LongBeachCulture.org CenterStage Blog

The Creativity Network of Long Beach and LongBeachCulture.org
sponsor a community forum to seek answers and solutions

BUILDING A MASTER CULTURAL PLAN FOR
LONG BEACH‘S CREATIVE COMMUNITY

“Building a master cultural plan for the Long Beach creative community” is the continuing theme in the second of a series of community forums organized to spark dialogue. The next forum is Wednesday, September 6, from 7-9pm at 2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space, 435 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach. Their telephone number is (562) 901-0997. Free parking is available next door in a parking lot.

The Creativity Network and LongBeachCulture.Org are seeking broad community participation. The results of these forums will be posted on various websites including LongBeachCulture.org and widely distributed to the creative community, City Hall and the Arts Council for Long Beach.

On August 2nd, a forum held at the Koos Art Center in the East Village generated a long list of questions and common issues facing the creative community in Long Beach. The September 6th forum will explore answers to the questions raised and solutions to the issues identified. The long list includes the following:

ADVOCACY AND POLICY

1. Invite all arts agencies, artists, businesses to participate in the development of the arts district
2. Out of the 16 goals set in the 1996 Community Cultural Plan, how many are in place today?
3. Make artist spaces available: Studios, apartments and exhibition spaces for artists by providing affordable “cheap” live/work spaces (meanwhile, not demolishing existing ones)
4. Arts Training and Education: Engagement of LBUSD: K-12 and full course offerings in visual and performing arts at all high schools
5. Set quality levels through promotion of more juried art shows
6. Invest in artists and institutions-demand this of the City Council
7. A true advocate for the arts community at the City Council level, to keep plans on track and arts focused
8. Arts Exchange that promotes these three things: (a) Businesses, Artists, Art related events (b) Supports art related grants/activities for artists and services galleries (c) Community publicity information exchange: TV, radio, print media, internet-networking
9. Revise Entertainment permitting
10. Tax incentives for Creative Industries
11. Free weekend parking in the Arts District
12. Promotion of the arts in the city
13. Create an active dynamic network of galleries. Support/promote galleries

PROGRAMS

1. Provide opportunities for youth-particularly low income youth-to experience art
2. Centralize and coordinate art information for the city
3. Mentoring programs for artists as entrepreneurs
4. Create an incubator for the arts

FUNDING

1. Define City of Long Beach Arts Budget: Establish priorities
2. Can a no-name artist get funding?

The Creativity Network of Long Beach is an informal network of visual artists, television producers, and members of the performing arts. Gallery owners, arts administrators, and art lovers are also represented. Founded last October, the Network sponsors monthly mixers at artful locations in an effort to bring the creative community together for dialogue and creative action.

LongBeachCulture.org is a free arts portal that provides powerful on-line tools designed to empower artists of all kinds to promote themselves, their work, and their events. It has been serving the community for more than 6 years. Visit the website for continuing and updated information on the community forums.

For further information:

Antonio Pedro Ruiz, 562-430-8637

Sander Roscoe Wolff, 562-716-8088