Bill Text: CA ACR124 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Arts Council: 40th anniversary.
Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2016-06-01 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 54, Statutes of 2016. [ACR124 Detail]
Download: California-2015-ACR124-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 124 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 54
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 1, 2016
ADOPTED IN SENATE MAY 26, 2016
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 5, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Calderon
(Coauthors: Senators Allen and Nielsen)
JANUARY 21, 2016
Relative to the Arts Council.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 124, Calderon. Arts Council: 40th anniversary.
This measure would declare the importance of the arts to the state
and the essential role of the Arts Council in promoting the arts
throughout the state, and would congratulate the Arts Council on 40
years of service to state and honor the Art Council's rich history
and celebrate a bright future for the arts in our state.
WHEREAS, Our state arts agency, the California Arts Council, was
established by Governor Edmund G. Brown and came into being on
January 1, 1976; and
WHEREAS, Governor Brown created the California Arts Council on the
basis that the arts are central to the lives of Californians; and
WHEREAS, Since the 1970s, the Arts Council, also known as the
California Arts Council, has served the state by strategically
promoting increased access to the arts for all Californians,
particularly for residents living in communities that lack sufficient
and convenient opportunities to experience the benefits of the arts
in their lives; and
WHEREAS, In 2016, California's state arts agency celebrates its
40th anniversary. During its four decades of existence, the
California Arts Council has awarded thousands of grants with a total
investment of $368,000,000. California is home to more artists than
any other state, and the creative industries account for one in 10
jobs statewide; and
WHEREAS, The arts are fundamental to our human experience. The
arts inspire us to see our human potential by fostering creativity,
goodness, and beauty. The arts help us express our values, build
bridges between cultures, and bring people together, regardless of
perceived differences in ethnicity, religion, or age. As a well-known
idiom reminds us, "When times are tough, art is salve for the ache";
and
WHEREAS, The arts invigorate the state and national economies. The
creative sector has become one of the state's most important drivers
of economic growth. The 2013 OTIS Report on the Creative Economy,
analyzing the economic impact of the creative economy in the state,
concluded that 9.7 percent of jobs in the state are connected,
directly or indirectly, to the creative industries. A recent report
by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis concluded that the arts and
culture sector represents 3.2 percent of the nation's gross domestic
product in 2011; and
WHEREAS, The arts bolster small and large businesses and the
nonprofit sector. Local merchants directly benefit when people attend
art events in their community because attendees make purchases
related to the event, including, among other things, meals and
parking. Nationally, in 2011, exports from the United States of
art-related goods, including, but not limited to, movies, paintings,
and jewelry, substantially increased and resulted in a trade surplus
within the arts industry. The national nonprofit arts industry
annually generates billions in economic activity and provides
millions of jobs; and
WHEREAS, The arts increase tourism and travel. Arts travelers are
ideal tourists, staying longer and spending more to seek out
authentic cultural experiences than other types of travelers. Reports
show that the percentage of international travelers visiting museums
and attending concerts and theater performances has steadily grown
since 2003; and
WHEREAS, The arts spark creativity and innovation in the
workforce. Creativity is recognized as one of the top five applied
employee skills sought by business leaders. Nobel Laureates in the
sciences are 17 times more likely to be actively engaged in the arts
than other scientists; and
WHEREAS, The arts enhance our society. A recent study demonstrated
that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher
civic engagement, more social cohesion, improved child welfare, and
lower poverty rates. A vibrant arts community ensures that young
people are not left to experience their society through a pop culture
and tabloid marketplace; and
WHEREAS, The arts improve health care. Nearly one-half of the
nation's health care institutions provide arts programming for
patients, families, and staff on the basis that art programs promote
healing in patients, resulting in shorter hospital stays, better pain
management, and less medication; and
WHEREAS, The arts improve academic performance. Students with an
education rich in the arts have higher grades and standardized test
scores and lower rates of dropping out of school. Students with four
years of arts or music in high school average 100 more points on
their SAT scores than students with just one-half of a year of arts
or music. While arts education is mandated by state law, California
is failing to provide a sufficient arts education. For the past 30
years arts education in schools has been disappearing at an alarming
rate. Between 1999 and 2004, student enrollment in music education
declined by almost half. The state's recent fiscal crisis has
resulted in still more dramatic cuts to visual and performing arts
education programs for students throughout the state; and
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares the importance of
the arts to the state and the essential role of the Arts Council in
promoting the arts throughout the state; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature joins arts supporters from around
the state to congratulate the Arts Council on 40 years of service to
the state and its residents and to honor the Arts Council's rich
history and celebrate a bright future for the arts in our state; and
be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit sufficient
copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate
distribution.
