-pronged approach: funding and research. The $1.3 million will help, among other things, create professional development opportunities for the region’s artists. The program’s second prong — research — is just as important, organizers say. Implemented by the Policy & Innovation Center and funded in part by the Parker Foundation, the research effort “will gather critical data about artists’ professional lives — including how much time they devote to their craft versus outside employment, the balance they would ideally like to achieve, and other structural challenges affecting their work.”
Results from the survey “will help inform future cultural policy, funding priorities and workforce development strategies to build a more resilient creative economy,” the coalition said in a statement.
Marisa Aurora Quiroz, president and CEO of International Community Foundation, said centering the program’s name around the word “artists” was not by accident.
“The name ‘Artists Count’ is intentional,” she said. “Artists are essential to our region’s identity and economic vitality. This initiative ensures that artists both receive direct investment and are represented accurately through meaningful data that can drive lasting support.”
As part of the funding application, artists must complete an eligibility survey, with those meeting the criteria being invited to move forward with a full application.
“We urge all local working artists to apply,” said Rachel Laing, the assistant deputy director for economic development for the city of San Diego. “In addition to funding, Artists Count is a chance to be counted and get funded — which will give us insight into how your community can better serve you.”