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AGN. NO. <br />MOTION BY SUPERVISORS HILDA L. SOLIS AND <br />MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS OCTOBER 27, 2015 <br />As the County of Los Angeles (County) is recognized around the world as a <br />leader in the arts, its Arts Commission should be at the forefront of encouraging a <br />constructive County -wide conversation about ways to improve diversity in cultural <br />organizations, in the areas of their leadership, staffing, programming, and audience <br />composition. This dialogue is an important first step in developing a thoughtful analysis <br />and response to recent data indicating a lack of diversity at all levels in many arts <br />organizations. <br />For example, on July 29, 2015, the Mellon Foundation issued the first <br />comprehensive survey of diversity in American Art Museums in conjunction with the <br />Association of Art Museum Directors and the American Alliance of Museums. The <br />survey was undertaken to replace anecdotal evidence with hard data. It provides the <br />first statistical baseline against which progress can be measured for diversifying the <br />field. Important findings from the study of diversity at museums include: <br />• Minorities are significantly underrepresented in top positions: As one of <br />its chief findings, the study documented that among museum leaders, only 4 <br />percent are African American and 3 percent are Hispanic. <br />MOTION <br />SOLIS <br />RIDLEY-THOMAS <br />KUEHL <br />KNABE <br />ANTONOVICH <br />