Paper Mache
The California Arts Council is publishing a gorgeous new magazine (remember those ancient forms of communication?) called DREAM. The print version is a glossy, heavy paper stock periodical and its articles live up to the “curb appeal.”
It is an in-depth look at what’s happening in the state’s art and culture ecosystem. You can view an online version at the Council’s website. Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture was asked to write an article about its work for the next edition of DREAM due out in June.
Here are some excerpts from the last edition, “10 things everyone should know about the arts.” 1) The arts enrich our economy. Nationwide, creative industries account for 4.3% of GDP.
2) The arts are the leading contributor to state growth. There were nearly 800,000 arts and culture sector jobs in California in 2019.
3) Arts and culture practitioners are essential to community recovery. Artists and arts organizations play an essential role in local recovery from community trauma especially during the pandemic.
4) The arts can mitigate social exclusion and isolation. Arts interventions can elevate the lived experiences of those previously unheard, unseen or understood by society.
5) The arts provide a pathway to achieve racial equity. They can be used as a tactic for building and organizing social change movements aimed at achieving health equity.
6) The arts offer costeffective health strategies that work. Arts-integrated treatments produce positive clinical outcomes for active-duty military, veterans, and older Americans.
7) The arts improve education. Students with arts education are five times less likely to drop out, four times more likely to score higher academically and three times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree.
8) The arts offer solutions for rural California. Rural counties that house performing arts venues boost residents’ incomes up to $6,000 higher than rural counties without.
9) The arts are a wise investment. Every $1 invested by governments equals $9 in private and earned matching funds.
10) Arts, culture, and creative expression make ordinary moments extraordinary and unforgettable. Art can shift perspectives and generate shared meanings that motivate and transform individual and collective behaviors.
Follow the local art scene at yubasutterarts.org.