LAURENN BARKER
CHAIR
Committed volunteers are essential to a thriving arts world. Volunteering connects you to others in doing something that you mutually believe is important. It allows you to make friends with people with whom you share common interests. It allows you to make your community a better place to live and it strengthens your ties to your community. It gives you a sense of purpose and finally, it gives you a feeling of pride in what you have been a part of making happen.
Living in Carlsbad, I have been impressed with the abundance of cultural arts activities in the city. I take great pride in the city’s arts tradition which is not only popular, but speaks to the diversity of its dynamic programming and the vitality of its stellar local arts organizations, even in the current format of virtual delivery.
Volunteering has always been important to me and I have always looked for ways to be involved. With my experience as a sculptor, a children’s book publisher and an arts businessperson, I applied to be on the Arts Commission.
I joined a team of caring professionals associated with the arts; we spent a year developing a 10-year Arts and Culture Master Plan for the city. It culminated in a comprehensive outline of what we would accomplish in the cultural arts in the coming decade.
The City Council approved the plan in June 2018 and we are approaching our third year of implementing programs prompted by its 49 initiatives. As the current Arts Commission Chair, I am proud of what’s been accomplished. We have increased our musical, dance and theatrical performances, introduced Guest Artist Residencies, initiated a STEAM pilot program in our three Title 1 schools and funded through the city $88,000 in Community Arts Grants. Looking ahead, the city’s Cultural Arts Office and the Arts Commission are exploring new ways to showcase local artists and performances by aspiring arts students at business locations.
In the future, imagine a quartet of singers or musicians at your next staff meeting or in the lobby of your facility. This approach will bring a new dimension to employee engagement.
The COVID-19 crisis has hit the arts sector with unprecedented intensity. Without in-person audiences, theaters, concert halls and other performance venues struggle for their very existence. There has never been such a critical need for arts patrons to step forward. By utilizing your business acumen and seasoned insights, you could assist our arts organizations to find a new path in the midst of severe challenges.
And it’s good for business! A vibrant arts community contributes to a vibrant business community. In the recent national Arts & Economic Prosperity study by the Americans For The Arts, 82% of Americans believe that arts and culture are important to local business and the economy; 87% believe that arts and culture are important to the quality of life.
As Mick Cornett, Past President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors stated, “Mayors understand the connection between the arts industry and city revenues. Arts activity creates thousands of direct and indirect jobs and generates billions in government and business revenues. The arts also make our cities destinations for tourists, help attract and maintain business, and play an important role in the economic vitality of cities and the vibrancy of our neighborhoods.”
Local arts organizations rely on a diverse array of talented artists, enthusiastic audiences, generous patrons and supportive volunteers who believe that the investment of time and energy directly impacts the quality of life in Carlsbad. Why not become an arts volunteer today?
The next meeting of the Arts Commission is on Thursday, August 6 and will be streamed on the City of Carlsbad’s website.