I’d like to ask you to take just a moment and imagine Santa Cruz without all of the following things: Live performances by local musicians on stages and on the street, the First Friday Art Tour, live theater like Shakespeare Santa Cruz and the Jewell Theater, Open Studios, all the different types of dance performances (again both on stages and in the street), the murals that decorate our walls in dozens of locations throughout the city, the poetry and spoken word performances, all the various sculptures that enliven Pacific Avenue and West Cliff Drive, all the visual arts and performing arts classes and film and creative writing classes in all of our local educational institutions.

I don’t think I’m going out on limb when I say that if all of these things disappeared from our city, this would no longer be the Santa Cruz we all love! So in the broadest sense, the Arts are important to our community and to our City because they are a central part of the soul and the identity of Santa Cruz.

But that broad take on the soul of Santa Cruz might not be sufficient for everyone to understand the importance of the arts, so let me try to speak to the importance of the arts in more concrete terms.

A strong arts sector is an economic asset that

1. Stimulates local business activity and employment
2. Attracts tourism revenue and
3. Retains and sustains a talented workforce by making this a great place to live

In Santa Cruz County the arts sector put tens of millions of dollars into our economy annually and provides hundreds and hundreds of jobs. It’s clear that the arts contribute to a healthy local economy.

And while the economic story is vital—it’s not the only important concrete reason for us to support the arts.

The arts cultivate young imaginations, honor creativity and facilitate success in school, enhancing students’ academic achievement in multiple subject areas. The arts provide accessible tools for teaching critical thinking, communication, and innovation skills essential to a productive 21st-century workforce and active citizenry.

The arts foster physical, mental and emotional health, aiding recovery processes and contributing to well-being. The arts can be effective tools for achieving and maintaining wellness for aging adults and people suffering from trauma, including military veterans.

The arts help create connections, communication and a sense of community. The arts support a strong democracy, engaging citizens in civic discourse and providing unconventional forums for important issues.

And, lastly the arts contribute to preserving culture and heritage, passing along a City’s unique character and traditions to future generations.

With these reasons for supporting the arts widely recognized and embraced by our community, the City of Santa Cruz invests in the arts.

One of the greatest projects we’ve partnered on—at least it’s my favorite— is the set of tile mosaic installations on the bridges that cross the San Lorenzo River. If you have any doubt that public school students guided by a single brilliant teacher can create outstanding public art, you probably have not seen these amazing installations. And then there are the murals we’ve facilitated and the SculpTOUR on Pacific Avenue. And we’ve sustained our funding both for our own city arts staff and the Arts Council. Oh… did I mention our tremendous investment this amazing Tannery Arts Center complex. I think it’s fair to say our commitment has been strong and sustained.

And there’s more to come…

The City and its partners are just completing a feasibility study on renovating the Civic Auditorium with the long-term goal of providing a state-of-the art performing arts center.

I look forward to seeing what the City’s Arts Commission and our community of artists continues to create in Santa Cruz!