Arts For LA, Championing Artists & Arts Workers Across Los Angeles County

Since its founding in 2006, Arts for LA
has been dedicated to supporting and promoting the arts, emerging as the leading voice for arts advocacy in response to significant budget cuts that threatened local arts organizations and artists.

As the only cross-sectional arts organization in the region, Arts for LA plays a vital role in fighting for the arts across all disciplines and sectors at both the city and state levels. Beyond advocacy, the organization is committed to fostering a thriving arts community where all artists and arts workers can earn a livable wage and thrive.

“Arts for LA and partners hold a shared purpose of building a more just and thriving creative economy,” said Gustavo Herrera, CEO, Arts for LA. “Los Angeles arts and culture is stronger together and we will continue to work to build a more equitable Los Angeles through the arts in as many capacities as we can.”

Arts for LA offers an expansive range of ongoing programs designed to support and develop arts leaders and advocates in communities across LA County as well as programming that fosters the skills and capacities of current art leaders and art CEOs.

This begins with Arts for LA’s diverse ACTIVATE programs: ACTIVATE Emerging Arts Leaders, ACTIVATE Protege, ACTIVATE Delegates, and ACTIVATE Student Organizing Program. Each program supports artists in a different capacity.

• ACTIVATE Emerging Arts Leaders is a 9-month stipend program that brings together art professionals across the region to prepare, educate, and inspire this next generation of arts leaders, expand the field’s definition of arts advocacy, and ensure these professionals are equipped with the essential skill to thrive as an arts leader.
• ACTIVATE Protege is a 7-month mentorship program that pairs up-and-coming arts leaders with industry professionals to receive personalized and invaluable professional development opportunities aimed to enrich the careers of both the mentee and mentor.
• ACTIVATE Delegates functions as an advocacy lab for artists, creative sector workers, or anyone interested in the intersection of community organizing and the arts. The four-month program includes hands-on learning opportunities, networking with field leaders, meeting with local elected officials to advocate for the arts, and mobilizing community members to support key legislation.
• ACTIVATE Student Organizing is designed to teach high school students throughout Los Angeles County the skills needed to become leading arts advocates in the growing student movement for equitable access to an arts education.
• In addition to these programs, Arts for LA leads other programs and initiatives including the Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII), a cross-sectoral partnership in Government, Non-profit, Business, K-12, Research, Postsecondary, Higher Education, and Labor sectors with a goal to create 10,000 new creative sector job placements centering youth and adults from historically underrepresented communities by 2030.
• The Laura Zucker Fellowship for Policy and Research is the first ever fellowship for individuals to effect change at the regional level focused on arts and cultural policy development, reform, and implementation in Los Angeles County.

As part of its mission to address recurring economic and social barriers for artists, Arts for LA hosts the annual State of the Arts Summit, bringing together arts and culture leaders to address ongoing challenges in the field. Through this in-person gathering, bold and collaborative approaches are at the forefront in the form of panels, discussions and networking opportunities.

This year’s State of the Arts summit takes place on Wednesday, October 16 at The Ebell of Los Angeles with a “Legacy” theme, focusing on honoring significant arts and culture leaders and challenging participants to ponder what legacy they themselves want to leave behind. Speakers include Hope Tschopik Schneider (Associate Director of the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival), and Kristin Sakoda (Director of the LA County Department of Arts and Culture). A full list of confirmed speakers and performers can be found on the 2024 State of the Arts webpage. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

For more information on Arts for LA and its mission, visit: http://www.artforla.org/about-us/