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.\n<\/p>\n
The program, called Artists Count: San Diego + Tijuana<\/a>, is propped up by $1.3 million to ensure artists \u201cwill have access to funding, entrepreneurship training, knowledge sharing and cross-border networking opportunities,\u201d according to a statement.\n<\/p>\n The coalition behind the initiative and funding is composed of San Diego ART Matters<\/a>, the National City-based International Community Foundation<\/a>, the Prebys Foundation<\/a> and the city of San Diego.\n<\/p>\n Today\u2019s announcement comes just days after the launch in San Diego of Arts, Culture & Creativity Month,<\/a> where Erin Harkey, CEO of the nation\u2019s leading arts advocacy group, Americans for the Arts<\/a>, delivered a speech that served as a clarion call.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe certainly are in a moment where things are shifting quickly,\u201d she warned on April 2. \u201cI\u2019ve heard somebody describe it as a high-velocity event. But the work we do \u2014 grounded in creativity, expression and community \u2014 is being questioned in new ways. It\u2019s being politicized, and in some cases, it\u2019s being directly challenged. \u2026 The arts are not optional, they\u2019re essential.\u201d<\/p>\n Analysis: Why does arts advocacy matter? Here\u2019s why: \u2018The arts are under attack\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Local leaders are calling the new program \u201ca landmark binational initiative\u201d that is designed to deliver funding straight to the region\u2019s creative workforce, an army of culture bearers and art makers that includes visual artists, musicians, actors, poets, writers, dancers and more.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal of Artists Count<\/a> is to uplift and support regional artists for the long-term,\u201d said Felicia Shaw, project lead for Artists Count and deputy director of San Diego ART Matters, the region\u2019s largest arts advocacy organization.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to better understand the challenges that artists face and identify ways we can support them in achieving their professional aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n Emily Young, vice president of programs at the Prebys Foundation, said the initiative is not only needed, it\u2019s \u201cessential.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cSupporting artists at pivotal moments in their practice \u2014 and ensuring funding \u2014 is essential in a region where the high cost of living makes building a creative career increasingly challenging,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s artists. The program\u2019s second prong \u2014 research \u2014 is just as important, organizers say. Implemented by the Policy & Innovation Center<\/a> and funded in part by the Parker Foundation<\/a>, the research effort \u201cwill gather critical data about artists\u2019 professional lives \u2014 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Results from the survey \u201cwill help inform future cultural policy, funding priorities and workforce development strategies to build a more resilient creative economy,\u201d the coalition said in a statement.<\/p>\n Marisa Aurora Quiroz, president and CEO of International Community Foundation, said centering the program\u2019s name around the word \u201cartists\u201d was not by accident.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe name \u2018Artists Count\u2019 is intentional,\u201d she said. \u201cArtists are essential to our region\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge all local working artists to apply,\u201d said Rachel Laing, the assistant deputy director for economic development for the city of San Diego. \u201cIn addition to funding, Artists Count is a chance to be counted and get funded \u2014 which will give us insight into how your community can better serve you.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With crucial funding in peril across the nation, a coalition of San Diego arts-and-culture groups, along with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":268298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1697,7,967,181,23,74,84,76,75,420,4931,1696,18740],"class_list":{"0":"post-268297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-baja-california","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-san-diego-county","15":"tag-san-diego-headlines","16":"tag-san-diego-news","17":"tag-things-to-do","18":"tag-tijuana","19":"tag-top-stories-sdut","20":"tag-visual-arts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}