The California Arts Council is currently on a Creative Economics in Action Statewide Engagement Tour and will host over 20 statewide town halls across California to capture the variety of challenges creatives face and help shape California’s first Creative Economy Strategic Plan.
The California Arts Council and five regional partners – Youth Speaks, ArtforLA, California for the Arts, Shasta Arts Council and Hannah Blumenfield – will provide creatives a platform to influence statewide funding and policy, bringing that platform to Fresno on Saturday, Dec. 6, where over 20 people attended the town hall hosted by Youth Speaks at the Fresno Arts Council.
Danielle Brazelle, executive director of the California Arts Council, presented the strategic plan and the legislative goals, during which Brazelle said, “What impacts Sacramento is not what impacts the Central Valley.”
“But how do we make sure every community claims its space in a creative economy? And how do we develop a robust, thriving, and resilient creative economy?” Brazelle asked.
Attendees spoke about issues within the Fresno community while event organizers took notes throughout the event. Many artists discussed the difficulty of developing a livelihood and sustainability as a full-time artist, highlighting the feeling of not having a choice but to be creative as a side project.
Jazmen Monique Moore, an artist and Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grant recipient, said she attended to see her hopes for the city become a reality.
“The desire that I have is for our city to create a sustainable space for creatives to live and be. For us to not just be a niche, but a participant of the community that is recognized and given authority to make decisions. To have a flourishing economy that is creatively driven.”
Many creatives shared their challenges in the community alongside their hopes, including Moore.
“We are dreaming of being an artistic and creative city, not just an artistic and creative community,” she said.
Feedback from the Fresno Creative Town Hall, alongside the 19 others taking place across the state, will be incorporated into the next statewide strategic plan. As the statewide tour continues, these community conversations will be crucial for fostering a creative economy in California that reflects the needs of cities like Fresno, not just metropolitan areas.
“[This process is] audacious, it’s bold, but I’m happy to serve,” Brazelle said.
For Moore and other attendees, these conversations represent not just an interaction, but a step forward to recognition and an investment for Fresno’s creative community that they want to be included in.
“We need to be in these conversations. We need to be participants. And we need a bigger piece of the pie,” Moore said.
The California Arts Council will provide information on their upcoming town halls and public opportunities on their website, located at creativeeconomy.arts.ca.gov.
