Paper presentation at the 41st Social Theory, Politics and the Arts Conference, 10-12 December, University of South Australia, Adelaide.

1. Antonio C. Cuyler, Ph.D.
Department of Art Education
Florida State University

2. 
 Cultural Inequity in San Francisco
 Lessons Learned
 Leadership & Advocacy
 Actions & Remedies
 Future Studies
Overview

3. 
Cultural InEquity

4. 
 Board of Supervisors - $191,000
 Eric Mar
 Grants for the Arts (GFTA) – 23%
 City & County of San Francisco
 San Francisco Arts Alliance (SFAA)
 San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) - CEG
Cast of Characters

5. 
We write to strongly urge you to increase
funding for the arts, specifically cultural
equity programs. We do not support a
divisive and damaging proposal being
advanced by fringe members of the arts
community that would cut funds from the
arts in order to fund the arts.
Cultural InEquity

6. 
 The Cultural Equity Endowment legislation named
American Natives, Asian Americans, African
Americans, people with disabilities, Latinos,
L/G/B/T/Q individuals, Pacific Islanders, and
women in its guidelines as historically underserved
communities with the explicit purpose of directing
funds to grant programs that support these
communities.
Cultural Equity

7. 
The cultural sector values diversity &
social justice.
Data is imperative to telling a
compelling story.
Similar inequities exist in other cities.
Acess+Equity+Inclusion = D & SJ
Lessons Learned

8. 
Diversity
&
Social
Justice
ACCESS
INCLUSIONEQUITY
Conceptual Framework

9. 
 Artists
 Arts managers
 Community members (elderly & young)
 Leaders in Business
 Leaders in Education
 Education leaders
 Policymakers
Leadership & Advocacy

10. 
 Act as a Sentinel
 Bring awareness to the problem
 Broaden the definition of culture
 Engage citizens in the political process
 Empower people to get involved
 Examine existing policies
 Explore different approaches to make change
 Listen to, represent, and support their constituencies
 Paint a picture of transformation
 Understand equity and its implications
What are leaders’ responsibilities
regarding inequity?

11. 
 Appropriate funding for positions to provide
technical assistance, i. e. fiscal sponsorship, grant
writing, marketing, etc.
 Collect diverse perspectives
 Facilitate communication
 Promote resources & accessibility
What actions should leaders take
to rectify inequity?

12. 
 Research to show patterns in the # of applications of
culturally specific organizations vs. the $ granted vs.
the % of total funding awarded.
 Create arts & business partnerships to promote the
economic impact and cultural tourism.
 Make the case for equity in the distribution of public
funding.
What advocacy strategy will
motivate leaders’ action?

13. 1. Form an advocacy group of the cultural organizations
who have experienced funding inequities & their allies.
2. Conduct budgetary research to assess the extent of the
funding inequity.
3. Convene a meeting of the entire cultural sector to discuss
remedies to the inequities.
4. Develop a unified proposal for leaders’ endorsing.
5. In the case that the cultural sector cannot develop a
unified proposal, move forward with a proposal that
articulates clear remedies for the inequities, and a
timeline for implementing the remedies that
policymakers can support.
Actions & Remedies

14. 
1. To what extent do inequities exist in public funding for
culture through out all levels of government?
2. Do public funding inequities exist for culture locally?
3. Do corporations fund culture inequitably, if so, to what
extent?
4. Do arts administration educators teach about issues related to
access, equity, inclusion, diversity & social justice in the arts, if
so, how? If not, why?
5. Does an arts administration educator’s demographic profile
determine if they teach about issues related to access, equity,
inclusion, diversity & social justice in the arts?
Future Studies

15. 
Act now!