Jun 04, 2024 Arts, Culture, and Tourism Committee

VICE MAYOR ALLEN,

[00:00:02]

[CALL TO ORDER]

[ROLL CALL]

IF WE COULD READ THE FIRST ITEM, PLEASE.

ITEM ONE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR THE ARTS, CULTURE AND TOURISM COMMITTEE MEETING

[1. 24-53602 Recommendation to approve the minutes for the Arts, Culture, and Tourism Committee meeting of Tuesday, June 20, 2023.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR THAT.

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY, AND WELCOME TO THE A CT COMMITTEE.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M SO VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE, CHAIR, AND IF WE COULD PLEASE, UM, IF WE COULD PLEASE REVIEW THAT AND, AND HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE.

WE DO HAVE THAT MOTION.

WE HAVE A SECOND? YES.

THANK YOU.

YOU WANNA CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? YES, PLEASE.

ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT.

CHAIR.

THANK YOU.

AND WE'RE READY FOR THE VOTE? YES, PLEASE.

MOTION CARRIES.

NEXT ITEM PLEASE.

ITEM TWO.

ITEM TWO IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE THE PRESENTATION FROM THE TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

VERY EXCITED, UM, FOR THIS NEXT PRESENTATION HERE, UM, THE PRESENTATION IS

[2. 24-53668 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from the Tattoo Heritage Project.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

UM, PROPOSALS LIKE THIS IS, IS EXACTLY WHAT OUR COMMITTEE WAS MADE FOR.

WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT SO THAT THEY COULD TEACH US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO, UM, BRING TO OUR CITY OF LONG BEACH.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

YEAH, THANK YOU GUYS FOR SURE.

APPRECIATE IT.

I'D FIRST LIKE TO INTRODUCE MYSELF.

MY NAME IS KERRY BARBARA AND THIS IS MY CO-PRESENTER KEVIN JOHNSON.

AND WE ARE PART OF THE TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT AND WE ARE PART OF THE BOARD OF THE TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT.

WE HAVE A FEW OTHERS IN THE AUDIENCE WHO ARE ALSO HERE FROM THE TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT.

CHARLIE CARTWRIGHT, OUR FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, IS IN THE AUDIENCE, AND HE STARTED TATTOOING IN 1955.

CHARLIE IS THE FOUNDER OF SINGLE NEEDLE BLACK AND GRAY STYLE.

UH, ALSO JACK RUDY IS THE FOUNDER AND TREASURER OF OUR, OUR ASSOCIATION, AND HE, HE HAS BEEN TATTOOING SINCE 1975 AND HE'S THE FOUNDER OF THE SINGLE NEEDLE AND ALSO INTRODUCED POINTILISM TO TATTOOING.

AND MYSELF, CARRIE BARBARA.

I HAVE BEEN TATTOOING SINCE 1979 AND I AM THE CURRENT OWNER OF THE TATTOO MUSEUM HERE, OUTER LIMITS TATTOO HERE DOWN IN THE PIKE THAT'S BEEN HERE SINCE 1927.

JD CROW IS ALSO A FOUNDING MEMBER AND HE IS FIVE DECADES IN AS TA AS A TATTOO ARTIST, AND HE IS THE OWNER OF THE OFFICIAL TATTOO BRAND.

CHEWY QUINTANA.

ALSO IN THE AUDIENCE, A FOUNDING MEMBER, MASTER BLACK AND GRAY TATTOO ARTIST.

HE IS THE TATTOO HISTORIAN, ALSO A BIG COLLECTOR OF TATTOO THINGS.

AND THE OWNER OF DEER'S EYE STUDIO, CORY MILLER, ALSO A FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER, MASTER TATTOO ARTIST, A MUSICIAN, AND WAS A STAR ON LA INC.

OKAY, SO, UM, TATTOO HERITAGE IS A 5 0 1 3.

YOU KNOW, THE GOAL IS TO, UH, UM, LEMME GO BACK, I'M SORRY.

SO, UH, WE ARE DEFINITELY TRYING TO PRESERVE THE ART AND THE COLLECTIONS AND EVERYTHING THAT'S ABOUT TATTOO, UM, WHERE WE PARTNER WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND DIFFERENT PROJECTS WITH THE GOAL TO EDUCATE, TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, GET PEOPLE TO JUST APPRECIATE WHAT, NOT JUST THE TATTOO, BUT THE ART AND EVERYTHING THAT'S ABOUT.

SO AS A 5 0 1 3, WE WE'RE, OUR GOAL IS TO DO THAT.

SO, AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE, A LITTLE NERVOUS HERE.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL IS TO CREATE A, A MUSEUM FOR TATTOO HERITAGE ON THE QUEEN MARY.

THAT'S REALLY THE ULTIMATE GOAL, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE A FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT, THINGS THAT WILL HELP EDUCATE PEOPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DIFFERENT, THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF TATTOO AND WHAT IT MEANS, WHAT IT'S GONNA BE ALL ABOUT.

THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

AND WE WANT IT TO BE IN A MUSEUM THAT APPEALS TO ALL WALKS OF LIFE.

WE'RE GONNA BE THE FIRST NATIONAL TATTOO MUSEUM.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PIKE JUST REALLY BRIEFLY, BECAUSE THE PIKE FROM 1902 HAS HOUSED

[00:05:01]

UH, FIRST TIME I CAME TO CALIFORNIA WAS TO VISIT THE PIKE AREA AND GO TO THIS PARTICULAR SHOP THAT I AM NOW AN OWNER OF.

AND I WAS VERY LUCKY TO BECOME AN OWNER BECAUSE THE HISTORY OF THIS SHOP IS SO INCREDIBLE.

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TATTOOED THERE AND WALKED ON THOSE FLOORS AND COME FROM OTHER COUNTRIES JUST HERE TO SEE THAT PARTICULAR SHOP.

OUR HISTORY IS IMPORTANT.

IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN, AND WE WANNA BRING THAT TO EVERYBODY.

AND THE HISTORY THAT WE HAVE IN CONNECTION WITH TATTOOING WITH THE QUEEN MARY IS INTERTWINED IN MANY WAYS.

AND A LOT OF THAT COMES FROM THE WARS WORLD WAR II, WHEN THE SAILORS WERE TAKEN BACK AND FORTH USING THE QUEEN MARY.

IT'S ALSO HOUSED A LOT OF CONVENTIONS ON THE QUEEN MARY.

THE FIRST ONE I EVER WENT TO AGAIN, WAS IN 1982, WAS THE FIRST CONVENTION ON THE QUEEN MARY.

AND THERE'S BEEN MANY, MANY SINCE.

SO, AGAIN, SO WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, SO HERITAGE, HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS AND CORNERSTONES JUST IN TOURISM IN GENERAL.

YOU KNOW, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT HERITAGE TRAVELS STAY LONGER, THEY SPEND MORE MONEY.

IT SHOWS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, TRAVELERS AND PEOPLE THAT COME OUT, TOURISM IN GENERAL, IF THEY, IF THEY GO TO AN EVENT OR GO TO A SPOT THAT HAS HERITAGE WHILE THEY STAY LONGER, THE COMMUNITY KIND OF THRIVES OFF OF IT.

IT'S MORE OF A, YOU KNOW, DESTINATION WHERE YOU GO THAN JUST TO, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY YOU'RE JUST GOING TO DISNEYLAND, IT'S COMING TO A PLACE THAT YOU HAVE THINGS THAT ARE HERITAGE DRIVEN IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR TOURISM.

SO WE THINK IT'D BE AMAZING FOR LONG BEACH AND AMAZING FOR THE QUEEN MARY.

THIS KIND OF REITERATES SOME OF THE SAME STUFF THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, WE REALLY WANT, I MEAN, TRYING TO ENJOY THE, THE WANT PEOPLE ENJOY THE INTEREST OF TATTOO, THE FINE ARTS PARTS OF IT, NOT GET AWAY FROM THE TABOO, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE JUST THE, THE WAY PEOPLE THINK ABOUT TATTOO IN SOME WAYS.

WE WANT TO GET RID OF ALL THOSE, THOSE ID IDEAS AND WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT AND REALLY SHOW THEM WHAT, IT'S SO MUCH MORE THAT THE WHOLE THE'S SO MUCH MORE TO THE WHOLE HISTORY OF IT.

THE, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S OUR GOAL.

SO THIS IS A BIG ONE.

SO THE POPULARITY OF TATTOOING HAS GROWN DRASTICALLY IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.

I'M SURE EVERYBODY HERE KNOWS SOMEONE THAT'S BEEN TATTOOED.

UM, SOME OF THE STATISTICS ARE PRETTY OUTSTANDING SINCE THAT.

THERE'S 26,000 LICENSED TATTOO SHOPS IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS A, A BIG NUMBER.

I THINK IT'S PROBABLY EVEN MORE THAN THAT.

YOU KNOW, THE GROWTH THEY'RE SAYING IS UP TO 8% JUST IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.

I THINK IT MIGHT EVEN BE MORE THAN THAT.

THEY'RE SAYING THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THE NATIONAL STATISTIC IS 30, I THINK 32% OF, UM, I THOUGHT I GOT AHEAD OF MYSELF ACTUALLY WITH A STATISTIC, BUT I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER.

SORRY ABOUT THAT GUYS.

, .

IT'S COMING.

YEAH, IT'S COMING.

SO WHEN WE DO OUR EX EXHIBITS, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE PAST, OF COURSE, WITH OUR HISTORY AND THE THINGS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE US, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO REPRESENT OUR PRESENT, OUR CURRENT TATTOO ARTISTS ALL OVER THE WORLD AND LOOK INTO OUR FUTURE AND WHAT'S GONNA COME NEXT.

THE ART EXHIBITS ARE GOING TO TELL THOSE STORIES.

THEY'RE GONNA TAKE US ON A JOURNEY.

THEY'RE GONNA TELL THE HISTORY AND THEY'RE GONNA TELL THE HISTORY OF ALL THE TATTOO CULTURES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

DID I LOSE ONE? IS THIS ME OR WE LOST ONE? WAIT, WE LOST ONE.

THAT'S OKAY.

OH, WE'RE, HERE WE GO.

SO GUYS, WE DO DIFFERENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS WE WANNA DO AT THE MUSEUM, OF COURSE WE DO, UM, DOCS AND PANELS AND POPUPS AND RESEARCH PROGRAMS. WE REALLY WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE DIFF DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL PARTS OF LONG BEACH INVOLVED WITH IT.

THERE'S SO MUCH TO LEARN.

I PERSONALLY AND JUST THE COLLECTOR OF ART AND A COLLECTOR OF TATTOOS.

AND SO THE, THE AMOUNT OF STUFF I'VE LEARNED JUST BEING INVOLVED WITH THIS PROGRAM IS, IT'S PRETTY AMAZING.

AND I THINK THAT THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE IT.

FAMILY FRIENDLY IS KEY.

I'M A FATHER.

EVERYBODY IN HERE IS, YOU KNOW, A LOT.

AND I'M NOT SURE EVERYBODY, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE PARENTS.

SO THE GOAL IS TO MAKE IT VERY FAMILY FRIENDLY.

SO PEOPLE WANT TO COME HERE WITH, WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT IDEAS TO MAKE IT THAT WAY SO THAT IT'S A, IT'S A, AN ENVIRONMENT AND A SPACE FOR EVERYBODY.

WHAT DO THOSE CULTURES MEAN IN OTHER COUNTRIES? YOU KNOW, HOW IS THAT TO RELATE TO YOUR CHILDREN? MAYBE THEY'RE FROM THOSE COUNTRIES AND THEY WANNA LEARN ABOUT THEIR PAST AND THEIR CULTURE.

AND A LOT OF THAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH THE RELATION OF TATTOO FUNDRAISING.

GUYS, THESE, THIS BOARD HAS BEEN VERY CREATIVE ABOUT FUNDRAISING.

WE'RE DOING, THERE'S A POKER GAME GOING ON.

WE'LL DO YEARLY.

THERE'S DIFFERENT MUSICAL EVENTS THAT WE'LL DO.

THERE'S ALSO ART SALES.

WE DO A, THEY'VE DONE MULTIPLE.

UM, SOLON HAS PUT TOGETHER DIFFERENT, WHERE TATTOO ARTISTS DONATE THEIR ART FOR A VERY LOW AMOUNT.

ALL THE MONEY GOES TO THE, THE HERITAGE MOVEMENT.

IN JUST TWO EVENTS THEY DID OVER $70,000.

SO THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF SUPPORT OUT THERE FROM NOT JUST THE TATTOO PEOPLE, FROM EVERYBODY, ANYONE THAT WANTS TO SEE THIS HAPPEN.

SO THE, AGAIN, WE'RE DOING A LOT, THEY DO A LOT OF FUNDRAISING.

THESE ARE, THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF CHARLIE UP THERE OUT IN TEXAS.

SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE TATTOO COMMUNITY ITSELF

[00:10:01]

THEY RAISED, YOU KNOW, 13,001 THROUGH DONATIONS AT ONE CONVENTION, ANOTHER 9,000 AND ANOTHER ONE.

THERE'S ALSO A PICTURE IN THE IMAGE OF DONATED ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD IN TURKEY.

IT REALLY IS GONNA BECOME A WORLDWIDE THING, IS EVERYONE, IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

IT HA THERE ISN'T A MUSEUM LIKE THIS.

SO THIS IS THE GOAL, AND I THINK THE FUNDRAISING WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN FOR US.

SO THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF EXHIBITIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED ABOUT TO TATTOO IN OTHER MUSEUMS. ONE OF THOSE WAS THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM.

LA IN 2016 HELD AN EXHIBITION CALLED TATTOO.

SO SIMPLY BUT VERY EXTRAVAGANT IN ITS DESIGN.

IT TALKED ABOUT WOMEN IN TATTOO CULTURES IN TATTOO, AND BROUGHT TO LIGHT MANY THINGS THAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND ABOUT WHAT TATTOO IS.

ALSO, THE MOLO MUSEUM HERE LOCALLY HELD AN EXHIBIT CALLED INK STORIES ON SKIN, WHERE THEY RELATED THE STORY OF PEOPLE'S LIVES AND HOW THEY WERE HURT, OR HOW THEY WERE BROUGHT UP TO THE ACTUAL TATTOO.

THEY WERE GI GONNA GET ON THEIR SKIN.

AND THE ARTISTS AND THE TATTOO ARTISTS WORKED TOGETHER TO CREATE THE ART AND THEN PUT IT ON THE SKIN FOR THE PEOPLE TO HELP THEM HEAL.

WE WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US THIS PRESENTATION.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL HELP US TO FORM THIS, THIS GREAT GREETING AND MEETING BETWEEN THE QUEEN MARY AND TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT FOR THE HERITAGE MUSEUM.

THANK YOU.

THANKS GUYS.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US OR, OR THE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OUR, OUR PANELS HERE.

JUST LET US KNOW.

WE WERE TRYING TO, WE WERE REHEARSING THIS THING TRYING TO DO 30 SECONDS A SLIDE.

I THINK THAT THREW ME A LITTLE BIT.

YEAH, I WAS LIKE TALKING TOO LONG TO US.

YEAH.

THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH BOTH FOR THAT AMAZING PRESENTATION.

UM, DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, COMMENTS BEHIND THE RAIL? GO AHEAD, PLEASE.

HERE.

WELL, FIRST OF ALL, JUST THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.

AND KEVIN, I KNOW, UM, YOUR FULL-TIME JOB IS WE'RE RUNNING RESTAURANTS, BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU, YOU ARE A HECK OF A PRESENTER.

SO THANKS, I APPRECIATE YOU, UH, YOU BEING HERE.

YOU DID SUCH A GREAT JOB AND SO DID I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY? IS CHARLIE HERE? CHARLIE IS.

OH YEAH, HE IS THERE.

WHAT CHARLIE, YOU'RE A LEGEND.

CAN I GET A PICTURE WITH YOU BEFORE YOU LEAVE ? HE IS.

HE IS A LEGEND FOR SURE.

YEAH.

THAT'S AWESOME.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

AND I KNOW JACK TOO IS IS JACK HERE? JACK IS NOT.

JACK IS NOT WITH US TODAY.

SO YEAH, THIS WAS GREAT.

AND CARRIE, I MEAN, GOSH, YOU KNOW, YOU REALLY ARE, YOU HAVE PUT UM, LONG BEACH ON, ON, ON THE MAP, YOU KNOW.

THANK YOU.

PEOPLE LOOK TO R OGS ALL OVER THE WORLD FOR, FOR THIS SKILLSET.

AND SO, UM, WE ARE SO FORTUNATE, UM, THAT THIS CONCEPT CAME ABOUT, UM, THAT, UM, I THINK A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN, UH, YOU GUYS AND THE QUEEN MARY, UM, UH, MADAM CHAIR.

I WOULD BE SO SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS, UM, TO THIS COMMITTEE.

UM, IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UM, THIS HAPPEN, UM, BEFORE, UM, THE OLYMPICS TOO.

'CAUSE I THINK PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD GREAT, WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UM, ALL THE STUFF THAT A MUSEUM LIKE THIS HAS TO OFFER.

SO THANK YOU ALL.

I KNOW WHEN YOU START A PROJECT LIKE THIS, IT'S A HUGE COMMITMENT FROM EVERYONE.

AND, UM, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE REALLY, UH, OTHER JOBS AS WELL.

SO THE FACT THAT YOU'RE INVESTING IN LONG BEACH AND INVESTING IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS REALLY DOES MEAN A LOT TO ALL OF US.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS PROJECT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SLOT.

THANK YOU.

VICE MAYOR.

COUNCILMAN ZARO? YES.

HI.

UM, CARRIE AND KEVIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE QUICK PRESENTATION.

YOU DID A GREAT JOB IN DOING IT ON TIME AND REALLY GIVING US A SENSE OF THE HISTORY AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ITS HISTORY IN LONG BEACH.

I, I DIDN'T KNOW THIS, YOU KNOW, I, UM, DIDN'T REALIZE HOW, I MEAN, I ALWAYS KNEW THERE WERE TATTOO SHOPS AT THE PIKE, BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT IF WE DID OPEN A MUSEUM THAT IT WOULD BE THE ONLY ONE WHAT, RIGHT.

.

THAT'S RIGHT.

I MEAN, AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE I THINK WE, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S GOTTEN REALLY POPULAR MAYBE IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, UM, THROUGH A VARIETY OF, I THINK, CULTURAL TO, UM, ARTISTIC SIGNIFICANCE.

BUT I THINK THAT IT'S ALSO JUST IN GENERAL BEEN AN UNDERRATED FORM OF ART.

I MEAN, IT TAKES SO MUCH SKILLS.

I'M ALWAYS BLOWN AWAY EVERY TIME I SEE PEOPLE'S TATTOO BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, YOU CAN'T MAKE A MISTAKE ON THEM.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

THAT'S, I ABSOLUTELY, I MEAN, IF YOU DO, YOU'RE A TERRIBLE TATTOO ARTIST, .

SO, UM, I'M SURE WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT IN LONG BEACH, BUT I JUST WANNA EXPRESS, YOU KNOW, I'M A BIG FAN OF JUST HOW WE RETAIN CULTURE THROUGH ART FORMS, WHICH IS IN TATTOOS.

AND I LOVE HOW YOU'VE LIFTED SO MANY ASPECTS OF THE INTERSECTIONS FROM FOLKLORE, INDIGENOUS HISTORIES

[00:15:01]

IT MADE ME THINK A LOT ABOUT HOW ANGELINA JOLIE'S KIND OF POPULARIZED THE, YOU KNOW, RELIGIOUS TATTOO THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CULTURE AND CAMBODIAN CULTURE.

AND REALLY THERE'S SO MANY SIGNIFICANCE.

THERE ISN'T ALWAYS A NEGATIVE TABOO SIDE, MAYBE IN SOME SENSE MORE RECENT, BUT THAT'S ALL THE MORE REASON WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT.

WE DO HAVE A MUSEUM BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ART, IT'S HISTORY AND THERE'S DEEP CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE ALL AROUND.

SO I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE IDEA AND HAPPY TO DO WHATEVER I CAN TO, UM, HELP, HELP WITH IT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

AWESOME.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I'M DR.

SULI SORO.

UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT INCREDIBLE PRESENTATION.

I WAS BLOWN AWAY.

I LOVE HISTORY, SO I WAS LIKE, EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS WERE SAYING IN THERE WAS JUST SO AMAZING.

THANK YOU, KEVIN.

THANK YOU CARRIE.

UM, I AM JUST THRILLED TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU HERE.

UM, IT'S BEEN A WHILE AND A LONG TIME IN THE MAKING TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT PATH, BUT I THINK WE FOUND IT.

I'M SO EXCITED THAT YOU GUYS ARE IN TALKS WITH THE QUEEN MARY.

I KNOW THAT THEY'RE VERY EXCITED AS WELL.

UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY WITH ME.

I HAD, MY FIRST TATTOO EVENT WAS AT THE QUEEN MARY YEARS AGO.

AND I REMEMBER ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REMEMBER THE BEST FROM THAT TATTOO, UH, EVENT WAS ALL THE WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL TATTOOS THAT PEOPLE WERE DISPLAYING.

AND ALSO THEY USED TO HAVE CONTEST OF WHO HAD THE, THE MOST, UH, AMAZING WHOLE BODY TATTOOS.

AND THAT WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY BY THAT.

AND SO IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, TATTOOS HAS, HAS ALWAYS BEEN, IN MY EYES A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, TO BE ABLE TO, UH, BE, EXPRESS THEIR PRIDE FOR SOMETHING, THEIR LOVE FOR SOMETHING, AND REALLY, REALLY PROMOTE THAT BY COMMITTING TO SOMETHING ON THEIR OWN BODY.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S VERY, UM, VERY TELLING TO THE TATTOO CULTURE.

UM, AND I, I, AND AS, UH, DR.

SULI SORO MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, I THINK IT'S REALLY GOTTEN, UM, REALLY STRONG.

AND SO I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH THAT.

BUT IT COULDN'T, UM, BE DONE LIKE WITH VICE MAYOR SAID WITH OGS LIKE YOU, CARRIE, LIKE CHARLIE, YOU KNOW, HERE WITH US TODAY.

UM, I THINK THAT THIS, THAT THIS PROJECT BRINGS EVERYONE TOGETHER AND, UM, AND REALLY FOCUSES ON THE HISTORY OF THE TATTOOS, REALLY FOCUSES ON THE ARTIST.

I WANNA ALSO DO A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO CHEWY WHO I THOUGHT I SAW.

YES.

IF YOU CAN STAND UP CHEWY, WHO ACTUALLY, UM, CAME OUT TO ONE OF OUR DISTRICT EVENTS AND WAS ABLE TO INTRODUCE ME A LITTLE BIT MORE TO WHAT THIS PROJECT WAS ABOUT.

AND I THANK YOU TO, AND IT WAS SO NICE TO SEE YOU HERE TODAY AND, UM, AND THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN PUT IN TO TRY TO BRING THIS, THIS TO THE CORRECT PATH.

AND I, I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

SO, UM, WITH THAT, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND IF YOU ARE HERE FROM THE, UM, TATTOO PROJECT, UM, HERITAGE PROJECT, I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH US AS VICE MAYOR.

UM, WOULD LOVE THAT AS WELL.

SO IF THAT'S OKAY, LET'S TAKE A QUICK PICTURE AND THEN WE LET'S DO, WE CAN CONTINUE, PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DO THAT? WELL, WE'LL COME DOWN HERE.

OH, ALL RIGHT.

I, THAT'S COOL.

[00:20:52]

AND ALSO, I WAS SO EXCITED TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU GUYS, UM, THAT I RAN DOWN, UM, BEFORE ASKING FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

SO IF, DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IF ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM NOW.

HI, I AM CANDICE FLEETER.

I'M CO-OWNER OF ALF'S BODY ART STUDIO ON SECOND STREET HERE IN BELMONT SHORE.

UM, I GREW UP BORN AND RAISED NEAR LONG BEACH AND I HAVE A DEEP LOVE OF LONG BEACH.

I ACTUALLY WENT TO THE PRESCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY WHILE MY MOM WAS GETTING HER DEGREE IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND PRESERVATION.

AND, UH, SHE WAS PART OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY HERE.

AND SO I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF TATTOOING IN LONG BEACH FROM A YOUNG AGE.

AND IT DIDN'T TAKE ON MORE SIGNIFICANCE UNTIL I BECAME OWNER OF A STUDIO WITH MY HUSBAND.

I'M NOT AN ARTIST , I DO THE BUSINESS SIDE.

AND LUCKILY I HOOKED UP WITH KIM GO, UM, PART OF THE TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT 'CAUSE I DO GRANT WRITING FOR TRADE.

AND SO I'VE BEEN KIND OF HELPING ON THE BACK END AND WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THE COPY THAT YOU SEE IN THE PROPOSAL.

AND I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF THIS BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE DEEP HERITAGE AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE OF TATTOOING AS AN ART FORM, UM, THROUGHOUT HISTORY AND SPECIFICALLY IN LONG BEACH.

AND I REALLY ALSO LOVE THE IDEA OF CREATING, UM, THE BLEND OF THE HISTORY OF IT IN LONG BEACH AND, AND WITH THE NAVY MEN ON THE QUEEN MARY AND KIND OF THE CONCEPT OF TAKING PEOPLE THROUGH THE PORT CITIES THAT THE QUEEN MARY DID AND HOW THE NAVY MEN AND THE MILITARY, UM, REALLY INFLUENCED THAT GLOBALLY AND ESPECIALLY HERE IN LONG BEACH.

SO I'M IN MORE THAN FULL SUPPORT OF THIS.

I'M HELPING HOWEVER I CAN BEHIND THE SCENES AND THANK YOU.

THAT'S IT.

YES.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

MY NAME IS SUSAN DELAND AND I'M A PROUD MEM UH, MEMBER OF DISTRICT TWO.

HI CINDY.

UM, I'M A MUSEUM PROFESSIONAL AND A, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBER IN LONG BEACH.

I'M DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE CULTURAL COMMUNITY HERE AND AM, UM, CONSULTING WITH THE PROJECT TO MAKE IT GO.

IT OCCURS TO ME THAT LONG BEACH IS AMONG THE MOST DIVERSE CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, AND TATTOO ART IS ACTUALLY AN AMAZING DISPLAY OF DIVERSITY ON SO MANY LEVELS.

IT'S ARTISTIC, IT'S HISTORIC, IT'S ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND IT CROSSES SO MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES.

AND THE ARTWORK ITSELF IS QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.

SO I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF A MUSEUM TO, UM, DOCUMENT THIS HERITAGE AND TO BRING IT TO THE PUBLIC.

AND, UM, ALSO IN JUST ENHANCE THE CULTURAL VISION OF LONG BEACH.

AWESOME.

MY NAME IS, UH, AND, UH, BROUGHT MY, MY TATTOO FAMILY OVER HERE.

GOT A COUPLE OF YOUR BELMONT SHORE, UH, RUGBY GIRLS OVER HERE.

THEY WERE, UH, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS THIS YEAR.

SO, UH, AND, UH, WE WE CAME OVER HERE AND SUPPORTED THIS PROJECT.

I OWNED, UH, AND OPERATED A TATTOO SHOP DOWN THE STREET AND, UH, NEIGHBORING GARDEN GROVE, UH, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORING IS, YOU KNOW, SOLE NEIGHBORS WITH, WITH LONG BEACH.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HEARING ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND THE MORE I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW ABOUT IT, UH, WE DECIDED TO COME DOWN AND WANTED TO GIVE OUR SUPPORT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SO EXCITED FOR, UH, THE, THE TATTOO MUSEUM AND HERITAGE PROJECT AND HOW IT NOT ONLY CONNECTS JUST THE TATTOOS AND THE PEOPLE, BUT THE CULTURES.

AND FOR US AS SAMOANS, OUR, YOU KNOW, UH, OUR TATTOO IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US.

AND, UH, TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE OFFICIALLY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HONORED WITH ALL THE TATTOOING IS JUST WONDERFUL.

AND, UH, WE JUST WANTED TO GIVE OUR SUPPORT.

AND, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, .

HI, MY NAME'S LUCKY.

I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, THE TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT FOR THE LAST YEAR.

UM, MY STORY'S NOT THAT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN A LOT OF TATTOO PEOPLE.

I WAS

[00:25:01]

TATTOOS SAVED MY LIFE.

ART SAVED MY LIFE, AND NOW IT'S TIME TO GIVE IT BACK.

SO FOUNDING SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HELP ANOTHER KID LIKE MYSELF WHO TRIED TO FIND ALL THIS INFORMATION, BUT IT JUST WASN'T OUT THERE.

AND SO IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO GET WHERE I'M AT.

AND I THINK I COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT FASTER TRACKED AND MAYBE EVEN LESS OF AN KNUCKLEHEAD HAD THERE BEEN A MUSEUM THAT HAD SOMETHING THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN LIKE THIS.

AND I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF IT AND TO TRY AND HELP GET THIS THING ON THE QUEEN MARY.

'CAUSE I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID.

IT'S A HUGE PART OF TATTOO CULTURE AND A HUGE PART OF LONG BEACH CULTURE.

AND I'M JUST, UH, HOPING WE CAN DO IT ALL.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU ALL WHO MADE PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, VERY, VERY HAPPY TO HEAR ALL OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY.

UM, THANK YOU.

MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU.

IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT ITEM, PLEASE.

MM-HMM.

ITEM THREE IS A RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND

[3. 24-53678 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from the Arts Council for Long Beach on their annual report.         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ]

THANK YOU AGAIN.

UM, THE ARTS COUNCIL, WHAT AN AMAZING ORGANIZATION.

UM, YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A AMAZING PARTNER, UM, FOR MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS, MANY YEARS, AND YOU CONTINUE TO BE AN AMAZING PARTNER.

AND I'M JUST REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR PRESENTATION HERE TODAY.

THE FLOOR IS YOURS, ALDA.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UH, CHAIR IKAS AND VICE MAYOR ALLEN AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, DR.

SORO FOR HAVING US TONIGHT.

UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD BEEN SCHEDULED TO PRESENT TO THE ENTIRE COUNCIL BACK IN DECEMBER, BUT EVENTS THAT EVENING TO NOW ALLOW IT.

SO WE ARE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU HAVE INVITED US BACK TODAY TO PRESENT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR IMPACT AND WHAT OUR GRANTEES DO HERE IN THE CITY.

UM, AND THE CURRENT LANDSCAPES OF FUNDING.

THEY'RE NOT, NOT ONLY, UM, FOR LONG BEACH, BUT, UH, THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, I DID, UH, SEND OVER A PRESENTATION.

I'M JUST WONDERING IF IT CAN GET ONTO SCREEN.

YES.

AS THAT, UM, ROLLS OUT, I WANNA GIVE YOU A BIT OF AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN REGARDS TO FUNDING.

UM, SO THERE ARE SOME UPDATES IN REGARDS TO THE CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL.

UM, VERY RECENTLY, THE CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL WAS SLATED TO, UH, BE CUT BY $10 MILLION.

UM, AND OUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES, ASSEMBLY MEMBER MIKE GIBSON AND ASSEMBLY MEMBER JOSH AL, WERE ABLE TO RALLY AND HAVE A PRES, UM, HAVE A, UH, INFO SESSION IN SACRAMENTO.

AND THEY WERE ABLE TO REDUCE THAT REDUCTION BY 5 MILLION AND REINSTATE THE PAYROLL FUND.

AND THAT'S JUST TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT, UM, A LOT OF OUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS WILL BE FACING, UM, SOME CUTS IN REGARDS TO FUNDING, UM, WHICH MAKES THE LONG BEACH INVESTMENT SO MUCH GREATER, SO MUCH BETTER, AND SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT.

UM, AND SO WITHIN THE ARTS COUNCIL, WE HAVE SEVERAL, UM, AREAS OF, OF CONCENTRATION.

THE FIRST ONE IS OUR GRANTS PROGRAM, AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY WE WERE FUNDED ACTUALLY, UM, THE PUBLIC CORPORATION FOR THE ARTS FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH WAS FUND WAS FOUNDED IN 1976, SO 48 YEARS AGO.

UM, ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY WE WERE CREATED WAS TO PROVIDE GRANTS FUNDING TO LOCAL ARTISTS, GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS.

AND WE ARE STILL DOING THAT TO THIS DAY.

UM, IT ALLOWS US TO, UH, CONTRIBUTE TO CREATING A VIBRANT ARTS SCENE AND A VIBRANT ARTS, UH, CREATIVE ECONOMY HERE IN LONG BEACH.

TODAY, OUR, UM, OUR MISSION IS STILL VERY MUCH ALIGNED TO, TO THIS, AND WE HELP ESTABLISH ARTISTS, WE HELP, UM, NURTURE NEW ARTISTS, AND WE ALSO, UM, BRING TOGETHER FOLKS IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR TO CREATE THIS VIBRANT COMMUNITY.

CURRENTLY, ONE OF OUR PROJECTS IS THE ARTIST REGISTRY.

AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, THANK YOU EVERYBODY.

YES, , UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE TATTOO HERITAGE PROJECT WE ACTUALLY MET SEVERAL YEARS AGO, SO CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THE STEPS YOU'VE TAKEN.

[00:30:01]

UM, YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS SINCE I MET WITH YOU.

AND THEN WE CHECK IN AT PARTIES.

SO VERY NICE TO SEE YOU HERE IN THE DAAS.

UM, AND SO WE HAVE OVER 1100 ARTISTS REGISTERED, AND THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE WAYS WE CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE THE GRANTS PROMOTION, UM, AND PROVIDE JOBS TO ARTISTS THROUGH THIS REGISTRY AS WELL.

AND SO, UM, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR LONG BEACH AS A LARGE UMBRELLA.

AND THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS THAT WE INTERACT WITH INDIVIDUALS IN GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS.

AND SO THE NUMBERS YOU SEE BEFORE YOU ARE THE GRANTEE NUMBERS.

AND THESE ARE THE GRANTEES THAT APPLY EVERY YEAR, RIGHT? AND SO LAST YEAR IN 2023, ALL OF THOSE GRANTEES, INDIVIDUALS, AND THE ARTS COUNCIL, UM, HAD A TOTAL EXPENDITURE OF OVER $20 MILLION.

THIS IS GETTING BETTER.

UM, BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE ABOVE 25.

AND SO WE'RE SEEING THAT A LITTLE BIT, UH, CHANGE.

AND SOME OF THIS WAS ALSO REALLY FUNDING.

WE KNOW THAT THAT'S GOING AWAY.

SO THAT I HAVE TO SAY THAT AS AN ARTS ADVOCATE, THAT WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE LANDSCAPE WILL BE CHANGING.

BUT LAST YEAR WE SERVED AS A GROUP, A TOTAL COLLECTIVE OVER 65 THOU, 165,000 PEOPLE IN AN AUDIENCE, NUM MEMBERS, AND OVER 20,000 YOUTH THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH WHEN IT COMES TO GRANT MAKING, UM, ONE OF THE OTHER FUNDS THAT WE HELP THE CITY OF LONG BEACH WITH IS MEASURE B.

AND SO LAST YEAR IN 2023, UM, OVER $2 MILLION, UM, WAS, UM, COLLECTED BY MEASURE B.

WE GOT JUST OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TO GIVE TO MEASURE B OR, UM, ORGS.

UM, ARTS MUSEUMS, UM, PERFORMING ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTERS, UM, WERE RECIPIENTS OF THOSE FUNDS.

THE CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL HELPED US, UH, GIVE OVER $3 MILLION TO ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS.

AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, UM, WE GAVE OUT IN OUR ANYA GRANT PROGRAM AND IN CREATIVE ECONOMY RELIEF, UM, OVER $700,000.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

ONE OF THE OTHER REASONS WE WERE CREATED HERE AT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH WAS FOR PUBLIC ARTS.

AND SO NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT NOT ONLY DO WE, UM, HELP WITH MURALS, BUT WE ALSO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CITY'S PUBLIC ART MAP AND MAINTENANCE FOR MANY OF THOSE, UM, ART PROJECTS.

UM, WE WORK WITH ALL DEPARTMENTS, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WITH THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT MURAL PROGRAM.

WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO COMMISSION THIS MONTH.

MANY OF THOSE, UM, MURALS WILL BE IN PARKS AROUND THE ENTIRE CITY.

AND WE WERE VERY HAPPY TO COLLABORATE WITH THE AIRPORT THIS PAST YEAR ON CELEBRATING THEIR 100TH, UM, ANNIVERSARY AND, UH, DISPLAYING A HUGE MURAL ON THEIR PARKING STRUCTURE.

IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO, TO SEE THAT.

UM, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT, UM, ONE OF OUR MAJOR PROJECTS, UM, FUNDED BY BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES AND THE PERCENT FOR ARTS PROGRAM WAS COMMUNITY CORNERS IN DISTRICT ONE IN THE WASHINGTON COMMUNITY.

AND WE WERE JUST AWARDED, UM, A GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE AWARD BY THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION.

UH, THE AWARD CEREMONY IS LATER ON THIS MONTH, UM, IN THIS IS THE LOS ANGELES CHAPTER.

AND THIS IS JUST A REMINDER OF WHEN WE WORK WITH CITY PARTNERS LIKE PUBLIC WORKS, WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, LEADERSHIP, AND, UM, MANY OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS LIKE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.

WHEN WE COME TOGETHER AND WE CENTER COMMUNITY AND WE CENTER ARTISTS AT THE HEART OF THE PROJECT, GREAT THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON SCREEN, THE COMMUNITY CORNERS PROJECT IS AN AMAZING, UM, TOOL FOR SAFETY, BUT ALSO IN A DIFFERENT, A VERY, UH, INNOVATIVE WAY TO DISPLAY ARTWORK, UM, BY LOCAL ARTISTS.

ANOTHER CURRENT PROJECT IS OUR RAINBOW HEROES INITIATIVE, WHERE WE WILL HIGHLIGHT, UM, LBTQ, UM, IA PLUS ELDERS AND ACTIVISTS HERE IN LONG BEACH THROUGHOUT THE CITY WITHIN MURAL.

AND, UH, WE ARE EXCITED TO PARTNER WITH ELDERS RISING AND THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF LONG BEACH ON THIS PROJECT LAST YEAR, UM, WE HELPED WITH MAINTENANCE ON SEVERAL PROJECTS.

AND SOME OF THESE, UH, MAINTENANCE PROJECTS ARE SMALL, LIKE A UTILITY BOX.

SOMETIMES THEY'RE REALLY LARGE LIKE A MURAL, AND OTHER TIMES IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE TO HELP WITH A SCULPTURE OR A FIVE STORY MURAL, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE TO BE, UM, UH, AWARE OF OUR

[00:35:01]

BUT WE WERE ABLE TO INVEST, UH, OVER $6,000 IN MURAL MAINTENANCE FOR SMALL PUBLIC ART PROJECTS, CREATE 35 NEW ARTWORKS, AND, UM, ENGAGED OVER 200 COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH VOTING AND ASSESSMENT AND SURVEYS ON, ON PUBLIC ART.

AND SO WHEN WE RESTORE, WHEN WE COMPLETE, WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO THIS BELONGS TO, THE PUBLIC ART MAP IS VERY IMPORTANT.

AND WE'VE MET WITH EACH OF YOUR OFFICES, AND YOU, YOU SAW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR OWN PAGE.

EVERY DISTRICT HAS ITS OWN PAGE ON THE PUBLIC ART MAP WHERE YOU CAN SEE ALL THE ARTWORK THAT BELONGS TO THAT DISTRICT.

AND THIS IS ANOTHER WAY TO INFORM RESIDENTS THAT IF THEY SEE SOMETHING, IF THERE IS SOME, UM, MAINTENANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE, UM, WE NEED TO BE MADE AWARE OF, THEY CAN CONTACT US.

BUT THIS LAST YEAR WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO SEE HOW WE CAN STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS.

'CAUSE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND WE HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMED BY THAT ISSUE, AS YOU ARE VERY WELL AWARE.

THE LAST COMPONENT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU, IT'S ARTS, OUR ARTS LEARNING PROGRAMS. THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN IN THE SCHOOLS FOR OVER 15 YEARS, AND IT CREATES CIVICALLY ENGAGED ART STEWARDS.

SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE TEACH A THIRD GRADER A MIDDLE SCHOOLER, WHAT IT MEANS TO CREATE A PIECE OF ART FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD.

THEY LEARN ABOUT THE PRINCIPLES OF ART, THE ELEMENTS OF ART.

THEY CREATE THEIR OWN RENDERING OR SCULPTURE OR PROPOSAL.

THEY LEARN ABOUT HOW ARCHITECTS ARE INVOLVED, URBAN PLANNERS ARE INVOLVED AND INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, AND BY THE TIME THEY'RE DONE, THEY CONTRIBUTE A PUBLIC ART PIECE TO THEIR SCHOOL AND THEY BECOME CERTIFIED, UM, PUBLIC REALM STEWARDS.

AND THEY LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR COMMUNITY THROUGH PUBLIC ART.

WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND THAT WE'RE BACK IN THE CLASSROOM.

IT TOOK US A REALLY LONG TIME TO GET BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM AFTER THE PANDEMIC.

UM, WE ALSO DO FIELD TRIPS TO CAL STATE LONG BEACH, AND I'M A DOWNTOWN PUBLIC ART TOUR.

UM, WE WORK EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES IN LONG BEACH UNIFIED.

UM, WE SERVE OVER, UM, 1500 STUDENTS AND WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED OVER 3000 ART KITS TO FAMILIES AND STUDENTS WHO CANNOT AFFORD ART SUPPLIES OTHERWISE.

AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE ALREADY IN JUNE, UM, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE WORKING ON PUBLIC ART MAINTENANCE AND STREAMLINING THAT PROCESS.

UM, WE, THIS, UH, ON JUNE 15TH, WE HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENT FROM OUR JUMPSTART PROGRAM, WHICH IS, UM, JUSTICE IMPACTED, UM, FAMILIES AND STUDENTS.

UM, WE'LL HAVE AN EXHIBITION AT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE.

THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THEIR ART, UM, ALL SPRING SEMESTER.

AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE 'EM ON DISPLAY AND THEM JOINING THE, UH, FAMILY OF ARTISTS THAT ARE EXHIBITED HERE IN LONG BEACH.

AND THEN WE JUST ANNOUNCED THE ANNUAL APPLICATION CYCLE FOR OUR GRANTS THIS YEAR, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO BRINGING THOSE TO YOU IN NOVEMBER.

UM, THE LIST OF ROS, THE, THE ROSTER OF ARTISTS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL BE, UM, FUNDED FOR FISCAL YEAR 25.

UM, ON ONE MORE NOTE, IN REGARDS TO EVENTS, UM, SINCE THE PANDEMIC, WE NOT, WE HAVE NOT HAD STATE OF THE ARTS, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT STATE OF THE ARTS WILL BE BACK THIS YEAR.

YES.

AND IT WILL BE HERE IN DISTRICT ONE.

UM, AT ULTRA SOCIETY, UM, SEPTEMBER 20TH.

WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO, TO BRING THIS, UM, BACK AND TO RECOGNIZE AND AWARD, UM, LOCAL CULTURAL MAKERS, CULTURAL BEARERS, ARTISTS WHO DO AMAZING WORK HERE IN LONG BEACH.

UM, SO I CLOSE BY ASKING US TO REMEMBER THAT THE ARTS ARE NOT JUST A LUXURY.

MANY PEOPLE SEE IT THAT WAY, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A NECESSITY.

UM, CULTURAL WORK IS IMPORTANT.

WORK ARTS WORK IS IMPORTANT.

WORK BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IS REALLY IMPORTANT AT THIS TIME.

UM, IT ENRICHES OUR LIVES AND SUSTAINS OUR ECONOMY FOR EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR.

$8 IF CREATIVE ECONOMY MONEY IS GENERATED.

SO IT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, PIECE OF OUR ECONOMY HERE IN LONG BEACH.

LET'S REMEMBER THAT THE ARTS AS STATED TODAY FROM, UM, THE TATTOO HERITAGE, UM, PROJECT IS A REFLECTION OF DIVERSITY AND CREATIVITY.

AND, UM, PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT LONG BEACH.

LONG BEACH DOES ART AND CULTURE IN A VERY UNIQUE WAY.

UM, WE HAVE THIS WONDERFUL, UM, CHILLNESS ABOUT US, BUT ALSO GRIT ABOUT US, AND ALSO A HIGH RESPECT FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT DIVERSE DI DIVERSE EXPRESSIONS OF ART.

SO AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US TODAY.

AND, UM, IF YOU

[00:40:01]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, GDA.

YES, THAT DEFINITELY DESERVES A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.

I'D LIKE TO INVITE MY COLLEAGUES TO SAY A FEW WORDS BEFORE I DO.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT.

I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, CONGRATULATIONS, UM, ON YOUR GRASSROOTS AWARD VERY WELL.

UH, I THINK THAT IS, UH, UH, VERY WELL DESERVED.

AND, UH, I LOVE YOUR, UM, YOUR RAINBOW HEROES AND YOUR PUBLIC ART.

IT'S JUST, THAT'S REALLY, UH, AMAZING.

SO I, I LOVE HOW YOU JUST CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS.

I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

UM, ONE THING I WANNA PUT OUT THERE FOR YOU AS WE ARE, UM, TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE OLYMPICS, YOU KNOW, UM, JUST SO YOU GUYS ARE AWARE, WE HAVE THE MOST, UM, EVENTS HAPPENING IN LONG BEACH THAN ANY OTHER CITY, EVEN MORE THAN THE HOSTING CITY.

SO THERE'S RIGHT NOW, 10, MAYBE MORE.

SO THERE IS A LOT.

UM, ONE EVENT IS LIKE HAVING A SUPER BOWL.

SO WE, WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON HERE, AND SO THERE'S GONNA BE A BIG NEED FOR ARTISTS FOR PERFORMING ARTS.

AND SO I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO START THINKING ABOUT LIKE HOW WE CAN HELP ALL OF OUR LOCAL ARTISTS, LIKE SOME TYPE OF LANDING PAGE.

SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE COMING HERE, UM, I KNOW OTHER CITIES ARE ALREADY DOING THIS AND I ALREADY SPOKE WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, HOW WE CAN, UM, MAKE IT EASY.

'CAUSE I KNOW YOU CAN GO THROUGH YOUR PAGE AND DIG, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE THIS FOREFRONT.

LIKE THESE ARE THE ARTISTS, THESE ARE PERFORMING ARTISTS, THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR VENUES AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU KIND OF, UH, THINK ABOUT THAT AND SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR LOCAL ARTISTS HAVE, UM, CAN GET SOME OF THESE GREAT JOBS WHEN THE, THE OLYMPICS GET HERE.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN, AND CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL YOUR GREAT WORK.

THANK YOU.

AWESOME.

THANK YOU DR.

SARROW.

YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, ILDA.

I ALWAYS APPRECIATE GETTING AN UPDATE FROM YOU ALL.

I KNOW THAT YOU DO SO MUCH WORK WITH SUCH LIMITED STAFFING AND CAPACITY AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE, UM, HAVE HAD AS A CITY WITH, UM, ARTS COUNCIL, BUT REALLY JUST IN THE SPAM OF, UM, MAYBE LIKE AS YOU SHARED MAYBE 40, 50 YEARS, RIGHT? UM, AND IT'S REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN ACCESSIBILITY IN HOW WE VIEW ART.

I THINK THAT AS YOU SHARED, ART HAS ALWAYS BEEN KIND OF A CLASS THING, RIGHT? IF YOU HAD MONEY, THEN YOU HAD ACCESS TO CERTAIN ART OR CERTAIN ART WAS DEFINED BY A CERTAIN CLASS AND LIKE TATTOOS BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T VALUED BY A CERTAIN CLASS WASN'T CONSIDERED ART.

BUT WE ARE IN SUCH AN AMAZING TIME WHERE WE ARE INCORPORATING CULTURE AND HISTORY AND HOW WE DEFINE ART AND HOW IT'S RECOGNIZED AS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF OUR ECONOMY.

UM, AND IT'S EVER CHANGING, UM, AND EVER EVOLVING IN ORDER TO GIVE PLACES IDENTITY OUR CITY AND IDENTITY.

AND I THINK THAT, UM, SOMETIMES WE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED THAT WE DO ACTUALLY HAVE A REALLY AMAZING, AS YOU SHARED IDENTITY AS AN ARTS AND MANY OF OTHER THINGS WE DO HERE, UH, WHEN YOU GO TO OTHER CITY.

AND I HOPE THAT THEY REALLY SEE IT.

WE CAN SHOWCASE THAT WHEN WE DO HAVE THE WORLD LOOKING AT US, BUT I THINK IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD THAT CAPACITY.

SO I HOPE THAT WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO SUPPORT THE CAPACITY BUILDING OF ALL THE ARTISTS, THE CULTURAL ARTISTS, THE STORYTELLERS, THE MUSICIANS, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE READY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU BOTH.

UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU GDA, YOU, YOUR ENTIRE TEAM, UM, YOUR STAFF, YOUR BOARD, WHO IS ALWAYS TIRELESSLY WORKING FOR THE ARTS COUNCIL.

THEY'RE, THEY TRULY ARE A BOARD THAT'S A WORKING BOARD, AND I LOVE THAT BECAUSE EVERYWHERE THEY, THEY ARE, THEY ARE A ADVOCATING FOR THE ARTS COUNCIL.

AND SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, THAT PRESENTATION WAS AMAZING, AS YOU KNOW, UM, ART IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, UM, AS A COUNCILWOMAN AND AS A PERSON.

I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME THAT I SAW IN DISTRICT ONE, UM, AN ART PIECE THAT INCLUDED A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY OR IN A WHEELCHAIR AT ONE OF OUR PARKS.

AND I WAS LIKE, JUST THRILLED OVER THE MOON EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

AND THAT'S JUST ONE MORE, ONE MORE WAY OF BEING INCLUSIVE.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY AMAZING.

AND, UM, WE'RE VERY, VERY LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A DEVOTED ARTS COUNCIL HERE IN OUR CITY THAT YOU ARE TRULY ONE OF OUR PRIDE AND JOYS OF OUR CITY.

UM, BECAUSE OF ALL THE HARD WORK THAT GOES INTO, UM, THE ARTS COUNCIL AND ALL THE DETAILED, UM, DETAILED WORK THAT GOES

[00:45:01]

UM, I THINK THAT THAT'S VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.

SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT.

UM, ALSO, I JUST WANTED TO SAY HOW IMPORTANT THE COMMUNITY'S CORNERS ART PIECE HAS BEEN IN THE WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD.

IT WAS JUST SUCH, UM, SUCH A CHANGE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT ONLY FOR SAFETY WISE, BUT ALSO IT BRINGS THE COMMUNITY A SENSE OF PRIDE, AND I LOVE THAT.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

ALSO, AT OUR, I WAS THERE AT THE UNVEILING OF THE MURAL AT OUR, UM, LONG BEACH AIRPORT, AND HOW AMAZING THAT WAS TO SEE THAT CURTAIN DROP AND THAT MURAL RIGHT THERE.

AND NOW, EVERY TIME THAT I TRAVEL IN AND OUT OF THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT, I AM SO PROUD, UM, TO HAVE THAT MURAL THERE WHERE IT'S SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SEEING IT AND SEEING OUR ARTISTS AND SEEING HOW, HOW INTERACTIVE, UM, WE ARE AS A CITY WITH OUR ARTS COMMUNITIES.

SO I COULD GO ON FOREVER AND EVER APPRAISING YOU, BUT I THINK , UH, I WANNA GIVE, UM, THE FLOOR TO, UH, IF WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT.