by Patricia Frischer
California for the Arts has issued the US Congressional Art
Report Card for 2022. This year marks a midterm
election year, which means all 435 U.S. House of Representatives, 6 Delegates,
and one-third of the U.S. Senate are running for election on Tuesday, November
8, 2022. There will likely be state and local elections taking place that day
as well.
We encourage you to be an ArtsVote champion by pledging to
make your vote count and encouraging others to turn out to vote. Download your
customized State Voter Factsheet with key deadline dates, times, and locations
to update your voter registration, find out if you can vote absentee, or vote
early in person at ArtsActionFund.org/ArtsVote.
The following have Pro-Arts Grades:
US House of Representatives in San Diego County
Mike Levin CA 49th
Scott Peters was 52nd Now Running for 50th
Sara Jacobs was 53rd – Now running for 51st
Juan Vargas was 51st - Now Running for 52nd
US Senate in CA: Alex Padilla
and Diane Feinstein both have Pro-Arts Grades
The following DO NOT have Pro-Arts Grades
Darrell E, Issa was 50th - Now running for 48th Against Stephen Houlahan
Michelle Steel was 48th - Now running for 45th
To
find out who your US House of Representatives is, put your zip code in this link.
Of course, you also should know how candidates stand on the
arts in more local races; Mayor of your city, your City Councilpersons, your CA State Congress Representatives and Senators. And maybe most important, the San
Diego County Supervisors who are all now known to support the arts with their bold move
to re-create a county level Commission for Arts and Culture. We hope they
announce the full-time staff member for that commission soon.
Yes, it takes
time to find this information, but once you know who these people are and who might be
running for office this fall, you can attend debates and forum and put forward
questions about who supports the arts.
One caveat: The first goal of politics
is to get people to act in unison: the second is to get them to stop!
Questions for candidates:
1. Identify
one particularly important cultural, creative, or artistic asset in your
district. What is its significance to the community?
2. If elected,
how do you plan to identify, connect with, and support cultural, creative and
artistic assets in your district?
3. What role
should municipal government play in funding cultural and creative efforts?
Please state your reasons.
4. Will you
advocate for a county-wide conversation about various municipal arts funding
and fund management paradigms? Explain your position.
5. What are
the under-utilized municipal assets in your district that could help support
the creative, cultural, and artistic efforts of your constituents? How would
you make them more easily accessible?
Californians have an opportunity to positively impact every public school in the state by voting Yes on PROP 28. It will fund high-quality instruction in visual arts, media arts, music, dance, and theatre if passed!
October is National Arts and Humanities Month
but we celebrate the arts every hour, every day, every week, and all and
every year!
...and sent to us by Lonnie Burstein Hewitt, this little glimpse into the robot Ai-Da, the artist of the future at the UK House of Parliment!