Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced a new artist-in-residence program that taps into L.A.’s unmatched creative energy and will stimulate outside-the-box thinking in the City’s approach to pressing issues.
The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) has developed the Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence Program, which challenges artists to work with City departments on innovative ways to connect Angelenos with Mayor Garcetti’s vision for a safer, more sustainable, and dynamic Los Angeles.
The first department to receive an artist residency will be the Department of Transportation (DOT). The selected artist will design an accessible, targeted campaign to engage L.A. communities with Vision Zero — a citywide strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities within 10 years.
“Art has the power to transform our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “We have an important message to deliver: traffic deaths and injuries are not inevitable, and we can save lives through better planning, design, and enforcement. The Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence Program will help engage and educate Angelenos by pairing the creative genius that thrives in Los Angeles with critical initiatives to improve quality of life in Los Angeles.”
The first Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence will serve as an ambassador for L.A.’s vibrant creative workforce, reflecting the numerous ways that designers, performers, and curators can help animate the delivery of public services within the DOT, to make its transportation services more appealing, enjoyable, safe, and personable.
“Under the Mayor’s leadership, our city departments are collaborating to create a more livable, prosperous, safe, and well run city for our residents and visitors,” said Danielle Brazell, General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. “The Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence Program is the perfect example of how departments can work together using the unlimited potential of artists in L.A. A 21st century city must embrace collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. DCA is uniquely positioned as an agency to foster the spirit of creativity within civic government as a force for positive change.”
“Art has the ability to startle people out of their everyday to remind them that they are traveling through the heart of a neighborhood and to spark their imagination no matter how they move through our city,” said Seleta Reynolds, General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation. “Vision Zero is a bold goal: zero traffic fatalities by 2025, which will require conventional tools like engineering and enforcement, as well as unconventional tools like art and storytelling. We plan to infuse art into the design and function of the public realm to create safe, beautiful, great streets.”
The Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence will be selected through a community-driven process and contracted to work within the DOT as a part-time consultant/contractor for a period of 24 months. The selection process is managed by DCA and DOT. The selected Creative Catalyst will be contracted by DCA and receive a $20,000 stipend co-funded by both departments.
The City of Los Angeles Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence Program guidelines are available online at: http://bit.ly/1W4Yx5O and http://culturela.org/
The mailed portion of the application must be postmarked by Friday, November 6, 2015, or hand delivered by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9, 2015. Applications will not be accepted via email, due to a legal requirement that demands an ink signature on the certification page.
