Arts Commission Hosts Symposium

By Rachel Weight

Artists, arts advocates and educators are invited to join the
Santa Barbara
County Arts Commission hosts as it hosts its Annual Arts
Symposium at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion on Thursday, February 22.
The event will last from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This year’s focus
will be “Finding Sustainable Funding Solutions and Improving
Accessibility to the Arts.” The Arts Commission is hoping for a
huge turnout from the community to engage in an open dialogue about
sustainable funding models, solutions and ways to improve access to
the arts in schools under the current “No Child Left Behind”
Act.

The keynote speaker will be John E. McGuirk, the Program
Director for Arts Programs at the Irvine Foundation, a nonprofit
organization that strives to expand opportunities for Californians
to participate in society by providing over $900 million dollars in
grants over the last seventy years.

The Arts Commission has 15 appointed members who make
recommendations to the County Board of Supervisors on cultural arts
policy, and is involved in numerous ongoing city, county and
state-wide initiatives. The cost of attending the Symposium is $15
per person, which includes lunch. Reservations are due by Monday,
February 19. For information contact Linda Gary at 805.568.3990 or
email at gardy@co.santa-barbara.ca.us.