Arts and Culture Plank
General Preamble
Public support for the arts is a tradition in Ventura County. Our citizens recognized that an active arts community is a stimulus to the local economy, a cornerstone of civic identity and a bridge between cultural divides.
In California, the creative arts are a significant source of economic activity. Statewide, galleries, artists, writers and performers earns billions annually. The film and television industry centered in Los Angeles is responsible for billions in wages. Ventura County is home to many of those workers and some have established allied businesses here. The county is also home to digital media firms, publishers and a major industrial design studio.
To help attract and retain such employers, our colleges and universities are prepared to supply graduates trained to work in design, studio arts, film & video, digital multimedia, music and creative writing.
Fundamentally, support for arts & culture is part of government’s core mission to promote the general welfare. The arts are as essential to this purpose as libraries, parks and sports facilities. Public art exhibits, performances, museums and festivals bring people together from different neighborhoods, income levels, and cultures. Appreciation of cultures through their histories, the arts, literature, music and dance eases ethnic tensions. Adult art education, children’s programs and senior activities enrich the individual and build relationships. Art programs in the schools reduce dropout rates and cultivate creative thinking.
The State of California, Ventura County and its local governments support the arts through direct investment, public-private partnerships, and assistance to non-profit groups. Throughout the entire county a wide variety of art institutions can be found, ranging from large scale performing arts venues (Thousand Oaks & Oxnard) to small stages in educational sites (California State University Channel Islands; Ventura/Oxnard/Moorpark Community Colleges; Cal Lutheran University); there are outdoor stages (Ojai & Camarillo) and a restored historic theatre (Moorpark). The County and its cities contribute to at least two choral groups and to many musical events throughout the year. The Ojai music festival is nationally recognized for its quality. Every town in the county has an art and/or history museum, ranging from the Maritime Museum in Port Hueneme, the Chumash Indian Museum, the Carnegie Art Museum and the Gull Wings Children’s Museum in Oxnard, the Ventura Museum of Art and the Agricultural Museum in Santa Paula, to the railroad museum in Fillmore. In addition to these institutionally established venues, there are several art centers and galleries, including a mixed-use housing project with artists’ studios in Ventura.
Most of our cities have an arts commission charged with encouraging the local art community, supervising the installation of public art, and overseeing art collections in public buildings.
The investment of tax dollars provides tangible returns through tourism and local business activity. More importantly, support for the arts also contributes to a community’s quality of life; attracting better-educated, higher-income residents and their economic activity.
To support a thriving cultural and artistic life in our communities, Ventura County Democrats and will:
In California, the creative arts are a significant source of economic activity. Statewide, galleries, artists, writers and performers earns billions annually. The film and television industry centered in Los Angeles is responsible for billions in wages. Ventura County is home to many of those workers and some have established allied businesses here. The county is also home to digital media firms, publishers and a major industrial design studio.
To help attract and retain such employers, our colleges and universities are prepared to supply graduates trained to work in design, studio arts, film & video, digital multimedia, music and creative writing.
Fundamentally, support for arts & culture is part of government’s core mission to promote the general welfare. The arts are as essential to this purpose as libraries, parks and sports facilities. Public art exhibits, performances, museums and festivals bring people together from different neighborhoods, income levels, and cultures. Appreciation of cultures through their histories, the arts, literature, music and dance eases ethnic tensions. Adult art education, children’s programs and senior activities enrich the individual and build relationships. Art programs in the schools reduce dropout rates and cultivate creative thinking.
The State of California, Ventura County and its local governments support the arts through direct investment, public-private partnerships, and assistance to non-profit groups. Throughout the entire county a wide variety of art institutions can be found, ranging from large scale performing arts venues (Thousand Oaks & Oxnard) to small stages in educational sites (California State University Channel Islands; Ventura/Oxnard/Moorpark Community Colleges; Cal Lutheran University); there are outdoor stages (Ojai & Camarillo) and a restored historic theatre (Moorpark). The County and its cities contribute to at least two choral groups and to many musical events throughout the year. The Ojai music festival is nationally recognized for its quality. Every town in the county has an art and/or history museum, ranging from the Maritime Museum in Port Hueneme, the Chumash Indian Museum, the Carnegie Art Museum and the Gull Wings Children’s Museum in Oxnard, the Ventura Museum of Art and the Agricultural Museum in Santa Paula, to the railroad museum in Fillmore. In addition to these institutionally established venues, there are several art centers and galleries, including a mixed-use housing project with artists’ studios in Ventura.
Most of our cities have an arts commission charged with encouraging the local art community, supervising the installation of public art, and overseeing art collections in public buildings.
The investment of tax dollars provides tangible returns through tourism and local business activity. More importantly, support for the arts also contributes to a community’s quality of life; attracting better-educated, higher-income residents and their economic activity.
To support a thriving cultural and artistic life in our communities, Ventura County Democrats and will:
Statement of Principles
- Support the work of municipal arts commissions and the Ventura County Arts Council to encourage the installation of public art, acquire art for public collections, sponsor cultural events and encourage the artistic education and expression of our citizens;
- Endorse the maintenance and expansion of public library systems;
- Endorse public ownership and operation of performing arts venues, museums, libraries and facilities for adult arts education and activities;
- Provide funding and logistical support for public festivals celebrating holidays, local history, regional heritage and ethnic diversity;
- Restore and expand funding for arts education in public schools and support processes and programs to increase awareness of California’s ethnic and cultural diversity;
- Enable arts and culture programming through public-access television, community radio and internet resources;
- Assist arts & culture projects to obtain corporate and philanthropic funding. Provide liaison staff at all levels of government to provide civic support for arts ventures;
- Encourage the use of public libraries as venues for arts and culture, with public outreach, lectures, workshops and exhibits; and
- Attract and retain creative arts business activity in our region.