This is the first collective ask we are putting together as an arts community in San Bernardino County. The arts are essential and some of our public dollars should be allocated to support the vital work of our artists and arts organizations - galleries, schools, local community centers, museums, and more. Read the full letter draft below. Simply add your name in this form to sign on to this open letter to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

Begin Letter content:

Honorable Curt Hagman, Chair
Honorable Members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors

CC: Mr. Leonard Hernandez, CEO

Dear Chair Hagman, Vice Chair Gonzales, and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors,

First let me say Thank You for expanding the definition of nonprofit arts organizations to be included as small businesses and including them in the COVID Compliance Business Partnership Program. The federal government has already established this status and the resulting eligibility for CARES Act funds. The County will not be exposed to compliance risk by following the practice of federal and state government in defining the arts as small businesses.

It is our position, and that of the signatories to this letter, that arts and culture organizations meet the stated qualifications to receive relief funds under your direction. As small businesses that have been forced to remain closed and nonprofits that provide direct services to San Bernardino County residents, we consider it of utmost importance that arts and culture organizations are afforded equal consideration and funding status in distribution.

Arts Connection is honored to work each year as your official nonprofit local arts agency and State-Local Partner. On your behalf we serve more than 175 nonprofit arts and culture organizations, fiscally sponsored projects, education institutions, and thousands of artists countywide. After completing a region wide survey of the field over the past six months, our data shows that 56% of arts and culture organizations have already experienced significant revenue loss and over 75% have had to decrease, cancel or postpone programming.

To this end, we are asking you to support us in an effort to establish the region’s first IE Arts Fund. We are currently working with a local community foundation to establish a formal funding vehicle designed in line with a similar collaborative effort by our partners in Riverside.

Our goal is $100,000 to provide funding opportunities and more for organizations across the Inland Empire. If each District contributed $20,000 toward this work, we would be able to fund 25 community arts projects to aid in the healing and recovery process for the artists we represent. We also believe that working together, we can develop creative methods for employing artists to both aid in the economic recovery process and make connections across county departments, including Economic Development and Public Health.

As you know:  
•    The arts develop and supply a creative workforce that is essential to San Bernardino County’s innovation economy, employing 18,318 people, a majority being educators in our communities.

•    The San Bernardino County arts community enriches the lives of its residents, educates its children, and provides therapy to veterans and to those with physical and mental health challenges. A recent survey of 75 organizations reveals that more than 50% provide crucial education and lifelong learning services with budgets of less than $50,000/year.

•    The arts are vital to the financial well-being of the cities in San Bernardino County, impacting restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses heavily dependent on our audiences for success, accounting for over $744 million in direct local economic revenue.

Arts Connection has dedicated our resources to the building of local collaborative funding initiatives including the first-ever micro grant program for individual artists (launched in January 2020) and Arts for IE - composed of the Riverside Arts Council, Music Changing Lives (MCL), and Arts Connection.

Since the beginning of the pandemic that has so ravaged our industry, San Bernardino County’s arts organizations have kicked into collaborative “high gear” to continue to serve their communities and assist in healing. MCL has hosted several online youth performances in the past months including the spearheading of now 4 community murals that have garnered the support of IEHP and state officials, as well as the distribution of art kits and hot meals. In collaboration with MCL, Arts Connection launched an artist open call campaign WE ART ONE in July to elevate arts exploring the themes of healing and solutions towards social justice issues to spread hope and peace. Individual artists have also created safe spaces for the community to engage in the arts at no cost, increasing art access while simultaneously providing a space of relief for thousands of families and residents of all ages in isolation.

Although every one of the (   ) signatory individuals and organizations listed below is identified by a physical address within a Supervisorial district, a majority provide services to residents countywide. We ask that our request for active support of the IE Arts Fund be included in the County budget plan in development. As your designated local arts agency, Arts Connection will be available to assist the County by providing any information you may need to assist you in your process.

Thank you for your attention and your consideration of this request.

Signed by:

Organizations

Arts Connection, working in all Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, San Bernardino, District 5

The Arts Area, Ontario, District 4

Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council, Joshua Tree and surrounding communities District 3

Chaffey Community Museum of Art, Ontario, District 4

Cholla Needles, Joshua Tree District 3

Wrightwood Arts Center, Wrightwood, District 1

Music Changing Lives, Redlands, District 3

Stronger Together Now, Redlands, District 3

Artists, Curators, Educators, Creatives:

Rebecca Trawick, IE curator and arts administrator, artist, Rancho Cucamonga, District 2

Gloria Macias Harrison, Colton, District 5

Sarah Brownfield, Artist and Teaching Artist in Training, District 3

Robert Jacka, Artist and Art Promoter, District 5

Kathryn Ervin, CSUSB professor of theatre arts District 3, 5

Bernard Leibov, boxoProjects, Joshua Tree District 3

Rich Soos, Writer, poet, Joshua Tree   District 3

Jennifer Kane, artist, writer, Joshua Tree District 3

Candace Pearson, poet, Crestline District 2

Duan Kellum, artist, Redlands, District 3

Marie Bobin, arts administrator, Yucca Valley District 3

Adriene Jenik, artist, Twentynine Palms, District 3

Joan McCandless, arts leader, Wrightwood, District 1

Josiah Bruny, musician, arts leader, Redlands, District 3

T. Faye Griffin, Apple Valley, District 2

Karen Suarez, San Bernardino, District 3,5

Tanisha Bradley, San Bernardino, District 3,5

LaTasha So Fountaine,Ontario, District 4

Nicole Hadley, Colton, District 3,5

Sheryl Jones, Rialto, District, 5

Jenna Sparks, Apple Valley, District, 1

Joe Sparks, Apple Valley, District, 1

Steve Thomas, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

David Friedman, Redlands, District, 3

Bryan Jarrett, Helendale, District,1

Susan Gomez, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Cindy Rinne, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Danielle Giudici Wallas, Redlands, District, 3,5

Adam Martinez, Redlands, District, 3,5

Amber Rodriguez, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

Kerwin Simeus, Bloomington, District, 5

Andrew Thompson, Colton, District, 3,5

Courtenay Griffin, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

Mandy Jarret, Helendale, District, 1

Donald Durham, Redlands, District, 3

Dave Burk, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Thomas Howe, Lake Arrowhead, District, 2

Mike Freeland, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Michael Segura, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Mary Addison Hackett, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Ed Keesling, Yucca Valley, District, 3

Sherry Killam, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Jorge Heredia, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Alcira Mendoza, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Marta Rivas, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

Fay Aldridge, San Bernardino, District 3,5

Stephanie MacLean, Redlands, District, 3

Maria Notarangelo, Grand Terrace, District, 3

Elena Yu, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Barbara Manzo, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Rev. Benita Ramsey, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

James Ojeda, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Joan McCandles, Wrightwood, District, 1

Helen Tran, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

James Albert, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Raquel Ruiz, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Arlette Ramirez, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Kathleen Bingham, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Angie D. Verissimo, Ontario, District, 4

Jeanne Vizcaino, Redlands, District, 3

Noemi Villagrana, Redlands, Disrtict, 3

Roxanna Cervantes, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Janet Thornhill, Wrightwood, District, 1

Mirna Cortez, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Kimberly Knaus, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Damon & F. Alexander, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Ronecia Miller, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Stacia Guillen, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Jessica Bruny, Upland, District, 2,4

Andrea B. Cypert, Upland, District, 2,4

Michelle Tacchia, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Darlene Douthit, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Mandi Batalo, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Annette Johnson, Lake Arrowhead, District, 2

Nathaniel Gelston, Redlands, District, 3

Martin Mancha, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Ashley Wright, Redlands, District, 3

Ray Fuller, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

Leslie Matamoros, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

Natassja Herrera, Rialto, District, 5

Elena Carrasco, Colton, District, 3,5

Benjamin Allanoff, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Vanessa Melesio, Rialto, District, 5

Cathy Allen, Twentynine Palms, District, 3

Jacqueline Bell Johnson, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

Becky Ackley, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Samantha Herrera, Rialto, District, 5

Wrightwood Center, Wrightwood, District, 1

Siw Heede, Redlands, District, 3

Camille Gelston, Redlands, District, 3

Shauna Tucker, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Conchi Sanford, Chino, District, 4

Thomas Sallinger, Chino, District, 4

Abe Alvarez-Tostado, Yucca Valley, District, 3

Amy Robbins, Angelus Oaks, District, 3

Ilda Jimenez, Upland, District, 2,4

Dawn Davis, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Sharon DaVis, Morongo Valley, District, 3

Susan Abbott, Joshua Tree, District, 3

J.E. Tucker, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Melissa Grisi, Twentynine Palms, District, 3

Robert Rootenberg, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Nancy Klein, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Kate Short, Twentynine Palms, District, 3

Saniyyah Thomas, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Aimee Buyea, Landers, District, 3

Christian Arguelles, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Melanie Knypstra, Redlands, District, 3

Vanesa Zendejas, Twentynine Palms, District, 3

Clarence de Guzman, Rancho Cucamonga, District, 2

Tina Bluefield, Yucca Valley, District, 3

Julianna Elliott, Joshua Tree, District, 3

Elizabeth McSwain, Ontario, District, 4

Adeloa Davies Aiyeloja, Loma Linda, District, 3

Andrew Thompson, Colton, District, 3,5

Dr. Dorothy Garcia, San Bernardino, District, 3,5

Chantelle Rodriguez, Twentynine Palms, District, 3

Elena Carrasco, Colton, District, 3,5

Diana Shay Diehl, Yucca Valley, District, 3

Steve Jones