The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture announced this week that it will participate in the World Cities Cultural Forum’s Global Leadership Exchange Program, which aims to facilitate an exchange of cultural ideas.
The program will be virtual this year, and participants will discuss culture as an expression of democratic participation, ways to provide access to creative space, how to address risk at cultural institutions and funding for diverse art forms. Officials hope to bring cities together to set the groundwork for policy and action as a global, cities-led network to improve support for culture.
“The Department of Arts and Culture is honored to take part in the World Cities Culture Forum Global Leadership exchange, elevating the arts as a core part of our region’s future and participating on a global stage,” said Kristin Sakoda, director of the L.A. County Department of Arts and Culture.
“Through our work in Research and Evaluation we have long believed in the value of cultural data. The mapping exchange is an opportunity to share models with multiple cities around the world, learn new ways to collect data, tell the stories of arts and culture in our communities, map the distribution of cultural resources, inform cultural policy, and expand equity in the most populous county in the U.S.,” she added.
“We are equally thrilled to work with the city of LA and our counterparts in Paris to explore frameworks to embed the values of cultural equity and inclusion in the Olympic Games and Cultural Olympiad as we look to the significant impact of welcoming the global audience to the LA County region in 2028.”
The program will include a virtual public session in December 2021, and officials may hold an in-person exchange for the Paris/L.A. Cultural Olympiad in 2022.
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