As a longtime resident of Ocean Park, as director of Beyond Baroque in neighboring Venice, and as a Santa Monica Arts Commissioner for several years, I’ve seen many of my creative friends, and the vast majority of newcomers in the arts, move to Silverlake, Echo Park, and parts further east, north, and south. Artists left here, now losing affordable studios (at the airport and elsewhere), are ready to abandon Santa Monica. A number of galleries have already moved to a more welcoming Culver City, to downtown, and beyond.

The damage has been building steadily for years and has hurt the city I love. Santa Monica’s support for, and receptivity to, artists, both prominent ones and younger ones that are struggling, is very much in question. Some call this the genius of the market. I call it a deadly blight – short-term gain exacting long-term harm on neighborhoods, gathering places, and public life.

A number of Santa Monica residents, consultants, and those serving the city joined together, over hundreds of hours, to conceive a better future. The result, the Creative Capital plan, when it was completed, was widely regarded as a national beacon and blueprint for arts infrastructure and artist support. It was endorsed by the Arts Commission, approved by City Council, and culture was voted a budget priority. That was a year ago.

A year has passed and nothing has happened.

While Santa Monica’s grant programs continue, the City Council has not yet allocated funds to implement a plan taxpayers paid for and the Council itself voted for. Crucial time has been lost. Community input is being ignored. A taxpayer investment, so carefully crafted, is dying on the vine.

As the economy grows more uncertain, it is reckless to neglect the arts as a bread and butter issue. Art and artists are vital to our national and regional reputation, our economic diversity, our civic vitality, and ultimately to fulfilling our responsibilities as citizens.

The City Council needs to act to make the Creative Capital plan a reality. City officials need to back up their votes with funds and support what may be our last chance to halt an accelerating trend. A constructive vision for the future of the arts in Santa Monica must begin now.

Fred Dewey
Santa Monica