Monday, June 29, 2020

Los Angeles County Arts and Culture Logo

The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture announced the adoption of the Countywide Cultural Policy. The county's cultural policy is the first of its kind in the nation, and provides direction and guidelines for how Los Angeles County and its departments will ensure that every resident of LA County has meaningful access to arts and culture. The policy is intended to foster an organizational culture that values and celebrates arts, culture, and creativity; strengthens cultural equity and inclusion; and integrates arts and culture in LA County strategies to achieve the highest potential of communities and constituents across all aspects of civic life.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis noted, "Equity is at the heart of Los Angeles County’s efforts to embrace and empower the voices of our local artists. Only they can unify and heal us at this critical moment through their artistic storytelling. Arts and culture play a critical role in the economic and social resiliency of LA County, not just in our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent civil unrest, but also in the long-term health and vitality of our community. By adopting the Countywide Cultural Policy, LA County prioritizes equity in the arts and recognizes that cultural inclusion is vital to the health and well-being of our communities."

To ensure that the Cultural Policy represents the needs and opportunities inherent to LA County, the Department of Arts and Culture sought input from hundreds of community stakeholders and partners, as well as national policy experts. Arts and Culture staff documented and integrated stakeholder feedback, leveraged concurrent stakeholder engagement activities, and worked closely with the Board and County Departments to draft the Cultural Policy. In this inaugural year of the newly established Department of Arts and Culture, the adoption of the Cultural Policy is another milestone in the County’s support of the arts. Arts and Culture will provide leadership, accountability, and coordination to support implementation and ensure arts and culture are utilized in the pursuit of the policy’s goals.

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Source Name: 
LA County Department of Arts and Culture