01 Who We Are, What We Do & Why We Do It

The City of Sacramento’s Office of Arts & Culture is a division of the Department of Convention & Cultural Services and is the City’s chief point of interface with the creative community. Together with other city and civic partners, the Office of Arts & Culture is working toward development of a vibrant and just creative economy in Sacramento. Creative Edge: Sacramento’s Arts, Culture & Creative Economy Plan is its guiding policy framework.

The Office of Arts & Culture is responsible for creative economy grantmaking and educational programming as well as the City’s Art in Public Places program and Sacramento Film + Media. The Office of Arts & Culture serves as a source of information on the state and impact of the creative economy. It works cross-functionally within city government to achieve shared goals. The Office of Arts & Culture works closely with the Sacramento Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commission, which is a 12-member advisory body appointed by Sacramento City Council.

The creative economy is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy worldwide. It’s societal benefits stretch far beyond, however, to health, neighborhoods, education and more. It is comprised of individuals, non-profits, for-profits and community-based groups. They are active through an ever-changing set of production and distribution channels in a rich array of disciplines. These actors fuel innovation by fostering imagination, collaboration, risk taking and resilience, which together are a force for personal and community development: economically, socially and culturally.

The city of Sacramento is a key driver of the creative economy within the Sacramento metropolitan area, accounting for just over 50% of all creative industry sales within the region.

2021 Employment

19,761 All Employment in Creative Industries

29,772 Creative Occupations in All Industries $4.2 Billion Goods & Services Sold $1.2 Billion Income Earned by Creative Industry Workers

2021 Creative Industries Sales & Earnings

$11.5 Million secured in funding from county, state, & federal government partners

$1.7 Million awarded to 125 artists, cultural organizations& businesses 82 Film Permits issued resulting in $2.7 million in local spending

$252,353 in matching funds awarded to projects through ioby Sacramento Arts & Culture Match Fund

$10 Million

21 completed public art projects that supported 45 artists City Council Approved Creative Economy ARPA Allocation

Improving the climate for creative activity is a long game that involves data analysis, storytelling, relationship building, and policy solution development rooted in community voice. It’s a significant, yet often unnoticed part of the Office of Arts & Culture’s work and has been a key focus of staff energy in 2021 and 2022.

› Friends of Sacramento Arts

› ioby

› Sacramento County

› Visit Sacramento

› Sacramento County Office of Education with:

New or Reimagined Inter-Departmental Partnerships:

› Department of Utilities

› Department of Public Works

› Department of Community Development (including code enforcement and planning)

› Department of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment

› Office of Innovation & Economic Development

› Office of Climate Action & Sustainability