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Leader Profiles
John Arroyo
Organizational Development Coordinator
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
Los Angeles, California
John, you have done some tremendous work for both the artistic and historic heritages of L.A. What aspects of your Los Angelino identity have translated into becoming a leader within your community?
While I was growing up in Los Angeles, the region’s current surge of redevelopment and cultural projects had yet to present itself. It was always a creative place, but it wasn’t until the last ten years that Los Angeles emerged from a period of transition. As a result, I sought opportunities that would allow me to merge my interests in arts and community development. That led me to several internships via the Getty’s Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program (a companion program to the Los Angeles County Arts Internship Program which I currently manage), an invaluable experience that taught me about Los Angeles’ impressive arts and cultural scene and the professional opportunities available to become a part of it. For me, Los Angeles is not just a temporary home but a place where I enjoy a deep personal history and a place in the engine that continues to build a better future for the city, especially in the arts and humanities.
Being from Ventura County, L.A. was always my closest and dearest access to big name or cutting edge exhibitions and performances. I would tire of people telling me that L.A.’s art scene was nominal. How do you feel about the arts in Los Angeles?
Created by bold dreams and unconventional ideas, historically, Los Angeles was always an outsider—surprisingly even in the arts. Early in its development, it served as a pioneer of new media (film and television) and architecture. Today, it is enjoying a new arts renaissance, much of which was spurred by the arrival of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Grand Avenue Project (a new cultural arts corridor) and a new Civic Park are being planned downtown; the restoration of the Los Angeles River is well underway; new galleries and multi-use performing arts and live/work spaces are opening in the diverse communities of Highland Park, Chinatown, Culver City, and Long Beach; Los Angeles County doubled its grants budget; and there is deep passion and awareness for the benefit the arts has—not just on personal development, but also in community development. Personally, it’s great to see Los Angeles prove itself as a world-class city and inspiring cultural destination.
I agree. I’m excited to see the momentum in the communities you mentioned. Let me ask you about the community that we share, the Emerging Leaders Network. This Network was pivotal to my decision to pursue arts administration as my career. Do you have any plans for Emerging Leader programs in your area?
Several years ago, an Emerging Arts Leaders/L.A. network was established. Building upon its momentum, I plan to develop quarterly programs including both networking and professional development opportunities (including the coordination of the October creative conversation, in conjunction with the national cc’s). After the recent Americans for the Arts 2007 Winter Meeting, I met with Emerging Arts Leaders/L.A. to learn about their professional development needs and assess any current professional development options at their own arts organizations. In the long term, I hope to establish an annual professional development/leadership initiative (similar to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s Arts Leadership Initiative (ALI) which I currently support) and perhaps draw upon the ALI graduate pool to serve as mentors for local emerging leaders. In the short term, I hope to develop a scholarship program to encourage L.A.’s emerging leaders to seek existing professional development opportunities by attending a relevant conference in their field (Americans for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group, National Arts Marketing Project, American Symphony Orchestra League, etc.).
Do you have any advice for the Emerging Arts Leaders?
Be patient. Leadership development takes time. There are many manuals, but in the end it’s an individual journey. Although we may be ready for the next stage of our careers, sometimes our organizations may be in a period of transition, evaluation, or planning for their futures—all exercises which may develop more opportune roles for emerging leaders.
Be aware of your commitment to the field and the organization. The benefit is mutual, both for the organization in the service we provide, and for ourselves in the lessons we learn form that work. Although we may express much energy, it’s important to maintain a healthy life/work balance (one that I’m continuously working on) to ensure that we are healthy enough to maintain our commitment and expand our roles and responsibilities.
Embrace new challenges and always contribute new ideas. As the next generation of arts managers, I do believe that many organizations look to us as the future of their organizations' success. This lies in our ability to take them to the next level and take risks. It’s also critical that we lead the continuum to identify and recognize new generations of emerging leaders, especially as our careers proceed through our own leadership positions.
