It is time for a US Secretary of the Arts and Culture. The arts are the only industry in the US that do not have an ‘Secretary’. It is estimated that the national creative economy GDP is $1.6 trillion and America has a long history of supporting arts and culture, but our systems are outdated and there is too much wasteful spending! Taxpayers deserve to know how their hard earned money is being used to uplift Americans, specifically those living in the most disinvested communities, like California’s Central Valleys. We propose to create policies through a Secretary of Arts and Culture that allow arts, culture, and the humanities to thrive under a system of accountability and transparency. The KDA Creative Corps, a $4.2 million public arts initiative serving 14 of California’s Central Valley and Eastern Sierra counties, is proving to be a public arts funding model of excellence by implementing measurable outcomes and tracking systems that illustrate how taxpayer funds are making an improved difference in the region through the arts. For reference - www.kdacreativecorps.
While the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities are able to provide much needed funding for arts entities throughout the US, a Secretary of Arts and Culture would be able to provide greater oversight and accountability to ensure arts, culture, and humanities continue to create a vibrant US while promoting economic development and prosperity through the creative economy.