about this initiative

Cultural Initiatives is committed to fostering broad community participation in the arts across the region and into our neighborhoods. Currently, Silicon Valley is home to more than 400 arts organizations and numerous other arts education, craft, and cultural participation programs. Most of these organizations are volunteer driven, operating on annual budgets of well under $100,000. Less than 25% have a paid full-time director overseeing the organization.

Our vision is that our region’s varied communities and neighborhoods will be well-supplied with valuable programs and suitable facilities where people participate enthusiastically in widely available arts and cultural activities.

To this end, Cultural Initiatives has undertaken a major research project to better understand the role of cultural participation in Silicon Valley. Our research has resulted in the publication of a Creative Communities Index, a quantitative meausre of the health and vitality of our local arts and cultural sector.

"Creative Community Index"
Measuring Progress Toward a Vibrant Silicon Valley

Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley, in partnership with the City of San José, Office of Cultural Affairs, Americans for the Arts and the Knight Foundation, has just published a quantitative measure of cultural participation and creativity in Silicon Valley. The report includes more than 30 indicators designed to gauge the health and vitality of cultural activities in our region and examines the importance of creativity to the vitality of Silicon Valley.

Click here for more information and to request a copy of the Index.

Immigrant Participatory Arts: an Insight into Community-building in Silicon Valley

Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley has just released the results of a groundbreaking study that examines participation in the arts by immigrants in Silicon Valley. Immigrant Participatory Arts: An Insight into Community-building in Silicon Valley by Dr. Pia Moriarty finds that the dominant reason for the existence of amateur arts groups in immigrant communities derives from a strong desire of parents to maintain the structure, values, language, and traditions of their families.

Click here for more information and to download the PDF file. (1.6MB)

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creative education program  |  community & neighborhood arts  |  leadership development

© 2006 Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley

Updated: December 21, 2006