What you need to know about the new San Diego County Arts and Culture Funding

 

Although our District County Supervisors from District 3 and 4 say there is no relationship, May was a month when attention for funding for arts and culture shifted from the lack from the City of San Diego to the abundance for the County of San Diego.

In a stunning announcement and vote, $2.75 million was proposed by Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe and  granted to the arts to be administered by the County Commission of Arts and Culture led by their chairman Jim Gilliam. This includes $2.25 million each year through 2031.

This County Commission has been working for 3 years toward getting funding so that they can move from being an advisory commission (the usual role of a county commission) to taking on more staff and programs. It would be wonderful if we truly had a supportive County Arts Council/Department like most countries that value the arts and partner with the State Arts Council.

The County Art commission is instructed to direct the funding in the following way:

• $1 million annually for direct artist grants
• $500,000 for affordable creative spaces
• $250,000 for artist residencies within County departments
• $250,000 for binational arts investment in the San Diego–Baja California region
• Creation of  policy for Arts & Cultural Districts, with no funding but hopes for money from private sources.
• A one-time $500,000 investment in the Black Arts & Culture District

We have seen a strong trend to support individual artist since the pandemic. San Diego gave out funding as a sort of WPA type of program from the California Arts Council. Private money was forthcoming to buy $1 million worth of art directly from artists. The new Artists Count program is directing forty-two $50K grants to be awarded later this year. Now there is another $1million for artist grants. We are all hoping this encourages our talent to stay put in San Diego County especially if there is the chance of more affordable live work spaces.

There is currently one full time administrator at the County Commission, Christina Jones, but there is money to add staff especially to handle PR, marketing  and workshops for the artist applying for these monies. Some of this will be contracted help to begin. We probably will not see a roll out of this until earliest, in the fall and maybe not until the new year.

As of this report, the City of SD budget has been dropped from $13.8 million to under $2 million. Both the City  ($146 million) and the County ($360 million) both have budget deficits. But the arts bring huge financial revenues ($10 billion annually) to the county and it is short sighted to eliminate this source for public health and youth opportunities.

Grant Oliphant,  CEO of the Prebys Foundation reminds us, “… experience tell us that when cities retreat from investing in arts and culture, they don’t just trim ​“excess.” They undercut economic growth, community connection, quality of life, and civic identity.” The arts are not a luxury.

We certainly thank Chair Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and Vice Chair Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe and wonderful staff for their leadership and vision, and to Supervisor Paloma Aguirre for carrying the vote