California Art In Need of Boost | Teachers College Columbia University

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California Art In Need of Boost

It's not easy being an artist in California. Over the past four years, public funding for the arts in California has been slashed by more than 94 percent. Two years ago, the California Arts Council's (CAC) budget was cut to just $1 million from $18 million, leaving virtually nothing for grantmaking.
It's not easy being an artist in California. Over the past four years, public funding for the arts in California has been slashed by more than 94 percent. Two years ago, the California Arts Council's (CAC) budget was cut to just $1 million from $18 million, leaving virtually nothing for grantmaking.

The percentage of artists earning money from their art is on the decline, and only 43 percent say their income covers art-related expenses, according to a 2004 Information on Artists (IOA) study conducted by Joan Jeffri of the Research Center for Arts and Culture at Teachers College Columbia University.

In the IOA study, Joan Jeffri writes, "As a society our understanding of how the arts and artists contribute to our daily lives is essential for our own sustenance -'" from national identity to creative industries, economic impact, and local quality of life."

This article, written by Rose Aguilar, appeared in the January 2006 edition of the Bay Area Business Woman.

Published Friday, Jan. 6, 2006

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