On April 9, 2024, the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved an agenda item to declare April as Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month. The measure by Councilmember Dr. Suely Saro, in partnership with the Arts Council for Long Beach, joins a statewide effort t o honor the intrinsic value of arts, culture, and creativity as not only a public good – transforming communities and individuals – but also as a driver of prosperity for the California state economy.
“As we celebrate Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month in Long Beach, we recognize that creativity fuels both our culture and our economy,” said Arts Council for Long Beach Executive Director Griselda Suarez. “In LA County in 2022 alone, the creative economy generated over $27 billion in tax revenue, supporting nearly 1,000,000 jobs. This is an important step in recognizing that artists play an essential role in our economy and overall wellbeing.”
“I’m incredibly proud to highlight the importance of investing in and supporting the arts,” said Councilwoman Dr. Suely Saro. “The arts have a profound cultural and economic impact on our city, and if we want to retain our standing as a leading creative city, we must create favorable conditions for artists to live and work here in Long Beach.”
The Arts Council for Long Beach will continue to build on the successes at the City Council and will join statewide activations at the California State Capitol later this month.
About Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month
Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month is designed to empower arts advocates to take action and to spur greater investments in the arts. The creative economy in California contributes $507.4 billion dollars to the state’s Gross Regional Product (GRP) and employs over 1.8 million workers, nearly 7.6% of the state’s workforce. And yet, with only .67 cents per person investment, CA ranks 32nd in the United States for arts funding, putting CA behind states such as Florida, New York, and Minnesota.
In 2019, CA for the Arts successfully campaigned for the state to recognize and celebrate the arts by declaring April as Arts, Culture & Creativity Month (ACCM) through a concurrent resolution passed in the California Senate. In 2021, an additional resolution was declared to recognize artists as second responders.
About Arts Council for Long Beach
ArtsLB was founded by the City of Long Beach in 1976 as the Public Corporation for the Arts, becoming a 501(c)(3) organization in 1982. ArtsLB is a dynamic organization that receives and distributes public funds and also raises funds through private donations, foundations, corporations, and contracts for services.
ArtsLB cultivates the physical, social, and economic characteristics of Long Beach neighborhoods by nurturing and enlivening the arts. They serve individuals, groups, and organizations through advocacy, arts education, public art, and grant-making within the City of Long Beach. ArtsLB practices profound inclusion as a collaborator and convener for the benefit of all communities.