The adage change is the only constant comes to mind with my announcement that both Barbara Nash and I will be leaving AC5 in mid May to follow other pursuits. Barbara, our Administrative Assistant, is leaving AC5 to build her personal art business creating mosaic furniture. Barbara has been the constant through much change in leadership over the past two years, and the commissioners will miss her helpful, congenial contributions to their work.

I am leaving AC5 to expand my long-standing role with a San Francisco-based new museum project called The Bay Center. I will function as the Co-Project Director for this multidisciplinary organization that will focus on the San Francisco Bay-Delta-Estuary.

Both Barbara and I leave AC5 with much hope and optimism for the future. It has been a rocky road over the past year, but one that the commissioners have navigated with skill and determination. And we both leave knowing the leadership is in the capable hands of incoming Managing Director Karen Ciraulo.

The first thing you have to know about Karen is that her Sicilian mother-in-law would like you to pronounce her name correctly: chir-AW-loh. Pronouncing her name correctly may be a challenge for some at AC5 because they have known Karen for many years (prior to her mother-in-law laying down the gauntlet!). Ciraulo first arrived during the tenure of previous Executive Director Margo Cowan as an intern during her graduate studies in Arts Administration. Ciraulo served as Interim Director for a year following Cowan's departure and left AC5 due to her husband's pending work move to New Mexico. The Commissioners were delighted to re-engage Ciraulo when Jennifer Bevington and Barbara Nash announced their departures.

Ciraulo brings an interesting arts background with her to AC5. Her undergraduate degree is from CalArts in Character Animation, and she worked for 5 years in Los Angeles in commercial art on television animation projects for Warner Bros. and animation firm Klasky Csupo.

Her work in commercial art left her feeling unfulfilled professionally, and wanting to do something where she could be part of a community rather than the entertainment industry, led her to pursue graduate work in arts administration.

Ciraulo is pleased to return to AC5 and plans to continue the current direction of the organization. Her highest priority is to make AC5 a sustainable organization through partnerships and fundraising. She hopes to be able to act on the number one goal of the AC5 Cultural Plan: Arts Education, after stabilizing the organization through the current arts funding crisis in California.

The Commissioners of the AC5 are a diverse, wonderful group of people who represent artists as well as arts and culture organizations throughout the County. The commission is comprised of nine seats: one for each of the five County districts and appointed by each of the 5 members of the Board of Supervisors. There are also four At-Large positions that are engaged through a recruiting and nomination process.

Each month we will feature a different commissioner in the entry below, and after we cover all AC5 commissioners, we hope to introduce other arts commissioners from various city commissions.

AC5 District 1 Commissioner, Appointed by Supervisor John Gioia

Jennifer Ross is the Principal of About Face Consulting, an organization based in the Richmond/San Francisco-Bay area that provides services for non-profit cultural arts, arts education, education, and youth & community development organizations - specializing in the areas of organizational development, long range planning, fundraising research, and resource development. Now in her 5th year, Ross serves as consultant/Project Administrator for the Arts Education Funders Collaborative (AEFC) in San Francisco, CA. Her responsibilities broadly include planning, coordinating, and implementing project activities.

Over the last several decades, Ross' career has been shaped by a personal desire to facilitate the stable management and financial viability of community-based non-profit organizations. In 2001, Ross completed a 15-month stint as project manager for the Matrix Project, a non-profit management technical assistance program that divided into a group of ten non-profit agencies in the San Antonio/Fruitvale neighborhood of East Oakland, CA. The project was funded by the Stuart Foundation with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and re-granted through the East Bay Community Foundation. Participating non-profit agencies that completed the daylong, once-monthly, 15-month training received individualized organizational assessment, group training, individual assistance from project manager, coaching on quality improvement, information referral professional development, and learning opportunities with peers.

Ross' other professional experience includes: Program Associate for the Cultural Equity Fund of the San Francisco (SF) Art Commission and Oakland Cultural Arts Division funding program, Community Relations/Marketing Associate at SF's Theatre Artuad, General Manager for Cultural Odyssey under the direction of SF's acclaimed Rhodessa Jones & Idris Ackamoor, Managing Director for the Oakland Youth Chorus and many project managing opportunities including, for example, the month-long 2000 Festival at the Alice (Arts Center in Oakland, CA) featuring over 60 performing artists and the daylong 2002 Day of the Dead family celebration at the Oakland Museum of California.

Jennifer Delgadillo Bevington	Barbara Nash

AC5 commissioners paid tribute at their April and May meetings to Jennifer Delgadillo Bevington and Barbara Nash, two individuals who have helped keep the commission moving.

As indicated elsewhere in this newsletter, Ms Bevington and Ms. Nash are both leaving the commission to pursue other interests.

The loss is clearly ours, said Commission Chair Bob Rezak. Jennifer and Barbara brought to us not only a passion for the arts, but also a total commitment to their work in behalf of the commission. They will be missed.

Rezak added that, if there is any comforting news here, it is that Karen Ciraulo (see separate story) has returned to manage our day-to-day activities us as we approach our 10th anniversary in December.

AC5 Seeks Nominations by July 1 For Arts Recognition Awards

Individuals and organizations whose work in the arts have had a far-reaching impact in the region may be nominated for recognition awards presented by the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County. Candidates may be nominated in the performing, visual, literary, education, administration and philanthropic arts fields. The deadline is July 1.

An application and details are available from the commission, 1236 Escobar Street, Martinez 94553-1294, (925) 646-2278, or the agency's web site: www.ac5.org

Since the program was initiated in 1996, the commission has honored 46 individuals and two organizations in Contra Costa County for their achievement in the arts. Honorees this year will receive awards at a public ceremony on Oct. 17 at The Willows Theatre in Concord.

The Creativity and Vitality of Youth

Hope, optimism, inspiration and vitality will be on full view as twelve students from throughout Contra Costa County will be honored on June 4. These gifted and talented artists have been selected to participate in an intensive pre-professional training program at the California Summer School for the Arts in Valencia called, appropriately, InnerSpark!

Honors will be bestowed upon the students during an engaging and entertaining public ceremony, arranged by AC5 at 4 p.m. in the chambers of the Board of Supervisors, 651 Pine Street, Martinez. The event, which includes presentations and performances by the students, will be followed by a reception in the new Foyer Gallery of the County Administration Building.

Each of the students will receive bronze medallions emblazoned with the California state seal and citations from various elected officials. Please feel free to join us for this celebration of creativity and youth.

WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN:
ART THAT SPANS A TIME AND A PLACE

The artwork of Stanley Mouse and Bill Weber

Works created by artists from the Brentwood area will transform the County Administration Building, enhancing its classic mid-twentieth century architecture, and join alongside the work of renowned artist Stanley Mouse, especially well known for his album cover artwork for such music luminaries as The Grateful Dead, and his famous rock concert posters for the Fillmore. Brentwood muralist Bill Weber's well-known North Beach mural from the corner of Broadway and Columbus will be among his works on display in this exhibition.

Opening May 18, What A Long Strange Trip It's Been and Brentwood Arts Commission Artists features two exhibitions of artwork originally curated by Brentwood Arts Commission artist and curator Bill Weber. This art passages exhibition is presented in collaboration with Contra Costa County District 3 Supervisor Millie Greenberg.

Arts generate $5.4 billion for california new economic impact study reveals

The nonprofit arts in California is a vibrant economic engine that produces $5.4 billion annually to the states economy, employees more than 160,000 individuals statewide, contributes nearly $300 million in state and local taxes, and ranks California as the nations leader in arts-related industry.

These facts emerged in The Arts: A Competitive Advantage for California II, a yearlong economic impact study commissioned by the California Arts Council. It is an update to the council's 1994 report. The new findings, based on surveys among 3,200 large and small nonprofit arts organizations across the state, represent a 152 percent increase in economic impact compared to the previous report.

"This study is a dramatic marker reflecting how the arts contribute to the state's economy. The results show that investing in the arts in California pays fantastic dividends," said Arts Council Chair Barbara George. "We've always known that the arts are vital to our creative expression, now, we can say that the arts mean business," she added.

The study surveyed major metropolitan areas, mid-size cities, and rural communities to develop a statistical analysis. Results show that in both urban and rural counties, the arts play a valuable role in contributing positively to an area's business climate. The study concentrates on several sub-geographic regions including: Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. The $5.4 billion economic impact of the nonprofit arts breaks down regionally: Los Angeles $1.97 billion; Oakland $344.4 million; Sacramento $124.1 million; San Diego $255.7 million; San Francisco $1.44 billion; San Jose $229.1 million; other metropolitan cities $941.9 million, and rural areas $120 million.

"When you consider that nonprofit arts groups are, in fact, 10,000 small businesses, nonprofit arts groups are making a significant impact on the state's bottom line everyday," said Arts Council Director Barry Hessenius. Additionally, new research from Americans for the Arts, Creative Industries in California, shows that there are more arts-related businesses (89,719) - including nonprofit organizations - and more people employed (516,054) in the creative industries in California than any other state in the nation and nearly double that of New York in second place.

Additional key findings from the study include:

Employees in the nonprofit arts sector generate $2.7 billion of economic impact.
Worker income impacts are comparable to those employed in California's sports and recreation clubs, commercial sports, and auto rental industries.

Total nonprofit arts sector spending in California is $2.2 billion.
This includes direct expenditures by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations on everything from salaries and benefits to goods and services. In addition to payroll, which constitutes 47.5 percent of all spending, it includes cash expenditures on items such as scripts and music scores, printing, office supplies, computers, and travel.

California's nonprofit arts attract more than 71 million including 6 million tourists.
A closer look at the activities of the 71.2 million includes participants taking dance and pottery classes, attending the ballet, cultural festivals, and youngsters enrolled in arts education classes.

Audience spending in California is big business.
The state's 71.2 million arts attendees spend $1 billion in off-site expenditures over the cost of admission to events and exhibitions. Off-site expenditures might include meals, transportation, parking, and fuel over the cost of arts festival admission and purchases.
Philanthropic support in California totals $1.06 billion.
It is frequently argued that if the arts were to exist exclusively on ticket sales, admissions, and other participation-related income, few could afford to participate in the arts. Philanthropic support - received from foundations, individuals, and corporations including grants from the Arts Council and/or city/county arts commissions and councils - is vital to keeping the arts affordable and accessible to all residents.

Californians volunteer 10 million hours annually.
Arts and cultural organizations rely on community volunteers serving on boards of directors or providing pro bono legal, financial, design and other professional services. California nonprofit arts organizations' aggregate volunteer time totals 10 million hours. According to Independent Sector's 2002 Dollar Valuation of volunteer time, that is equivalent to $165.4 million.

Arts Happenings in Contra Costa County and Beyond
At least two major cities in the county are facing cuts in arts programming. In Richmond, the situation is "still in flux," according to an arts leader. The city's fulltime arts administrator and the division she oversees were destined to be eliminated but have been given a reprieve while officials work out a new infrastructure. Support from the city's general fund is gone, with the result that arts management and programming must be supported entirely by arts revenue. One option under consideration is developer fees. There is some good news, however. This year the arts division completed a Challenge America community public art planning grant for the revitalization of the city's Macdonald Avenue That report is now embedded in the economic revitalization of the thoroughfare. The arts are therefore integrated into the revitalization efforts, which hopefully will help with the arts budget crisis.

In Walnut Creek, the city's Arts Commission is grappling with a proposal to add another $1 surcharge, which would bring the total to $3, on each ticket sold to performances at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts. Increases are also proposed for rental fees for the center's three theaters and other services, including those rendered by the ticket office. Also under consideration: Closing of the center one day a week, shuttering the ticket office two days a week, and reducing some staff services. All of the proposals are designed to help make up a revenue shortfall experienced by the city's arts programs. Meanwhile, an Arts Vision Task Force is getting ready to present its report, based on months of research and deliberations, to the City Council in June. The report contains more than 30 recommendations aimed at strengthening and growing the arts. Among the recommendations: Hire a long-term fund-raising director, consider a community governing board for the center, and enhancing and coordinating arts marketing and promotion.

A brighter picture is emerging in Brentwood, where the city is hiring a new arts services manager. The individual, expected to be in place in June, will head a new cultural arts division under the Brentwood Parks and Recreation Department. "We're one of the few cities that's hiring for the arts," says Craig Broznan, department director. The new manager will provide direction for the Brentwood Arts Commission, develop a strategic plan, and assist in carrying out a new public arts program, which collects fees from new public and residential housing projects. Since November, Brentwood began collecting a 1 percent fee on public project construction costs, and .04 percent on residential housing projects. It's anticipated that the arts fund could raise $600,000 to $800,000 within a year. The goal is to buy public art in the vicinity of the public or residential project. The arts fee program encourages developers to commission a piece of art that would complement the project. The program also allows the developer to pay a higher fee -- 1.25 percent for public projects and .05 percent for residential projects -- if the developer wants the arts commission to assume responsibility for the art project.

The arts commission has endorsed arts components of The Vineyards at Marsh Creek, a major development near the landmark Marsh House. Among the facilities is a 2,500-seat amphitheater, a park and a senior center. The developers have proposed the facilities to conform with the City of Brentwood's public art ordinance.

In Danville, the Eugene O'Neill Foundation is moving closer to its dream of a permanent memorial in honor of America's only Nobel-prizewinning playwright. He wrote his last six plays, including "A Moon for the Misbegotten," at his Tao House estate in the hills above Danville. Rather than a statue, the foundation is considering a series of pedestals on which quotations from O'Neill plays would be inscribed. A small park-like enclosure, complete with a bench, is the proposed site. It is located on Front Street across from the town library.

The Martinez Art Association teamed with the Contra Costa Wind Symphony for a performance in early June of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." The Russian composer was influenced in writing the music by the paintings of a friend, artist Victor Hartmann. This time the symphony and the association reversed the process. Member artists listened to the score and interpreted it through paintings that were projected on a large screen during the concert.

Concord's acclaimed Willows Theatre Company continues to work with its John Muir Festival Center partners (City of Martinez, John Muir Memorial Association, National Park Service and Martinez Historical Society) on plans that include a new theater in the downtown area of Martinez. Willows is contemplating continuing to operate its existing theater at the Willows Shopping Center in Concord when the Martinez facility opens.

In neighboring Alameda County, officials in Livermore are studying a consultant's report indicating "strong regional demand" for a 2,500-seat performing arts center in the city for national performers and a 500-seat facility for performances presented by community groups. The consultant reported that "the market is here, the demand is here, and that is the key." He said the proposed center would not compete with the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.

• Proportion of Internet users who have visited a charity Web site: 49%
• Proportion of those users who then took action: 75%

(source: GuideStar/Network for Good Survey, 2004)