The Cultural Data Project -- an online tool utilized by many major funders in the state, including the California Arts Council -- is seeking input to help improve services. Arts administrators and others are asked to complete a simple survey and provide feedback. Respondents are eligible to win a gift-card. SEE SURVEY LINK * SEE BACKGROUND MESSAGE TO FIELD

A new data tool from the National Endowment for the Arts demonstrates the impact artists have on the national economy. "Artists represent just 1.4 percent of the labor force, but they have an outsized role as entrepreneurs and innovators who contribute to the vitality of the communities where they live and work," said NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa. SEE PRESS RELEASE * SEE DATA TOOL

The California Arts Council is in the process of creating a new Strategic Plan. To gather your ideas, the Arts Council is conducting a "listening tour," a series of meetings to ask for input from interested Californians.  Our last stops are San Diego on June 19, San Jose on June 25 and Costa Mesa on July 25.