Our declining economy has had a major effect on the arts. Many
artists have been forced to abandon their work, artistic companies
have downsized or closed entirely, arts grants are severely
diminished and schools have cut programs in music and art. In
comparison to other states, California has held last place status
in arts funding for the past six years, spending a mere three cents
per capita from the General Fund on arts.
Our declining economy has had a major effect on the arts. Many artists have been forced to abandon their work, artistic companies have downsized or closed entirely, arts grants are severely diminished and schools have cut programs in music and art. In comparison to other states, California has held last place status in arts funding for the past six years, spending a mere three cents per capita from the General Fund on arts.
However, the times do seem to be changing. Our state and local legislators are finally realizing that the arts can boost the economy, provide jobs, renew and revitalize downtowns, celebrate diversity, build bridges of tolerance and understanding between the state’s many demographic communities, and enhance the quality of life for all Californians. At the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors, it was concluded that the arts, humanities and museums are critical to the quality of life in America’s cities.
In February 2009, State Assemblyman Paul Krekorian introduced AB 700 which has the potential to revitalize the arts, in turn boosting the state’s economy. This bill establishes the Creative Industries and Community Revitalization Fund (CICRF) and transfers 20 percent of sales tax collected on specific arts-related lines of business back into the CICRF for a grants program and allocation of arts funding. For more information on this important legislation contact Arts Advocate Representative Kathy Lynch at (916) 443-0202 or the Office of Assistant Majority Leader Krekorian at (916) 319-2043. I urge you to contact State Senator Elaine Alquist at Se*************@se*.gov, asking her to not only support AB 700 but to take a leadership role in advocating for the arts in California. This is our chance to be heard.
One person in our community who is a proactive supporter of the arts is Dr. Katherine Booth. On the faculty of the new Christopher High School and looking ahead to a fully equipped state of the art theater facility, Booth has extensive plans to revitalize our community by expanding Odyssey Theatre into a performing arts academy that will eventually provide jobs for arts professionals.
Booth was raised in Gilroy and attended Rucker School and Gilroy High School. Having played the drums since 5th grade, she went on to study music at San Jose State, but left to do intensified study in Germany. Unfortunately an arm injury ended her hopes of a career in percussion. She returned to San Jose State earning a degree in theater and then returned to Gilroy where she taught at Rucker School for four years.
With an obvious passion for knowledge, Booth went on to earn her master’s degree in theater ed at Arizona State and finally her doctorate at UC Irvine in dramatic literature, history and critical performance theory. Her many credits include creating a Standards Based Theater Curriculum while teaching theater history at Gavilan College, teaching at UC Irvine and six years as head of the Theater Ed Program at Fullerton College. As the current president of the State Board of California Theater Association, she hopes to initiate the posting of theater standards online and to create a theater/dance teaching credential for the State of California.
Although she misses her days of training student teachers, Booth is passionate about what she hopes to bring to Gilroy. She is presently writing the curriculum for the Christopher High School Theater Department which she will head next year. Having founded Odyssey Theater when she was a mere 16 years old, her focus now is to mold the company into a theater conservatory for the entire district which would include theater, music, dance and possibly adult classes, staffed by qualified professionals. Her goal is to add to the local theater experience, not compete with existing companies.
Booth credits music as the the greatest influence on her career. She thinks like a musician, particularly a percussionist, being able to visualize how one element is integral to the whole. When directing a theater piece she uses this ability to separate the parts from the whole, fine tune them, rearrange them and then put them back together again, creating a visually and dramatically satisfying work. “Seussical”, her first work after returning to Gilroy, gave proof of her directing talent as well as her ability to revive Odyssey Theater Company into a vital part of the local arts community. Gilroy can look forward to a revitalization in theater under the competent direction of Katherine Booth.
