Laserfiche WebLink
Santa Ana Arts Future <br />Community Arts and Cultural Master Plan <br />Cultural Equity, Access and Inclusion <br />The related issues of cultural equity, access, and inclusion are part of a national conversation <br />in the nonprofit arts and culture sector. They also emerged as dominant themes in Santa Ana <br />community conversations and survey results. The arts and culture sector makes the case that <br />a diverse and inclusive society creates a stronger nation - and thus a stronger Santa Ana. <br />Elevating the conversation of cultural equity and access for all in Santa Ana can help to <br />address significant economic, social, and demographic issues evident in the community; it can <br />create a platform for the whole community to succeed through acceptance, participation, and <br />fair representation, building a vibrant city that embraces equal opportunity. <br />Residents enumerated the ways in which barriers to a truly inclusive community with regards to <br />access exist: a lack of transportation, event times that make attendance difficult for families, <br />costs of participation, programs that do not reflect one's heritage, and not feeling socially <br />comfortable or welcome at cultural institutions and events. Participants want to see the City <br />help with addressing these issues of equity, access and inclusion by working to remove <br />barriers to participation and supporting opportunities for expanded participation wherever <br />possible. <br />Infrastructure for the Arts <br />"Love to see a higher <br />Cultural equity was a dominant topic of conversation throughout the <br />"To us (Latinos) art <br />engagement process. Participants called for the plan to lend its support <br />and culture is not <br />something extra; it <br />to the larger communitywide challenge of promoting equity for residents <br />is who we are - our <br />from all backgrounds and lifestyles. Cultural equity includes honoring, <br />lives, the way we <br />respecting, and celebrating the dominant Mexican culture, as well as all <br />live, that things we <br />other cultures in Santa Ana. <br />teach our children." <br />supportive of the arts and the arts community. However, there is <br />--Discussion group <br />Participants are concerned about the impact of cultural bias in the city <br />participant <br />and in the cultural sector. Participants referred to equity as ensuring <br />accessible and affordable opportunities for all residents regardless of <br />socioeconomic status, <br />background, disabilities, or age. Equity also refers to the perception of <br />inequity of funding sources for organizations and artists in the community. <br />Residents enumerated the ways in which barriers to a truly inclusive community with regards to <br />access exist: a lack of transportation, event times that make attendance difficult for families, <br />costs of participation, programs that do not reflect one's heritage, and not feeling socially <br />comfortable or welcome at cultural institutions and events. Participants want to see the City <br />help with addressing these issues of equity, access and inclusion by working to remove <br />barriers to participation and supporting opportunities for expanded participation wherever <br />possible. <br />Infrastructure for the Arts <br />"Love to see a higher <br />A true community engagement process provides broad feedback from <br />level of engagement <br />all groups of a community. It is a common attitude among residents in <br />from the City of Santa <br />any city to express skepticism and/or frustration with municipal <br />Ana to uplift youth <br />government as a part of that engagement. Santa Ana residents and <br />who are aspiring <br />stakeholders expressed this skepticism in most of the community <br />artists." <br />meetings. They strongly voiced their perception that the City is not <br />-Survey respondent <br />supportive of the arts and the arts community. However, there is <br />optimism that a citywide arts and cultural plan can build bridges among <br />communities, the City and its residents. <br />The creation of an Office of Arts and Culture within the City that is staffed with experienced <br />arts professionals who can represent the needs of the arts and creative community is part of <br />the solution they envision. Many participants expressed the belief that if the City plays a <br />greater role in supporting arts and culture, it can help impact significant issues facing Santa <br />Ana such as public safety, educational attainment, employment, and affordable housing. They <br />IET <br />65B-20 <br />