Posts Tagged ‘arts’
New Fund Encourages Artists, Musicians, and Others to ‘Keep Art Alive’ Amid Crisis
Arts and culture in the Coachella Valley are taking a hard hit from the COVID-19 crisis. Music and theater performances, museum and gallery exhibitions, film screenings, and other events have been canceled or postponed, arts institutions shuttered, and jobs lost. Like everyone else, California Desert Arts Council (CDAC) is grappling with how best to serve…
Read MoreWhy Support the Arts in a Time of Crisis?
Devastating. Unprecedented. Dire. This is how local arts leaders describe the current state of affairs as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) shutters museums, galleries, theaters, and performance venues across the Coachella Valley. They’ve canceled events, refunded patrons, sent home talent and back-of-the-house staff, and begun strategizing for their survival. The hurt, including lost economic impact, has…
Read MoreIn the Gardens
CDAC Ends Fiscal Year, Celebrates Achievements, Looks Forward
As the California Desert Arts Council 2017/18 fiscal year comes to a close, we take the opportunity to share some of our successes. Our organization did a lot of good work in FY 2017-18, and our Annual Report, due out on completion of the CDAC annual independent audit, covers our initiatives under our four pillars:…
Read MoreWill Your Big Idea Sink or Swim in Arts Tank GPS?
Got a big creative idea and need a support system to bring it to life? Pitch it to Arts Tank Greater Palm Springs, an exciting new Shark Tank-like program powered by the nonprofit California Desert Arts Council to support innovative arts projects that attract tourism, address a concern of a particular community, and engage a cross-section of residents and visitors…
Read MoreOn National Arts Advocacy Day, Action Turns Local
Today is Arts Advocacy Day, when a cross-section of the nation’s arts and culture organizations converges on Washington, D.C., for a day of training, followed by a day of action, meeting with their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. Advocacy is integral to California Desert Arts Council‘s strategy to unify, empower, and promote arts and culture…
Read More10 Tips to Craft Your Perfect Elevator Pitch
You’re in the supermarket when you run into a friend who wields some clout and influence in the community. After a polite “How are you?” she asks what you’re doing. Scrambling for a concise response, you freeze or, worse, ramble erratically. What you need is an elevator pitch — a short, persuasive speech that sparks…
Read MoreCreative Placemaking, Part I: The Power of Collaboration
It happened at UCR Palm Desert. Mark the day: October 12, 2017. This is when almost 100 Coachella Valley arts and tourism leaders, city planners, economic development directors, and of course visual and performing artists converged on the campus to learn how to engage a wider audience through creative placemaking, cultural tourism, and social media…
Read MoreHow Artists and Organizations Will Transform the Coachella Valley
Artists have an unusual way of looking at things, and given the chance they can imagine solutions to issues that befuddle even the brightest of city planners — especially when it comes to creating communities that celebrate authenticity and attract visitors. Think about how creative people could transform downtown Indio or Coachella into vibrant destinations…
Read MoreExpert Reveals Field-Tested Tactics to Grow Your Audience
If you’re promoting an arts event or program in the Coachella Valley or beyond, slow down and take Joseph Yoshitomi’s advice. The expert arts marketer will disrupt your tired thinking — “We’ve always done it this way!” — and lead you to the audience you want. “I’m a tactical marketer,” says Yoshitomi of Straightforward Management…
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