“The arts don’t really help San Diego at all. In fact, arts and culture is a money loser so we should probably just focus all our energy on keeping a sports team that seems hell-bent on leaving the city, no matter the cost,” said no one at last week’s press conference unveiling the results of the Arts and Culture Economic and Community Impact Report.
We’ve been covering the Chargers drama closely, including the tantrums, ultimatums and desperate moves to get them to stay. It’s like watching the worst breakup in history slowly unfold, with every mascara-tinged teardrop there for us all to see.
That brings us to the arts. The arts are just as good as sports, some even prefer them. The arts bring in revenue. The arts aren’t trying to dump you for a faster, hotter city.
Some numbers from the report, which tracked fiscal year 2014:
• Eighty arts and culture nonprofits receive $6.4 million from the Commission for Arts and Culture
• Local arts and culture nonprofits spent $191 million
• 1.6 million visitors participated in arts and culture events
• Arts and culture nonprofits support 6,268 jobs
“World-class arts and cultural programs are a vital component of a great city, not only because they enrich the lives of our residents, but because they also support thousands of good-paying jobs and attract millions of dollars for our economy. The revenue we generate from our investment in cultural tourism helps fund our neighborhood services – our parks, fire stations, libraries and streets,” said Councilwoman Lorie Zapf at the press conference.
That’s not to say that when it comes to football and the arts, it has to be one or the other.
If there are no Chargers, then there is no valid excuse for me to eat more than a dozen buffalo wings in one sitting, and I need that. Even Mick Jagger thinks the Chargers are making a mistake by courting Los Angeles. Mick. Jagger. With all this drama, perhaps the arts deserve to stop getting picked last for dodgeball when they’re actually bringing some good to the city. Just sayin’.
You’re reading the Culture Report, Voice of San Diego’s weekly collection of the region’s cultural news.
La Jolla’s Latest Mural Is So Blah, Punto Experimental and More Visual Art Stuff
• Rawr! Rawr! Galleta Meadows builds desert dinos! Someone get Chris Pratt on the blower to wrangle them in. (CityBeat)
• For those who like your art with a large helping of criticism, there’s FIELD. (CityBeat)
• Punto Experimental is your new destination for fascinating experimental artwork. KPBS gives us the scoop and talks to the artists currently showing work in the space.
• A Reason to Survive is making strides to rejuvenate National City. (U-T)
• The Museum of Photographic Arts is introducing a new type of membership that folks can cater to their interests.
• The Murals of La Jolla got a new piece by Mel Bochner and it’s so blah.
• KPBS brought in special guests to teach us how to not be starving artists in San Diego, one of the country’s most expensive cities to live in. Good luck, you guys!
Schick Conquers Ojai and More Music and Performance News
• The summer is looking great for local theater. (U-T)
• UC San Diego percussionist god Steven Schick has been called on to serve as artistic director at the Ojai Music Festival, a mondo prestigious honor. (U-T)
• The Reader waxes on about why classical music concerts don’t have higher attendance rates. Is it a branding thing? Or should we just blame Drake? Or is it because institutions like the San Diego Symphony aren’t stepping into the digital world enough?
More Movies in San Diego, Ridesharing and Culture Bits
• CityBeat just released its annual Summer Guide, touching on great eateries, events, drinking holes, activities and more for all your out-of-town guests during the hot weather months. Got a friend with a dog coming to town? Or some hip young parents? They’ve got you covered.
• Make sure to tune into ESPN3 and cheer on Solana Beach word nerd Oona Mary Nikko Flood as she competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She’s the badass with the pink hair out to d-e-s-t-r-o-y the competition. You can also get in on the literary fun at Spellapalooza! (KPBS)
• The City Council budget meeting has the local film community wringing its hands with the promise of more movies. (KPBS)
• Baja’s culinary achievement is now a documentary that will likely make you super hungry for something better than Totino’s Pizza Rolls. (San Diego Red)
• There’s a dark side to the idyllic, Bentley-filled cougar town known as La Jolla and one author is exposing it. (U-T)
• Encinitas’ oldest house is now an almost-finished tourist spot. (Reader)
• A new app that enables ridesharing from San Diego International Airport launches on June 1. Can you opt out of sharing a ride with screaming children, people who snore loudly, the stinky-footed or any loud, drunk a-hole who complains about anything at a high vocal range? (U-T)
• One Petco Park groundskeeper knows how to get turnt for the crowd. (Masslive)