Civic Arts Commission Meeting Agenda Packet 030325 FINAL

The East Bay Open Studios event has succeeded in the bayside communities for 40 years, but does not serve Tri-Valley artists well due to the challenges of geography. Plus, the growth of the Tri-Valley visual artist population makes a Tri-Valley-based event preferrable. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates there were 2.6 million artists in the workforce in 2020, or 1.6% of all workers. Of 76,000 Pleasanton residents, 1.6% means there are 1,000 - 1,200 artists among them. TVAST reaches out to artists, giving them the opportunity to exhibit their work and interact with attendees. The 2023 event included 65 artists, and 2024 (with registration currently happening) is growing substantially. Conservatively, 2025 will include at least 100 artists. Most residents are unaware of the tremendous amount of creative artwork and art opportunities available to them. TVAST builds awareness of art, artists and artistic experiences. The 2023, grant from Pleasanton Civic Arts Commission helped increase the event's reach; we seek to build momentum each year in order to provide the Pleasanton community and its artists the valuable arts experiences they seek and deserve. TVAST relates to many aspects of the cultural plan; specifically we provide enhanced arts and cultural programming to residents and expanded arts learning opportunities for all ages. The event targets developing organizational capacity of arts organizations and artists. The event improves arts marketing and visibility, and also makes information about arts offerings more available to residents, workers and visitors. These are all part of AVA's mission as well, and drivers for this event. Describe your agency and provide its mission or purpose statement. Alliance for the Visual Arts (AVA) is a nonprofit organization with the mission of improving the presence of the visual arts in the region, strengthening the bonds amongst Tri-Valley visual arts organizations, and increasing the Tri-Valley community's participation and engagement in visual arts appreciation, activities, and exploration by making visual arts accessible for community members of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. We believe, and research confirms, that creativity and community are critically important for public health. Our organization provides artists and the community the following: We provide artists from high school and beyond with their own page on our website to showcase their work. We create opportunities for individual, student, and emerging artists to exhibit in local businesses. We host a visual arts calendar for group shows. We offer information on art instruction, obtaining supplies, connecting to professional development, and accessing mentoring. We host a list of all visual arts groups and associations. We produce the annual Tri-Valley Artist Studio Tour (TVAST). In 2025, we will offer our fourth open studios. Please describe how you plan to market this project. Page 28 of 116