1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Protect Barnsdall Art Park! The proposed cuts include lay offs for arts workers across the City, including seven essential staff positions at Barnsdall Art Park. With three of Hollyhock House’s four full-time positions slated to be cut, the house will have to shut down public tours. Programming at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and Barnsdall Gallery Theatre will be greatly reduced, and with three positions at Barnsdall Arts Center and Barnsdall Junior Arts Center slated to be cut, our low-cost fine art education class offerings (provided to thousands of local children and adults annually for over 50 years) will be significantly diminished. Art is not a “nice to have.” Art is an essential component of a functional society. Humans need healthy forms of expression and art fuels innovation. And every time I travel internationally, I’m reminded that LA’s infrastructure is in the Stone Ages relative to the rest of the world, we need innovation desperately! Instead of funding healthy forms of expression, this budget funds oppressive LAPD. Barbaric! Is this the LA we want to show the world come Olympics 2028? Protect Barnsdall Art Park!